How to Apply to the Master of Media In Journalism and Communication Program

Applications for the next intake open on October 1st. Deadline to apply is February 1st.

No application will be considered until it is complete. The responsibility rests with the applicant to ensure that all required supplementary documents are uploaded to the online application before it is submitted.

Completed applications will be evaluated by the program, which makes the admission decision. The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies sends out offers of admission.

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 competitive and meeting the minimum criteria will not guarantee admission. Students may be considered for admission with any of the following academic backgrounds:

1. 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;
   
   
2. 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;
   
   
3. 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;
   
   
4. 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%.

Students entering the Master of Media in Journalism and Communication program must have mastered basic writing skills, including grammar, syntax, and the ability to conceptualize and articulate ideas in writing. The Admissions Panel assumes the entrance essay provided by applicants is entirely their own work and is an accurate reflection of their writing ability. Journalism and communication, by necessity, require their practitioners to 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.

Students born outside Canada whose first language is not English, and who have not completed a four year university degree in Canada, the US or the UK, must provide proof of having achieved a score of at least 111 on an internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), with a minimum score of 26 in Speaking and 30 in Writing. Also acceptable would be an overall score of 8.0 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum score of 8.0 in both Speaking and Writing sections. Tests must have been taken within the last 2 years.

The applicant will provide Western with the following information as part of the online application:

• Name and personal information
• Contact information
• Academic background
  
  
• Transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended
  • Past or current students of Western University are required to upload an electronic copy of their academic record to the online application. An unofficial academic record, available from your Western Student Center, can be used.
  • If you have attended or are currently enrolled at any university or college other than Western, you MUST upload and attach an electronic copy or scanned PDF copy of your transcripts from each institution attended to the online application. Applicants who are offered a space in the program will be required to provide one official* copy of their transcript to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies prior to the start of the program.

Applicants who are unable to attach an electronic, or scanned copy of their transcripts to the application must forward one official hard copy* of their transcript by mail to:

The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
International and Graduate Affairs Building, Room 1N07
Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7

* Western considers a transcript official only if it is received in a university envelope that is sealed and signed on the flap by the official person in the office issuing the transcript. If the transcript and degree certificate are not in English, a certified translation must also be included. (Non-English transcripts from institutions within Canada do not require a translation.)

• Proficiency in English Scores (if applicable). Applicant must have testing service send score electronically to Western. Proof of proficiency in English is required from applicants whose first language is not English, and who have not completed a four year university degree in Canada, the US, or the UK.
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum score required: 107 Internet-based. Western's TOEFL ID is 0984
  • International English Language Testing Service (IELTS). Minimum score required: 8
    
    
• Referee Information
  Applicants are required to enter the names and contact information (including e-mail address) of two academic referees (academic referees are people who have taught the applicant in a university degree credit course) into the online application. If several years have passed since the applicant attended university, references from supervisors in professional employment may be substituted. Within 24 hours of the time the applicant enters the referee information  into the application, each referee will receive a request via e-mail to complete an electronic recommendation form on the applicant’s behalf. A link to the form will be included in the e-mail. The applicant will receive an e-mail when Western receives the referee's letter of recommendation.
  
  
• Non-refundable application fee of CAD $150.00

The following supplementary documents are to be uploaded and attached to the online application in MS Word or PDF format:

• An up-to-date curriculum vitae detailing academic, professional, and volunteer experience
• A 500-word autobiographical statement. This should not be an academic paper. We want you to demonstrate your storytelling skills as we learn about who you are and why you want to join the MMJC program
• Samples of published journalism-related and communications-related work (if applicable)
• Evidence of media activities - blogs, audio, video, design work, social media and anything related to using media to tell a story (if applicable)
• For permanent residents of Canada only, please include a photocopy of both sides of your Permanent Resident Card or a photocopy of your Record of Landing. If you are applying to be a permanent resident, but have not been granted landed-immigrant status, you must apply as an international applicant.
• Proof of name change, if applicable (photocopy of change of name documentation, such as marriage certificate or other legal change of name and a photocopy of photo ID showing your current name)

Questions regarding the application procedure should be directed to:

Shelley Long
Faculty of Information and Media Studies
FIMS & Nursing Building, Room 2020
Western University
London, Ontario
Phone: (519) 661-4017
slong@uwo.ca