Admission

The SJMC Graduate Committee will review applications on an ongoing basis. Application materials for Drake University’s Master of Arts in Communication program must include all elements below:

• Drake University graduate admission application.
• Official transcripts from every college or university you have attended, including summer terms (students may present unofficial transcripts for admittance, although official transcripts must be submitted to Drake University to confer the degree).
• Two letters of recommendation from professional contacts.
• For students with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.25 to 2.49 – Official test scores from the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Test scores will be valid for 5 years.

Transfer Students

Students may transfer a maximum of 9 credit hours in graduate coursework from another institution or from another Drake academic unit upon the approval of the SJMC graduate committee. All transfer credits must be earned with a grade of at least a “B-” and within 5 years prior to completing the MAC degree.

Non-Degree-Seeking Students

Students may enroll in up to 6 credit hours before being required to apply and be formally considered for admission to the program. Non-degree-seeking students must complete an application and provide a copy of their degree-posted transcript prior to enrollment. MAC courses taken before official admittance to the program may count toward fulfilling graduation requirements. Financial aid is not available to non-degree-seeking students.

Students Pursuing Multiple MAC Concentrations

Students pursuing more than one MAC concentration may count up to two elective courses toward the requirements of each concentration. All other electives may count for only one MAC concentration. This will result in a student pursuing more than 33 credits.

Sequencing of MAC Classes and Course Load

All MAC 3-credit classes must be completed prior to enrolling in a capstone course. Students may enroll for up to 9 credit hours in each term. Students wishing to enroll in more than 9 credit hours in a single term must receive permission from the SJMC Graduate Committee.

Time to Complete Degree

All coursework to complete the MAC degree must be completed within 5 years of the end of the student’s first semester of enrollment in any graduate classes.

Enrollment Validation

Students are required to validate their enrollment in each course on their schedule by the end of the first official day of class each term. Failure to validate enrollment or to make prior arrangements with the professor may result in the student being dropped from that course.

Required GPA, Suspension and Academic Notice

Students must maintain a 3.00 grade point average (GPA) to remain in good standing in the MAC program and may earn only two grades of “C” in coursework. Students may repeat classes in an effort to earn a higher grade, and students who earn grades of “D” or “F” will be required to retake the course. Students may repeat a class only once, and only 2 classes may be repeated during a student’s graduate program.

Academic Notice

If a student’s GPA falls below 3.00, the student is placed on academic notice, and a letter is sent to the student by the SJMC Dean’s Office.  A notation of “Academic Notice” will be recorded on the student’s transcript for the respective term of evaluation. A student placed on academic notice must provide the Graduate Committee with an academic plan for improvement of his/her/their GPA before the student will be allowed to register for additional graduate coursework.  The academic plan must describe in detail the student’s course of action for raising his/her/their GPA to the required 3.00 within the next nine hours of enrollment. A student is removed from academic notice when he/she/they have a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or above.

Academic Suspension

If a student placed on academic notice does not raise his/her/their GPA to 3.00 or above within the academic notice period described above, the student is suspended from his/her/their graduate program.  The student is prohibited from enrolling in further graduate classes at Drake University.

A student who is suspended from the MAC program may petition for reinstatement after one semester.  The petition for reinstatement must be made in writing to the SJMC Graduate Committee, addressing each reason outlined in the student’s dismissal notice and the student’s proposed resolution.  The committee will notify the student in writing regarding its decision.

Attendance Policy

The University policy notes, “Students are expected to attend all classes and to be punctual in doing so. They are also expected to complete all assignments for classes that they miss. The individual instructor may set his/her own specific requirements in reference to each class at the beginning of the term. Faculty members are urged to provide an opportunity for students to make up work missed as a result of legitimate absences, including observances of religious holidays.”

In the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, by faculty action, “It is recommended that journalism faculty include in course syllabi and in comments on the opening days of classes clear statements of attendance policies.

“In such statements, it should be noted that excessive absences, as determined by the instructor, are sufficient cause for reduction of a grade in a class.”

Honor Code

The Drake School of Journalism and Mass Communication is a community of scholars committed to the highest professional and personal standards.  Members of this community accept responsibility for honesty and excellence in all of their interactions.  Such integrity is the foundation of our academic and professional careers, and of our lives as ethical people.

Cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty by SJMC students, whether it occurs in class or in extra-curricular activities related to the journalism profession, will not be tolerated.  Academic dishonesty on the part of any student of another college or school enrolled in an SJMC class also will not be tolerated.  Academic dishonesty constitutes grounds for penalties, ranging from failure in an academic exercise to suspension or dismissal from an SJMC class, the School and/or the University.

— Honor Code, Drake School of Journalism and Mass Communication, adopted by SJMC faculty in March 2007.

See full Code for definitions and examples of academic dishonesty, and procedures for dealing with instances of dishonesty.

SJMC Policy for Resolving Conflict

Part of your education is learning how to deal appropriately with conflict in the workplace.

Students must initiate a grade appeal within 10 business days following the final grade submission due date published by the Registrar. The appeal is initiated by first seeking a resolution with the instructor. Exception: For courses in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, the final grade appeal must be initiated 3 business days following the final grade submission due date published by the Registrar, or in the event that the final grade submission occurs prior to course completion, the timeline will begin with official College notification to the student.

Students may appeal a final grade for one or more of the following reasons:

1. Procedural or clerical error by the instructor that had a negative impact on the student’s grade
2. The grading being arbitrary, capricious or outside accepted norms with resultant negative impact on the student’s grade. Possible examples: work is graded differently than stated in the rubric; final grades are calculated with a different method than stated on the syllabus, etc.
3. The evaluation was of a different standard than that required of other students in the class, resulting in a negative impact on the student’s grade. Possible examples: some students were permitted to submit late work without penalty and others were not; extra credit opportunities were provided to some, but not all students, etc.

If the student believes that the grade received is based upon discrimination, harassment, or related retaliation, as defined and prohibited by Drake policy, the student should initiate the complaint process set forth in the related policy: Non-Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment Policy (Non-Sex-Based), or Sexual Harassment Policy.

Students must provide sufficient evidence to support how their appeal meets one or more of the grounds for appeal, and the inability to provide this evidence may result in dismissal of the appeal. To be clear, students may not appeal the final grade on the grounds that they disagree with the professional judgment of the instructor as to the quality of the students’ performance or work or whether they met course standards.

It is expected that most, if not all, appeals will be resolved between the student and their instructor. If an agreement is not reached between the instructor and the student, the appeal may be escalated to the Associate Dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication to investigate the allegations and give an outcome. To escalate the matter, students must submit in writing their name, contact information, a description of the circumstances, and the current outcome. Email or hard copy correspondence will be accepted. If, after working with the Associate Dean, the student chooses to appeal the matter a third and final time, the student should contact the Dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, providing the same level of detail described above. Please note: If an agreement between the parties involved occurs at any step of the appeals process, the appeal has concluded and the grade may not be appealed again. A sample timeline is shared below, showing the maximum number of business days allowed for each step in the appeals process.

All officially documented issues will be forwarded to the provost’s office for data collection as reporting general trends, not as an avenue to change the outcome. If the conflict is with one of the final decision makers, the student should refer to the University's student complaint procedures. 

Appeal Steps and Max Days:

• Student Appeal: 10 Days
• Instructor Response: 5 Days
• Student Appeal: 5 Days
• Associate Dean's Response: 5 Days
• Student Appeal: 5 Days
• Dean's Response: 5 Days
• Instructor Appeal of Dean's Decision: 5 Days
• Dean's Response: 5 Days