Teaching Magazine Research

The number of degrees granted from journalism and mass communication undergraduate programs showed modest increases in recent years across the United States and, despite a lagging economy, even larger increases were seen at the graduate level. ¹ The most recent, 2012 study of graduate programs reported more than 5,390 master's degrees were granted in the 2011–2012 school year; in 2008 only 4,079 students were graduated. A total of 276 doctoral degrees were granted in the 2011–2012 school year, compared to 226 doctoral graduates in 2008. ² The number of U.S. colleges and universities offering master's and doctoral degrees has also increased. In their 2012 Enrollment Report, Lee Becker, Tudor Vlad, Holly Simpson and Konrad Kalpen reported that the number of master's programs had grown substantially from 12 years earlier—from 176 to 217—as well as an increase in the number of doctoral degree granting programs, from 40 to 50. ³ No comparable data on student enrollments in international graduate programs were found. However, the increase in media and mass communication research being done across the globe suggests similar increases in the graduate student population in media and mass communication programs are occurring worldwide. Despite this growth, U.S. scholars have long debated the make-up of the “ideal” mass communication graduate curriculum. In particular, educators have contemplated the issue of the focus of the mass communication master's program. For it is a program's overall emphasis on either professional practice, teaching and research, or both that guides curricular decisions. These discussions have special meaning for those interested in the magazine form, both from a research perspective and for those in the professoriate who wish to further enhance the study of magazines in the future.