MCM 5+ Year BA/MCM Program

Rutgers SC&I Communication (COM) and Journalism & Media Studies (JMS) majors can apply for the Master of Communication and Media (MCM) program in their junior or senior year as part of the dual-degree 5+ Year BA/MCM program option.

• Complete your MCM degree with 12 months of full-time study or at your own pace.
• Save money by paying undergraduate tuition rates for MCM courses (taken in Fall or Spring semesters only).
• Take up to 12 MCM graduate credits during your senior year. These credits will count for both your undergraduate degree and MCM degree.

If you are considering the 5+ Year BA/MCM program:

• Meet with a SC&I Undergraduate Advisor in the Office of Student Services to discuss your undergraduate requirements and eligibility for the 5+ Year BA/MCM program.
• Plan to apply during your junior or early in your senior year, according to deadlines, through the Graduate Admissions Office. Once you have submitted all the required application materials, your application is considered complete and sent to the review committee.
• Apply at least one semester before you will take your first dual-degree course.

Please note that the MCM program follows a selective admission process. To increase your chances of being accepted, request letters of recommendation from COM or JMS professors or other Rutgers faculty members who are familiar with your work.

COM or JMS students who have completed at least 90 credits may apply. To be considered, you must:

• Have and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above.
• Submit a personal statement of approximately 300-500 words detailing your academic, research, and career objectives. Explain why you want to attend our program at Rutgers SC&I. Identify areas of study as well as faculty who are of special interest to you.
• Submit an official copy of your transcript.
• Submit your CV/resume.

Submit two letters of recommendation by Rutgers professors from whom you've taken classes.

• Fall admission: July 1
• Spring admission: November 1

Interested students should apply during their junior year to the MCM 5-Year program (dual degree option) through Graduate Admissions.

Select the following when you are completing the Program Information portion of the application:

You must apply for the term following your anticipated undergraduate graduation term. You need to remain coded as an undergraduate student during your senior year. If admitted, you will be able to complete MCM courses in your senior year and will receive special permission numbers from the Office of Student Services to register for the courses.

*Please note, if you are an anticipated May graduate, you can apply for summer or fall.

If you are accepted into the 5+ Year BA/MCM program, you will be considered an undergraduate student who is taking master's-level courses. These courses will count toward your general electives or COM or JMS electives in your senior year. During this time, you must fulfill all of your undergraduate requirements. After graduating with a bachelor's degree, you will then transition into the master's program, and, consequently, be subject to the processes and requirements associated with that status.

When selecting your junior-year courses, your priority is to work toward completing your undergraduate major and minor requirements. If you are admitted to the 5+ Year BA/MCM program, meet with MCM Program Director Richard Dool, who will help you plan future coursework.

After admission, the MCM program director will advise you about your study plan and options. For your senior year:

• Register for any combination of four MCM graduate-level courses (12 credits); graduate courses in your senior year count toward both your undergraduate and graduate requirements.
• If you enter in the second semester of your senior year, it may be a challenge to enroll for the full 12 credits, but we encourage you to apply to gain some benefits. The MCM program director will advise you accordingly.
• You may take any 500-level MCM course in your senior year with the exception of:
  • 17:194:514 Communication Research
  • 17:194:519 MCM Capstone Seminar
  • Any MCM elective that is cross-listed with the Ph.D. program

• Grades awarded for graduate course work are: A, B+, B, C+, C, F; or pass/no credit in some designated experiences. There is no D in the graduate grading rubric.
• Grades earned are factored into your GPA the same as undergraduate grades.
• Grades of B and above are accepted. Only two C/C+ grades will be allowed to apply toward the program degree requirements. This includes the courses completed in your senior year. Please review further detail in the Academic Standing information listed below.
• Grades of C+ or C will be reviewed by the Scholastic Standing Committee and can result in probation.

• Only two grades of Cs will be allowed to apply toward the program. If the two C grades are earned in the MCM courses while a student is still matriculated as an undergraduate, they will not be eligible to apply any additional grades of C toward the MCM degree when they become a fully matriculated graduate student.
• If a 5+ Year BA/MCM program student earns an F in an MCM course while they are still an undergraduate, they may become disqualified from continuing in the program. Any MCM courses successfully completed up through that point will still be allowed to apply toward the COM/JMS elective credit and be used toward the completion of their undergraduate degree. As a result of a disqualification, the student’s graduate application record should be adjusted to reflect a change from the 5+ Year BA/MCM program (i.e., program code – 17:1943) to the traditional Master of Communication and Media program (i.e., program code – 17:194).
• Once students are fully matriculated into the graduate MCM program, they are held to the same academic standing requirements as all other SC&I master’s students.

• If you have questions or concerns regarding undergraduate requirements and eligibility for the 5+ Year BA/MCM program, please contact a SC&I Undergraduate Advisor in the Office of Student Services.
• If you have any questions or concerns about the program application criteria, deadline, program details, etc., please contact the Graduate Admissions Support Team.
• For academic advice, course selection, and sequencing, please contact the MCM Program Director Rick Dool.