Courses

Students take 30 credit hours of coursework, which includes a practicum in professional media, advertising, public relations, or another professionally supervised media experience.

As a student, you will take courses in research methods, strategic communication, media law, management, and emerging technologies.

You will also take a number of electives in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications and/or other USC programs, which allows you to tailor your degree toward your career goal.

Practicum

A practicum is a professional experiential learning opportunity that combines field experience and academic activities. The practicum is a three-credit-hour core course requirement typically taken near the end of the program. Students work a total of 300 hours (20 hours a week for 15 weeks in a semester or 25 hours a week for 12 weeks in a summer) at a professional organization or in a professionally supervised work environment.

Some places where students have done their practicums include NASCAR, The Post and Courier (business and newsroom), Greensboro News and Record, University of South Carolina Athletics and other offices, Learfield (sports marketing), Columbia Urban League, SEC Network, South Carolina Office of the Governor and other state offices, Hearst, Tepper Sports and Entertainment, City of Columbia, Prisma Health and local marketing agencies including Chernoff Newman.

When appropriate, M.M.C. students may use their current job for the practicum experience. The job must be in some aspect of mass media, whether for a media company or other entity involved in mass communications. If the job does not already involve a management experience, such an experience will be required as a part of the practicum. Management experiences can include being assigned supervisory responsibilities or assessment of management in the work environment. Previous jobs used by M.M.C. students as practicum experiences include communications positions for hospitals, universities, charities,and law firms.

Careers

Some students turn their practicums into full-time jobs after graduation. Recent graduates who have done so are working as journalists, account managers with public relations and advertising firms, operations managers, technical producers with media companies, communications directors with nonprofits, and social media strategists and managers.

Additionally, our M.M.C. students have gone on to work with organizations such as APCO Worldwide, United Way, the American Red Cross, the Tampa Bay Rays, Fox Sports in Miami/Fort Lauderdale, WCSC News in Charleston, the San Francisco Chronicle, University of South Carolina Athletics, Fleishman Hillard, and more.

Specific jobs include Social Media Community Manager for Main Street Hub in Austin, TX, Communications Director for a Congressperson, Digital Lead Advertising Account Executive for The McClatchy Company, News Producers for WIS-TV and WOLO-TV, Employee Engagement Manager for MGM Resorts International, and many others.

Degree Requirements

Our students complete 10 courses for a total of 30 credit hours*, divided into three parts, including a three-credit-hour media workplace practicum, which is a highlight of the program.

M.M.C. Required Core Courses (12 hours)

• Research Methods in Mass Communication
• Media Law (or substitute course approved by Associate Director of Graduate Studies if student has made a “B” or higher in an approved undergraduate media law course)
• Issues in Mass Communication Management
• Practicum in Mass Communications Management (working with an organization or agency in their chosen field.)

Strategic Communication Management Concentration Core Courses (9 hours)

• Strategic Communication Principles
• Strategic Communication Strategies
• Strategic Communication Campaigns or Strategic Communication for Behavior and Social Change

Recommended electives (9 hours) such as:

• Interactive Communication Strategies
• Advanced Special Topics
• Corporate Communication
• Organizational Communication
• Seminar in Health, Science, and the Media
• Risk Communication
• Public Relations Theory
• Theories of Global Communication
• Topics in Mass Communications such as crisis communications, digital media, and corporate social responsibility.

Other courses as approved

*At least 15 credit hours must be 700-level or above courses.

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Admission Guidelines

More information on what you will need in order to apply for the Master of Mass Communication program.