S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications

Academic Offerings
Faculty
Courses
About the College
Educational Mission
Accreditation

Graduate Education
Executive Education
Facilities
Research Centers
Library Resources and Services

Lorraine Branham, Dean
400 Newhouse I
newhouse.syr.edu

About the College

The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications is widely regarded as one of the nation’s top schools of communications. Engaged in industry partnerships and ongoing curricular development, the scope of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications reaches beyond the confines of the classroom. The school prepares students and faculty alike to take a leadership role in addressing the issues of today’s rapidly changing media landscape.

The Newhouse School claims a distinguished faculty with a broad range of expertise which is supplemented by visiting communications professionals, regularly bringing new experiences to the classroom. Students study in a modern, three-building complex, which houses multimedia labs, television and photography studios, and sound production and recording facilities. Students are supported in their professional development by the Tina Press and David Rubin Career Development Center which serves students who are engaged in public communications studies and helps them make professional connections and find internships, as well as professional positions. http://newhouse.syr.edu/Career_Development_Center/students/services/index.cfm

Upon graduation, students join the ranks of Newhouse alums, a large and robust group of communications professionals influencing all aspects of the industry. The Career Development Center encourages networking among alums and between students and alums, supporting their continued involvement in the Newhouse School.

The S.I. Newhouse School embraces every known form of public communications offering a rich variety of undergraduate and graduate programs:

Undergraduate:

Bachelor of Science in Advertising
Bachelor of Science in Broadcast and Digital Journalism
Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design
Bachelor of Science in Magazine
Bachelor of Science in Newspaper and Online Journalism
Bachelor of Science in Photography
Bachelor of Science in Public Relations
Bachelor of Science in Television, Radio and Film

Graduate: Master’s Level

Graduate: Doctoral Level

Mass Communications, PhD

Minors

Communications Photography
Public Communications Studies

Educational Mission

The S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications’ mission is to educate ethical, visionary communicators whose goal is to establish an open marketplace of ideas guided by the First Amendment using contemporary professional practices. In the course of earning their degree, students are expected to achieve the following educational outcomes:

Demonstrate strong writing ability.
Demonstrate the ability to construct and tell a story effectively in spoken words, images, text and through multi-media.
Understand and make use of information technology, and grasp its import for society.
Understand effective visual language and how to apply it to create visual messages and enhance communications.
Understand the events and issues of the day in public communications and society in an environment both encouraged and deepened by the liberal arts experience.
Think analytically, gain numerical proficiency and learn to develop well-researched positions on issues.
Demonstrate knowledge of the historical traditions in public communications and of industry practices and products.
Demonstrate a knowledge of ethical practice in the communications field, along with an understanding of the responsibilities media practitioners have for the public welfare.
Demonstrate an understanding of the First Amendment freedoms of speech and press along with a commitment to using these freedoms in the service of democracy.
Demonstrate the ability to work within a team under deadline pressure.
Develop the knowledge to compare and contrast media systems around the world.
Learn to value, embrace and support diversity in society and the media.
Learn to access, evaluate, synthesize and make use of information in the creation of media products.
Become media literate and a critical consumer of media content.

Accreditation

The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, and the School is a member of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Graduate Education

Lorraine Branham, Dean
Joel K. Kaplan, Associate Dean for Professional Graduate Studies
Dennis Kinsey, Director of Doctoral Studies
Maria P. Russell, Director, Executive Education Programs

The S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications offers Master’s degree programs in advertising; arts journalism; audio arts; broadcast and digital journalism; computational journalism; documentary film and history; magazine, newspaper, and online journalism; media and education; new media management; photography; public diplomacy; public relations; and television, radio and film. In addition to these residential programs, the Newhouse School offers an online Master’s program in communications with specializations in advertising, public relations, and journalism innovation. A Certificate of Advanced Study is also available in media and education in conjunction with the School of Education.

In addition to the professional Master’s degree programs, the School offers a research-based Master’s degree program in media studies.

At the executive, mid-career level, the Newhouse School offers an interdisciplinary, Master’s degree program in communications management for those who have a minimum of five years full-time experience in public relations or communications.

At the doctoral level, the mass communications program is designed for advanced study in research, analysis of public communications, and teaching. For a complete listing of faculty members associated with the Newhouse School, see the Faculty section of the Graduate Course Catalog.

Admission

Master’s Degree Programs

Applicants for Master’s degree programs must have Bachelor’s degrees from accredited colleges or universities and, with the exception of applicants to the Audio Arts, the online Communications program, Media and Education, and the Photography programs, they must take the Graduate Record Examination. (GMAT scores can be substituted for applications to the New Media Management program.) Television, Radio and Film applicants have the option of submitting either scores from the GRE exam or a portfolio of professional accomplishments. Applicants to the photography Master’s program and to the executive mid-career Master’s program in communications management are each required to submit a portfolio for admission.

International students who have not received a previous degree from a college or university in the United States or who have not studied for one year at a college or university in an English-speaking country must take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) examination or IELTS (International English Language Testing Systems) examination, in addition to the GRE.

More detailed information about the application can be found at http://newhousemasters.syr.edu. Inquiries for the professional Master’s programs should be directed to the Graduate Records Office, S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, pcgrad@syr.edu, 315-443-4039 (voice). Inquiries for the research-based Media Studies program should be addressed to masscomm@syr.edu, 315-443-3372, and inquiries about executive education should be directed to mprussel@syr.edu, 315-443-3368.

Doctoral Program

Only students with outstanding records will be considered. A candidate must be a graduate of an accredited college or university and have a master’s degree or equivalent in communications or a field considered appropriate by the school’s committee on graduate programs. Inquiries about the doctoral program should be directed to the Director of Doctoral Studies, Newhouse School of Public Communications, masscomm@syr.edu, 315-443-3372.

Program Requirements for Master’s Degree

All candidates for master’s degrees must satisfactorily complete no fewer than 30 graduate credits approved by the dean of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Graduate School. The specific number of credits required varies from 30 to 58 credits. (See the program descriptions for specific requirements under Academic Offerings.) At least half of a student’s classroom courses must be 600-level or above. Except where noted, Newhouse courses carry three credits.

Master’s students at Newhouse are allowed to transfer a maximum of 20% of their total required credits into their program. Specific credit earned at another accredited graduate school must carry at least a grade of B, must have been taken within seven years, must not have been used toward an undergraduate degree or its equivalent, must form an integral part of the degree program, and must be evaluated by the academic department and the Associate Dean for Professional Graduate Studies. Students must fill out a petition form and submit a syllabus and an official transcript. Petitions for transfer credit should be completed during the student’s first semester of study.

The completion of a specific number of courses does not, in itself, qualify the candidate for completion of the program. Each of the programs of study requires the completion of course work as well as a culminating experience through which the student is given the opportunity to demonstrate his or her mastery of public communications. This culminating experience may involve a capstone course, comprehensive examination, special project, or a thesis, depending on the student’s program of study.

A thesis is required in the Media Studies program and, in certain cases, allowed in other programs. A thesis or graduate project is also required for the Master’s degree in Photography. The thesis is regarded as a test of the student’s ability to do investigative work and to present the results in clear, accurate, and logical form. A good command of literary expression is required. A student required or electing to do the thesis must register for 3 to 6 credits of thesis work.

The Television, Radio and Film program requires students to complete their program with a comprehensive examination. Students must complete a minimum of 30 credits before taking the exam.

Public relations students who do not pursue the thesis option must complete an internship in addition to their comprehensive examination.

In addition to the Master’s degree programs described above, the School offers dual-degree options with the College of Law on a space-available basis.

Graduate Awards

Newhouse Foundation Fellowship/Internship for Minorities

Established in 1993, these awards are made annually to two minority students who wish to enroll in the Magazine, Newspaper, and Online Journalism Master’s program and who intend to pursue a newspaper career. Only students who have majored in subjects other than journalism on the undergraduate level are eligible. Funded by the Newhouse Foundation, each award provides free tuition and a monthly stipend for 18 months of study (during which time the student also works as a reporting intern at the Syracuse Media Group).

Doctoral Awards

In addition to University fellowships and scholarships, the Newhouse School funds up to five new doctoral students each year who help support research or the teaching of undergraduate classes. Some research assistants work with either the John Ben Snow Chair or the S.I. Newhouse Professor.

Liu Foundation Multicultural Scholarships

Established in 2003, these awards are designated for outstanding applicants who demonstrate financial need, have a background and/or interest in multicultural communications, and demonstrate a career interest related to multicultural communications. Such background interest might be indicated by undergraduate study abroad, an undergraduate major in a foreign language, and/or communications work experience in a non-U.S. setting.

Instructional Associates

The Newhouse School has a number of instructional associates (IA) who spend 5 to 20 hours per week helping faculty members with classes or labs. They are paid $17.20 per hour and also receive tuition scholarships (usually 7.5 credits per semester). Some positions are just for one semester, and others are for the academic year; the appointments depend upon what courses are being taught for a particular semester. IAs assist with classes by leading discussion sessions, helping with grading and meeting with students during office hours. Some also work in labs, helping undergraduate students with specialized equipment.

Online Education

Master of Science in Communications

The online masters in communications program prepares media professionals to succeed in today’s world of mass media and digital communications. With classes created and taught by Newhouse faculty, the master’s in communications offers students around the world the opportunity to receive the highest quality education without relocating. Students can start their degree in January, April, July or October. The program is intended for students with bachelor’s degrees and/or backgrounds in media and communications, journalism, public relations, advertising, media business management, and related fields. Students may choose from three secondary focus tracks: Journalism Innovation, Public Relations, and Advertising.

There are two required immersions which take place Friday through Sunday in various locations. (Past immersions have been in Syracuse, New York City, and Los Angeles.) During the immersion, students come together to learn from professionals in the field, interact with their classmates and faculty, network with Newhouse alumni and work together on a case study on a specific topic. This program is designed to be completed in as little as 15 months.

Executive Education

Master of Science in Communications Management

The executive master’s degree program in communications management is for experienced public relations professionals (minimum of five years of full-time experience). Since 1995, the Newhouse School’s fine reputation in public relations education has been extended to experienced professionals whose busy work and personal lives won’t allow them to earn a master’s degree in the traditional manner - even if a good program is just a few miles away. Students come from all types of public relations specializations. They come to our program from across the United States and countries around the world, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Lebanon, Poland, Switzerland, the Sudan, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Caribbean.

This interdisciplinary program combines courses in public relations, business and leadership – the fusion of the knowledge, skills and abilities needed for career advancement in the changing face of the public relations profession in an ever-changing world. Students participate in a highly effective hybrid format of short-term residencies and distance learning. A new class forms once each year in August. Application deadline: May 15.

For more information contact the director, Anthony D’Angelo, at dangeloa@syr.edu or at 315-443-3368.

Facilities

The S.I. Newhouse School’s buildings are known on campus as Newhouse 1, 2, and 3. All three buildings have faculty offices and classrooms capable of supporting Web, KeyNote, PowerPoint and advanced multimedia presentations.

Newhouse 1 contains administrative offices; digital news writing and editing laboratories with motion graphics, 3D animation, and research tools, such as SPSS. Newhouse 1 also houses multimedia laboratories supporting digital imaging, video editing, digital sound editing, an advertising/public relations campaigns laboratory, and the Bill Glavin Magazine Lab, a collaborative space for magazine writing and production. There is a large professional photography studio fully equipped with Profoto D4 strobe equipment and lighting attachments, as well as HDSLR and digital Mamiya medium-format camera gear. Exhibition space and a portfolio prep center with digital ink jet printers are also housed in Newhouse 1.

Newhouse 2 contains an extensive field-equipment facility that manages the School’s digital video cameras (HD and DSLR formats), lights, microphones, and other production accessories. Post-production facilities include video editing stations (AVID©, Adobe Premiere, and Final Cut Pro©), a 16-channel, digital music-recording studio; two digital post-production sound studios equipped with Pro Tools© HD and 5.1 surround sound capabilities; an extensive sound effects and music collection; Photoshop©, After Effects©, and Cinema 4D graphic systems; and an encoder and server for video streaming on the Web. The Newhouse School is an AVID© and Apple authorized training partner and offers courses that lead to AVID© and Final Cut Pro© certification. In Newhouse 2, there are also two radio news production labs, and writing labs equipped with ENPS©, the most widely used broadcast newsroom software in the world. Several voice recording booths for recording voice tracks for radio and television stories support the creation of newscasts on multiple platforms. Students edit voice tracks using Audacity© and Adobe Audition©.

In September 2014, the Dick Clark Studios and Alan Gerry Innovation Center were dedicated and open for class and student use. This five-studio complex in Newhouse 2 is supported by three control rooms, all equipped with state-of-the-art technology. Two large soundstages and two smaller flex studios can be configured for a variety of single and multicamera productions. The Broadcast and Digital Journalism newsroom and studio feature a fully automated system for newscast labs that integrate robotic cameras, graphic systems and digital video servers. Technology includes Ross Vision© video switchers, Xpression graphic systems, Overdrive automation, Lawo© audio consoles, Ikegami© broadcast cameras, Imagine© video servers, Avid Isis© storage, and Evertz© routing systems. The Gerry Innovation Center encourages students to experiment with new technologies including drones, a 30-foot touch screen, Google watches and glasses, 360° cameras, and technology which supports the creation of virtual reality programming. The University’s Orange Television Network http://orangetv.syr.edu/ is also headquartered in Newhouse 2.

Newhouse 3 houses a 300-seat auditorium; a collaborative media suite in which students can build interactive sites; executive education interactive classrooms; student lounges; spaces for media-related student activities; and a research center. A dining and social area connects all three buildings in the center of the complex. A glass-enclosed bridge connecting Newhouse 1 and 2 provides a walkway with a winter garden setting for studying or socializing.

Research Centers

Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture

The. S.I. Newhouse School is the home of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture. Since 1997, the center has been overseeing the acquisition and editing of an ongoing series of books published by Syracuse University Press about television and other popular culture subjects, and maintaining a large archive of original interviews with pioneers of Amercian television, as well as a collection of television scripts and production materials. The center provides expertise to a wide variety of TV, radio, and print reporters. On-campus activities include symposiums, guest lectureers, and weekly screenings, all of which are open to the public. For further information contact Robert Thompson, director, 315-443-4077, http://tvcenter.syr.edu/

Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship

The Newhouse Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship provides courses, consulting, and connections to encourage Newhouse students to start businesses and to identify new career opportunities in a fast-changing media industry. The Center teaches digital media trends, business modeling, and the latest in venture development. The work of the center is reinforced through one-on-one coaching and supporting resources on- and off-campus including mentoring, team development, assistance with legal, funding, technology and management issues, and more. Through internships and events (such as South by Southwest in Austin, and events with the start-up community in NYC), students are exposed to digital media startups and the start-up culture. In promoting digital media innovation and entrepreneurship, the Center also connects students to alumni and others who are innovating and changing the media industry. For further information contact Sean Branagan, director, 315-443-6310; email startups@syr.edu or visit http://www.newhousestartups.com/

Newhouse Sports Media Center

The Newhouse Sports Media Center builds upon the Newhouse School’s long history and strengths in sports communications. The Center provides courses across the spectrum of media- courses such as, sports writing across platforms, sports reporting, sports production, play-by-play announcing, interviewing, as well as internship experiences to students in a variety of fields. The Center fosters student and alumni interaction and academic-industry partnerships through an alumni board. The Newhouse Sports Media Center sponsors special events and frequent guest lectures on current sports issues. Broadcast journalist and professor of practice, John Nicholson, the Center director, can be reached at jsnich01@syr.edu, 315-443-4065. For further information, visit: http://newhousesports.syr.edu/

Tully Center for Free Speech

The. S.I. Newhouse School is the home of the Tully Center for Free Speech, which educates students and the public about the value of free speech. The Center sponsors educational programs and conducts research related to media law and free speech, serves as a clearinghouse on media law issues in New York State, and supports interdisciplinary work on free speech topics at Syracuse University. For further information contact Roy Gutterman, Director at 315-443-3523, http://tully.syr.edu/

The W2O-Newhouse Center for Social Commerce

The W2O Newhouse Center for Social Commerce is the newest center at the Newhouse School. It is devoted to the convergence of communications with “big data,” business analytics, digital technology and social media in the emerging area of “social commerce.” Established in 2012, with the support of The W2O Group headquartered in San Francisco, the Center brings together communications experts from the industry with faculty and students at Newhouse and across campus. Housed in the Newhouse School’s Public Relations Department, the Center makes possible interdisciplinary course offerings, guest speaker visits to campus, applied research projects for clients, training programs in cutting-edge techniques, and internships in W2O offices across the United States and abroad. For more information, contact Maria Russell, campus director, Newhouse Executive Education Programs at 315-443-4066.

Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC)

The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) is a data gathering, research and distribution organization based at the Newhouse School in partnership with the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. TRAC’s purpose is to provide the American people-and institutions of oversight such as Congress, news organizations, public interest groups, businesses, scholars and lawyers-with comprehensive information about the staffing, spending and enforcement activities of the federal government. For more information, email trac@syr.edu

Library Resources and Services

Syracuse University Library supports teaching, learning, and research at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications by providing a wide array of research support services, facilities, and on-site and online resources http://library.syr.edu/

Library collections in public communications cover advertising, broadcast and digital journalism, print journalism, communication theory and research, law of the press, public relations and public diplomacy, printing, photography, film, and freelance writing. Communications-related databases, accessible from any location on or off campus, include LexisNexis Academic, Factiva, Simmons OneView, MRI, Alliance for Audited Media’s Media,Library PressDisplay, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, SCOLA, AP Images, Vanderbilt University’s Television News Archive, JSTOR, Communication Source, World Advertising Research Center,Mintel Reports, eMarketer, Ad$pender, Adforum, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, Web of Science, Scopus, and many more. In addition, the library offers ebooks in the hundreds of thousands and substantial collections of streaming videos and DVDs, sound recordings, media trade magazines, collections of the memoirs of foreign correspondents; and private papers of American news people, broadcasters, authors, and cartoonists. Physical facilities offer extensive hours, including 24-hour access most days, open collaborative study areas, teaching and seminar spaces, quiet and silent reading spaces, information technology loans, computer labs, reservable group study rooms, and events spaces for student, librarian or faculty use and the Blackstone Launchpad, a cross-campus center for entrpreneurship.

The Library’s Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) collects the history of American broadcasting. Recent acquisitions include the personal papers of iconic broadcast journalist Ted Koppel. That archive includes near complete runs of Nightline and The Koppel Report. SCRC is also the repository for the papers of several American columnists of national note-Wiliam Safire, Drew Pearson, Westbrook Pegler, George Sokolsky, Harold Ickes, Dorothy Thompson, and Arthur Brisbane; an outstanding collection of prints, negatives, and personal papers of noted photographer Margaret Bourke-White, as well as personal papers, scripts, and audio-visual media of communications personalities Norman Corwin, Mike Wallace, Dick Clark, Long John Nebel, and Fulton Lewis Jr., as well as those involved in the business of television, such as Ed Bleier. The SCRC also maintains an extensive archive of scripts, videos, and personal papers in the field of television history, including scripts and production notes from NYPD Blue and Party of Five; scripts and videotapes of St. Elsewhere; and interviews by critics Arthur Unger and Steven H. Scheuer.

Programs

Master’s

Doctorate

Mass Communications, PhD

Combined Degree

Certificate of Advanced Study

Media & Education, CAS