M.A. in Public Media Admissions Information

Three double spaced pages, submitted via the online application.

Respond to the following prompt:

With an ethos of, "Media with a mission," the Public Media MA (PMMA) program focuses on training multi-platform journalists and strategic communication professionals to use media as a force for social change. In what ways does this mission connect to your personal and/or professional interests? What experiences in your undergraduate and/or professional career have prepared you for the PMMA? What personal and/or career objectives will this graduate program help you pursue?  

You may choose to answer this optional essay question. Your answer will help the admission committee get a better understanding of your unique perspective and potential contributions to our community. 

Please discuss how your life experiences, perspective, or worldview have motivated or inspired you, posed challenges, helped you build skills, or taught you valuable lessons. We are eager to learn how these experiences have helped shape who you are and prepared you for graduate study, in keeping with our mission of "graduate education for the global good."

Submitted directly via the online application in Word or PDF format.

Three letters of recommendation in total, which can be academic and/or professional.

• At least one recommender should be a faculty member from the applicant's undergraduate institution. 
• The recommender should be familiar with the applicant's academic or professional experience to help the admissions committee better understand the applicant's qualifications.

Letters are submitted directly, via the online application. Enter the following information for each of your recommendation providers:

• name;
• address;
• email address;
• phone number;
• and institution.

Make sure you enter your recommenders' email addresses correctly so that they each receive an automated email instructing them on how to submit their recommendations online. Mark the waiver statement for each recommender you enter.

A writing sample is required by all applicants.

A maximum of three work samples may be submitted, and a minimum of one is required. We are particularly interested in seeing students’ analytical or academic writing ability in at least one of the writing samples. Additional work provided can include journalistic, creative, analytical or descriptive.

All work must be submitted in English.

At least one writing sample MUST be an original, solo-authored piece of academic writing, preferably including footnotes. Please do not submit more than one piece of co-written work.

In addition, applicants may also include a link in their personal statements to relevant work.

If you are a non-native English-speaking applicant, you must add a video submission as one of your work samples demonstrating your English language skills.

A Portfolio is required for Multi-Platform Journalism applicants, and recommended (not required) for Strategic Communication applicants.

The portfolio is a supplement to the writing sample and offers applicants the opportunity to showcase multimedia, digital, visual, audio, written, or web-based production materials as part of the application process (e.g., a website, short film or video, piece of multimedia journalism, a PDF of static creative work, audio piece or podcast, a data visualization or motion graphic). Students often use this portfolio as an opportunity to showcase their applied or creative work (e.g. news clips, strategy briefs, design experience, interactive projects). Please be clear about any elements of group/collaborative work that are your own (e.g., did you script and edit, but not shoot a video, etc.).

If you are a non-native English speaker applying to either track, you must add a video submission as one of your portfolio samples demonstrating your English language skills. This video should be between 2 an 5 minutes in length and will ideally have you speaking directly to the camera, using either prepared remarks or speaking extemporaneously about your interest in the program and previous experience that has prepared you for the Public Media M.A. at Fordham.

To be eligible for admission, applicants must hold a four-year bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in the United States, or the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution abroad (for some countries, this may be a three-year degree from a member institution within the Bologna Process). If you are applying during your final (senior) year of undergraduate study, you may submit your application with an unofficial transcript that includes all completed coursework to date.

When you apply, you are required to upload unofficial transcripts from the institution where you earned or will earn your bachelor’s degree, and if applicable, master’s degree, including any institutions where transfer credits counted toward either an undergraduate or graduate-level degree. 

If you are offered admission to a GSAS program and accept the offer, you must submit official final transcripts with final grades and the title of the degree conferred. Official transcripts must be received by Fordham GSAS Admissions before the first day of classes.

International applicants whose native language is not English are required to complete and submit to GSAS prior to matriculation their official scores from one of the following accepted English language competency exams:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - GSAS accepts the following TOEFL tests:
  • TOEFL iBT including the Home Edition (we will accept the Paper Edition if less than two years old)
  • TOEFL Essentials
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS)—Cambridge English Proficiency Level
• Duolingo English Test
• PTE Academic
• Cambridge English Qualifications - We accept the B2 First, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficiency exams

Official TOEFL, IELTS, DET, PTE Academic, or Cambridge English Qualifications scores should be sent directly by the testing service to the Office of Graduate Admissions, Fordham University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (our ETS TOEFL score code #2259). 

Minimum score requirements for most programs:

We will expect our most competitive applicants to have scores above 100 on the TOEFL and 7.5 overall (with 6.5 in each sub-score) or above on the IELTS.

Exemptions to the English Language Requirement

Exemptions are considered on a case-by-case basis and are generally permitted for international applicants who:

1. are native English speakers from countries where English is an official language (click here to view the list of countries accepted); and/or
2. have completed, within the past five years, at least two years of study at an undergraduate or graduate institution in the United States or in a country where English is the official language of instruction.
3. you received an undergraduate or graduate degree from a university in India. (In some cases, we may request language proficiency test scores.)

GSAS reserves the right to require a language proficiency evaluation from any applicant. Requests for exemption from this requirement should be indicated directly within the application. The Fordham English Language Test (FELT), administered by Fordham’s Institute of American Language and Culture (IALC), may be required for those students whose English proficiency scores do not meet GSAS program requirements. Additional coursework may also be recommended by the IALC.

Students are permitted to register for two GSAS courses during the academic term in which they are completing any IALC-recommended coursework, which generally occurs during their first semester of study.

Please note: Tuition costs associated with the learning of English as a second language are the responsibility of the student and will not be covered by a GSAS tuition scholarship. GSAS merit-based tuition scholarships are not applicable to the costs of additional coursework recommended by the IALC.

If your native language is not English a skype interview may be required for non-native English speaking applicants.

As noted in the Writing Sample section, if you are a non-native English speaking applicant, you must add a video submission as one of your work samples demonstrating your English language skills. This should be between 2-5 minutes and will ideally have you speaking directly to the camera, using either prepared remarks or speaking extemporaneously about a topic of your choice (for instance, your interest in the program or previous experience that has prepared you for the program).