USF St. Petersburg Department of Journalism and Media Studies

The Department of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) at University of South Florida St. Petersburg is located in Peter Rudy Wallace (PRW) building on the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus at the corner of Sixth Avenue South and Second Street South. The department offers M.A. in digital journalism and design (fully online), M.A. in journalism and media studies, B.A. in mass communications with a journalism studies concentration; and Minor in mass communications. Dr. Robert Dardenne is the chair.
History
In 1988, University of South Florida agreed to house the journalism master’s program in St. Petersburg, Florida. The campus hired Michael Killenberg, a University of Southern Illinois full professor, to teach master's and undergraduate classes and supervise adjuncts. The professional journalism M.A .program, with support from local media and the Poynter Institute, complemented USF Tampa’s School of Mass Communications PR and Media Studies M.A. programs. Initially, students took classes in St. Petersburg and most completed degrees in Tampa. Killenberg in 1991 hired Dr. Robert Dardenne (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga) and in 1992 they co-founded the master’s program. They also started Neighborhood News Bureau (NNB) so students covered stories in an under-represented neighborhood and were exposed to an African-American urban culture. In 1993, they hired internationally recognized ethics scholar Jay Black (University of Alabama) as the Eleanor Poynter Jamison Chair in Media Ethics and Press Policy. The three created a complete undergraduate program to match its master’s program.
Dr. Jay Black retired in 2008.
The department was among 11 leading journalism schools to participate the Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Dr. Michael Killenberg retired in 2011.
Degree programs
The Department of Journalism and Media Studies at USF St. Petersburg offers one undergraduate and two graduate programs of study. All programs allow for individually tailored approaches to journalism studies to accommodate the backgrounds and interests of our students.
Undergraduate
*BA in mass communications with a journalism studies concentration prepares students for future roles in communications media. Students are eligible to seek internships and part-time work. A minor in mass communications is available to students pursuing any other major at USF. The minor requires a minimum of 18 hours of coursework. Students who wish to minor must apply for admission to the department.
Graduate
*MA in Digital Journalism and Design is a fully online program that prepares recent graduates or practicing professionals to excel in the exciting field of digital journalism and in other media- or communication-related fields. The department collaborates with the Poynter Institute's News University to offer a USFSP-Poynter Certificate of Proficiency in Digital Media. This certificate supplements the Digital Journalism and Design application process.
*MA in Journalism and Media Studies provides career preparation in journalism while providing a foundation for those students who elect to continue their studies on the Ph.D. level. Students may take classes part time or full time. They may also sample the program by taking up to 12 hours of graduate credit as a non-degree-seeking student before being formally admitted. The full program is offered on the St. Petersburg campus, although students may choose electives at any USF campus with permission of their faculty adviser.
Accreditation
The department's both undergraduate and graduate programs were accredited by ACEJMC in 2004 and re-accredited in 2010. <ref name="bare_url_a" />
Neighborhood News Bureau
The Neighborhood News Bureau Midtown bureau opened in September 2006 and is located in its own office at 2335 22nd Avenue South in Midtown St. Petersburg. A working newsroom, staffed by JMS undergraduate and graduate students, it provides journalism students training, connects the local community and produces news stories for use by local and regional news media and community organizations, most recently the Weekly Challenger and the "Neighborhood Times" section of the Tampa Bay Times.<ref name="bare_url_b" />
Notable faculty
*Deni Elliott, professor and Eleanor Poynter Jamison Chair in Media Ethics and Press Policy.

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