Master of Arts in Journalism

Admission Requirements

Prospective students should have completed an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution, and earned an overall grade point average of at least 2.75. In addition, applicants should have successfully completed an undergraduate course in News Writing and Reporting (equivalent to Journalism 11 at Hofstra) and in Copy Editing (equivalent to Journalism 53 at Hofstra), or should have equivalent professional experience. Students who have not taken the prerequisite courses may be asked to complete additional undergraduate coursework before beginning the graduate level journalism courses.

In addition to a completed application and an official transcript of undergraduate work, applicants should submit current GRE scores.

An interview with the program director is strongly recommended but not required for admission to the program. Applicants may arrange for either an on-campus or telephone interview.

All students accepted into the program will be required to pass a basic news writing test and a grammar and spelling test before enrolling in journalism courses. Those students who do not pass the tests may be asked to complete additional undergraduate coursework before enrolling in graduate-level journalism courses. Students electing to take these classes at Hofstra will be permitted to enroll in both courses concurrently.

The Department understands that any single criterion may not reliably predict a candidate's potential for success in the program. We encourage students who may not meet all of the criteria to apply if they have other experiences that make them suitable candidates for the program.