Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies

UWM Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies (JAMS) students learn from an outstanding faculty and from the varied opportunities of a vibrant city with many media organizations.

The B.A. in Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies offers both insightful academic study of the media and preparation for careers in media professions. JAMS majors complete one of three concentrations:

• The Journalism concentration provides knowledge and experience in the dynamic field of journalism with emphasis on excellent writing, original reporting and innovative use of digital tools for storytelling.
• The Advertising and Public Relations concentration provides an integrated approach to advertising and public relations.
• The Media Studies concentration emphasizes critical, cultural, historical, legal, ethical, and social scientific analysis of the media and society while also providing experience in media production.
  

The M.A. in Media Studies involves research on practically any media topic. The purpose of the program is to develop abilities to research, reflect on, and write about media studies topics. Courses foster knowledge and understanding of mass media and society through critical, cultural, historical, legal, ethical, or social scientific approaches. Students work closely with their faculty advisors to prepare course plans and to conduct original research for their theses. The members of the graduate faculty are nationally respected scholars with a wide range of specialties. Students come from a variety of backgrounds.

STUDENT NEWS Two UWM Journalism Students are National SPJ Winners Journalism students Kaitlin Sharkey and Jordan Johansen earned national recognition in the Society of Professional Journalists 2012 Mark of Excellence competition. Kaitlin is the national winner in the Online Sports Reporting category (large school division) for "Fields Apart: City, suburban football programs are a study in contrasts." Jordan is a national finalist in the Online Feature Reporting category (large school division) for "The Gift of Gab: Wisconsin man becomes advocate for ALS research." Kaitlin and Jordan reported, wrote and produced the multimedia projects last fall in JAMS 604 Advanced Integrated Reporting, taught by Lecturer Jane Hampden. Both stories appeared on the student-produced news site, Media Milwaukee. The UWM journalists join an elite group: students from Harvard, Yale, Brown, the Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse and the Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State were also among the 2012 national winners.

STUDENT NEWS JAMS Students Clean Up at Milwaukee Press Club Awards JAMS students picked up 16 awards for reporting, writing and production at the Milwaukee Press Club Gridiron Awards Dinner in May. Producing stories for UWM PantherVision and Media Milwaukee, UWM students were tough statewide competitors; Marquette students won 17 awards and UW-Madison students received 14. Journalist Cokie Roberts of ABC and NPR was the press club’s Sacred Cat Award winner. University of Wisconsin-Madison Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez won the Headliner Award. Eighteen students and family members represented UWM at the dinner and ceremony, held at the InterContinental Milwaukee Hotel.

STUDENT NEWS Journalism students survey local nonprofits A majority of nonprofit organizations in southeast Wisconsin have recovered from the Great Recession and expect more donations in 2013 than in 2012, according to a report compiled by JAMS students. The first BizTimes Nonprofit Survey asked top executives to assess their charities’ financial health and ongoing needs. Students worked on the report under the direction of BizTimes Executive Editor Steve Jagler, who taught Advanced Reporting in spring. BizTimes published a news story about the project in May.