Our Department of Journalism and Mass Communication has a long and successful history. Continuously accredited since the first year national journalism accreditation began in 1948, the department has been recognized as one of the best midsize journalism programs in the U.S. In the 1950s, the department added a master's degree, and graduates are making a mark in the industry and higher education around the country and world.

Students in the program will take many of the classes together, but in other cases students will have several classes from which to choose. Each student's plan of study will also be individualized in two other ways: an independent study allows students to pursue a topic of interest under a professor's supervision, and the capstone course, a research paper or project, will be tailored to individual student interests and needs.

All of the classwork for this degree will be available 24/7. Online discussion and lectures will substitute for face-to-face traditional instruction. Internet-based courseware functions as a virtual classroom for students and instructors who can participate at any time, from anywhere. Faculty post lectures and assignments; students turn in papers and tests and discuss their work with classmates online. Whether you are a student in South Dakota or elsewhere in the world, online learning adjusts to your own schedule.