Applied Project

The Applied Project is the culmination of the master’s degree student’s work in the Cronkite School. It is undertaken after all coursework has been completed. It may differ from the traditional thesis in that it may include an orientation that takes into account the Cronkite School’s professional disciplines. That is, an element of the Applied Project may be the product of a student’s work within a mass media context – e.g., a video documentary, a public relations campaign, or an in-depth investigative report suitable for publication.

Students admitted to the Cronkite School’s Master of Mass Communication program prior to fall 2008 may petition to substitute one of the school’s professional experience programs for the Applied Project. These programs include the New Media Innovation Lab, the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship and Cronkite News Service. The school’s graduate committee uses two criteria to evaluate these petitions: whether the student has completed coursework that is equivalent to the prerequisites for the professional experience; and whether the student is willing to commit a minimum of three eight-hour days per week to the experience.

Students who do the Applied Project must adhere to the basic tenets of academic research and include chapters labeled:

Introduction
Literature Review
Method
Results (Findings)
Conclusions
Discussion

The Applied Project is overseen and evaluated by a three-member faculty committee that consists of a chair and two readers. The student has a role in determining the make up of his/her committee. It often takes more than one semester to complete the Applied Project.

Before beginning the Applied Project, the student must meet with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who will advise the student on the composition of his/her committee. The student must also orally defend the project proposal.

During the Applied Project process, the student works closely with his/her chair who determines when the student is ready to defend the project before the full committee at an oral defense.

More detailed explanations of the Applied Project, its various procedures, and possible topics are available to degree students upon request or in the Cronkite School Graduate Student Handbook.

In addition to the Senior Associate Dean and the graduate program’s Student Support Specialist can provide guidance.