Cronkite School Announces Online Degree Program in Media Studies

PHOENIX, March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University today announced plans to offer a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications and Media Studies – entirely online. The new program will provide students anywhere with access to the Cronkite School's internationally renowned and award-winning faculty, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. It is the first online degree program offered by the Cronkite School and will begin in the fall semester.

"This innovative program provides a new option for students who want and need the flexibility offered by a fully online program," said Cronkite Dean Christopher Callahan. "It will enable students around the world to take advantage of the world-class education offered by the Cronkite School and ASU, giving a broad-based liberal arts education with a focus on mass communication and media studies." 

The program is designed to give students a deep and nuanced understanding of the growing importance, power and influence of mass media, as well as the evolving nature of today's media landscape. Students will explore global mass communication issues from a variety of theoretical perspectives, including societal, cultural, historical, political, economic, technological and legal.

Equipped with a sophisticated understanding of mass communication, graduates will be prepared for careers in business, government and nonprofit organizations, as well as for graduate study. The online program is differentiated from the Cronkite School's highly hands-on program, which has achieved national recognition for training the next generation of multimedia journalists and public relations practitioners at its state-of-the-art Phoenix facility.

In addition to the general education courses required by ASU, students in the program will be required to take a core class on media and society and choose from a wide range of program-specific electives, including International Mass Communication, Political Communication, Sports and Media and Visual Communication.

Cronkite faculty members teaching in the new program include Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Doig, the school's Knight Chair in Journalism; associate professor Mary-Lou Galician, an award-winning researcher and educator with an expertise in media literacy; assistant professor Dawn Gilpin, a prolific public relations practitioner and researcher with global expertise in social media; and Dan Gillmor, internationally renowned thought leader on new media.

For more information, please visit http://asuonline.asu.edu/degree-programs.

About The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication is one of the nation's premier journalism schools. With "The Most Trusted Man in America" as its namesake since 1984, the institution grounds students in the time-honored media values espoused by its namesake, Walter Cronkite. It has been recognized as a leader and innovator among mass communication educators nationwide by entities including The New York Times, The Times of London, American Journalism Review, multiple journalism foundations and the Federal Communications Commission. For more information, please visit http://cronkite.asu.edu/.

About ASU Online

ASU offers 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs entirely online, providing the opportunity to learn from the same great faculty, engage with the same rigorous academic content, benefit from the same services and resources, and earn the same diploma as students who attend on campus. For more information, please visit: http://asuonline.asu.edu.

SOURCE The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University