University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Degrees offered

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC), part of the College of Letters and Science, grants a Journalism Bachelor of Arts (JBA) and Journalism Bachelor of Science (JBS), with reporting or strategic communications tracks; two master's degrees; and a Ph.D. in Mass Communications jointly administered with the Department of Life Sciences Communication.

Programs and emphasis

Nearly 90 percent of graduates complete at least one internship. The school houses the Center for Journalism Ethics, the Mass Communication Research Center, and the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal, and runs Madison Commons (hyperlocal digital citizen journalism) and the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. In a 2017 Center for World University Rankings subject ranking, UW-Madison placed 4th in communication.

History

Journalism education at UW-Madison began in 1905 with a single course, Law and the Press, taught by Willard Grosvenor Bleyer to 25 students. The program was reestablished as the School of Journalism in 1927. Ralph O. Nafziger became director in 1949 and established a Ph.D. in Mass Communication, among the first such programs in the nation, awarding its first degree in 1953; by 1973 the school graduated more mass communication Ph.D.s than any other. The school was renamed the School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 1970 and moved into its permanent home, Vilas Communication Hall, in 1972.

Key faculty and leadership

Michael W. Wagner: Director, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, as of July 2026; also William T. Evjue Distinguished Chair for the Wisconsin Idea and Director of the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal.

Location and contact info

Address
Vilas Communication Hall
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI
Website
https://journalism.wisc.edu/