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Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Master’s Degree in Sports Journalism
The Cronkite School's Master of Arts in Sports Journalism gives students unparalleled preparation for careers in sports media and communications through in-depth, hands-on multimedia writing and reporting courses. Students have opportunities to cover a range of sports and events such Major League Baseball spring training, the Summer Olympic Games and the NCAA Final Four for major-market media partners. Students also complete an intensive professional experience in the school's Phoenix or Los Angeles sports bureaus.
Classes and Professional Programs
The Cronkite master's in sports journalism is designed to be completed in 12 months. In this 36-credit hour program, students begin with an intensive multimedia "boot camp," which teaches students to produce sports and news coverage across broadcast, digital and print platforms. From there, students take advanced classes in sports reporting, videography, photojournalism, ethics and diversity and participate in sports bureaus located in Phoenix and Los Angeles. Working under the guidance of veteran sports journalists, they gain real-world experience in a professional news environment.
Cronkite News Phoenix Sports Bureau: Students cover four major professional sports leagues, college bowl games and many other signature sporting events. Students produce digital and broadcast stories for Cronkite News and media outlets such as Sports Illustrated, Pac-12 Networks and MLB.com.
Cronkite News Los Angeles Sports Bureau: Students spend a semester in the nation’s second-largest city, reporting on professional and collegiate sports for Cronkite News and other professional media outlets. Students use the latest digital and broadcast tools to create cutting-edge multimedia sports stories, working under an experienced sports broadcast professional.
36 credit hours including the required capstone course (MCO 570)
Required Core (24 credit hours)
MCO 502 Journalism Skills (8)
MCO 503 Media Law (3)
MCO 510 Data Journalism (3)
MCO 526 Advanced Issues in 21st-Century Sports and Media (3)
MCO 529 Ethics and Diversity in Sports Journalism (3)
MCO 540 Sports Reporting (3)
Electives or Research (3 credit hours)
Other Requirement (1 credit hour)
MCO 598 ST: Journalism Skills Lab (1)
Culminating Experience (9 credit hours)
MCO 570 Capstone: Cronkite News - Los Angeles Sports Bureau (9) or
MCO 570 Capstone: Cronkite News - Phoenix Sports Bureau (9)
Additional Curriculum Information
Students should see the academic unit for a complete list of approved electives.
Student Experiences
Cronkite graduate students regularly cover major professional and collegiate sports in Arizona as well as some of the world's largest sporting events, producing broadcast and digital stories for Cronkite News.
Cronkite students regularly cover the Summer Olympic Games, having reported from London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Students have produced content for Cronkite News, the student-staffed, professionally led news division of Arizona PBS, as well as for The Arizona Republic, FOX Sports Arizona, Pac-12 Networks, 12 News KPNX-TV and news outlets in other markets. Plans already are in place for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. See Student Work
Cronkite students played an important role at Super Bowl XLIX in Arizona, assisting the NFL and major media outlets such as Sports Illustrated. They also monitored all activities and conversations on NFL social media channels to keep fans connected to Super Bowl-related news and activities.
See Student Work
See Student Work
Cronkite students produced hundreds of pieces of content, including digital stories and 360-degree videos. They also served as the content creators for all of the Final Four's official social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
See Student Work
See Student Work
Job Placement
Cronkite alumni work at major broadcast and digital sports media organizations such as ESPN as well as for teams in the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL . Other Cronkite alumni have accepted jobs at:
- CBS Sports
- FOX Sports
- NBC Sports
- Sports Illustrated
- NFL.com
- NFL Network
- USA Today
- The Washington Post
- NASCAR
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- MLB.com
- Los Angeles Kings
- Phoenix Suns
- Golf Channel
- Chicago Bears
"I would not be where I am today had I not gone through the program at ASU, which armed me with a wide-ranging skill set, rooted in the fundamentals of journalism, coupled with the ability to adapt to an ever-changing and disruptive technology facing the journalism industry."
Application Requirements
The Cronkite School accepts applications on a rolling basis beginning on Sept. 1. Applications received before Dec. 1 are given priority for admissions and funding. The final deadline for application is June 1.
Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree from a regionally accredited institution.
They must have a minimum of a 3.00 cumulative GPA (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of a student's first bachelor's degree program, or applicants must have a minimum of a 3.00 cumulative GPA (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.
All applicants must submit:
- Graduate admission application and application fee
- Official transcripts
- GRE Scores, with the verbal score being particularly important to the journalism school's graduate committee
- Three letters of recommendation
- Personal statement of interest (350 to 500 words in length)
- Resume
- Proof of English proficiency
An applicant whose native language is not English (regardless of current residency) must provide proof of English proficiency. TOEFL scores must be at least 600 for the paper-based examination and 100 for the Internet-based.
Students should see the program website for application deadlines and admission terms. Applicants must meet all deadlines and application requirements to be considered.
The Cronkite School's graduate committee reviews complete and on-time applications. Recommendations for admission are made to Graduate Admission Services, where the final admission decisions are made.