Academic Qualifications and Selection Procedures
Only those applicants who have a four-year degree or equivalent and have an average of at least 70% in the last two years of full-time study can be considered for admission. There are a limited number of places available each year. Admission to the program is very competitive and meeting the minimum criteria will not guarantee admission. For information on how to apply to the program, please visit the MA Journalism Application Procedure page.
Students may be considered for admission with any of the following academic backgrounds:
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A four-year degree, or its equivalent, with an average of at least 70% in the last two years of full-time study, as noted above;
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A three-year Bachelor's degree in an academic discipline, with an average of at least 70% in the last ten courses taken, and completion of a Bachelor of Education degree;
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A three-year Bachelor's degree in an academic discipline, with appropriate additional course work at this or another accredited university as a special undergraduate student for the equivalent of a four-year degree. This work would ordinarily consist of five full, academic degree credit courses, usually (but not necessarily) in the student's previous area of specialization. Students who complete these courses and maintain an average of at least 70% over their last ten full courses may apply for admission;
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A four-year degree or equivalent, with an average of at least 70%, and completion of a graduate degree in another academic discipline, with an average of at least 70%.
Expectation of writing ability in the journalism program
It is expected that students entering the MA in Journalism program have mastered basic writing skills, including grammar, syntax and the ability to conceptualize and articulate ideas in writing. It is also expected that students possess the ability to write in English at a post-graduate level. The Admissions Panel assumes that the entrance essay provided by applicants is entirely their own work and is an accurate reflection of their writing ability. Journalism, by necessity, requires that its practitioners produce clean, competent copy on deadline, often without the benefit of external editing or extensive rewriting. Students who do not meet the expectations of writing may not achieve marks necessary for progression and could be required to withdraw from the program.
English Proficiency
Students born outside Canada whose first language is not English also must provide evidence of achieving a score of at least 111 (Internet-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a score of 8.0 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), taken within the last 2 years, as detailed in the application procedure.