Advance in Your Career with a Master's in Broadcasting, Sports Media, Documentary
Point Park University's innovative Master of Arts program equips students with strong writing and editing skills to produce professional-level work in the broadcasting, sports media or documentary fields.
Our 36-credit M.A. program — taught by faculty with real-world industry experience — will fit into your busy life and work schedule with courses offered on-campus and online. With a full-time course load, you can complete your M.A. degree in as little as two years.
The Student Experience
Concentration Options
Students in the M.A. program choose one of three concentrations:
Broadcasting Concentration
Advanced television production. Professional video techniques. On camera performance. Students in our broad-based, flexible broadcasting concentration can tailor their graduate degree to equip them with the skills to be an essential part of the broadcasting industry.
Program Structure
The broadcast concentration offers a balanced combination of coursework and practical experience broken out into four parts:
- Core courses: investigative journalism, communication theory, communication law & regulation, media ethics & responsibilities and applied mass communication research methods
- Concentration requirements: multimedia storytelling, multimedia production, short documentary and three electives
- Thesis or professional track: Students complete six credits' worth of a publication project and/or research that culminates as their capstone. Working closely with a faculty member, students hone their practical and intellectual skills by producing professional-grade work.
- Electives: social media, broadcast news reporting, web publishing, television anchoring producing, global communication, special topics, graduate internship, among others
Equipment and Facilities
Students will have access to Point Park's professional audio, video and photographic equipment to create their work. Explore our facilities and equipment.
Sports Media Concentration
Sports media and marketing. Podcasting. Advanced television production. TV anchoring and producing. Students in our broad-based, flexible sports media concentration can tailor their graduate degree to equip them with the skills to be an essential part of the sports communiation industry.
Connections are key, and you will make them through hands-on experience with sports teams in the Pittsburgh region and beyond.
Program Structure
The sports media concentration offers a balanced combination of coursework and practical experience broken out into four parts:
- Core courses: investigative journalism, communication theory, communication law & regulation, media ethics & responsibilities and applied mass communication research methods
- Concentration requirements: multimedia storytelling, multimedia production, short documentary and three electives
- Thesis or professional track: Students complete six credits' worth of a publication project and/or research that culminates as their capstone. Working closely with a faculty member, students hone their practical and intellectual skills by producing professional-grade work.
- Electives: sports media and marketing, social media, broadcast news reporting, web publishing, television anchoring producing, global communication, special topics, graduate internship, among others
Equipment and Facilities
Students will have access to Point Park's professional audio, video and photographic equipment to create their work. Explore our facilities and equipment.
Documentary Concentration
Watchdog journalism. Independent filmmaking. Documentary. Reporting. Storytelling. Social justice. In the age of Netflix, independent documentary has become one of the most effective ways to tell important stories about the world we live in.
Students with a concentration in documentary will report on political, social and cultural issues to produce compelling audio, photo and/or video documentaries and explore best practices in funding, distributing and marketing their work.
Students have the opportunity to submit work for publication through partner news organizations and the Point Park News Service.
Expert faculty who teach in the program include current and former documentary producers, broadcast professionals, investigative journalists and multimedia designers, as well as experienced researchers and theorists.
Program Structure
The documentary concentration offers a balanced combination of coursework and practical experience broken out into four parts:
- Core courses: investigative journalism, communication theory, communication law & regulation, media ethics & responsibilities and applied mass communication research methods
- Concentration requirements: multimedia production, investigative reporting, history of documentary cinema, media entrepreneurship, experimental video and short documentary
- Documentary thesis: students will spend two semesters creating a documentary with an industry professional who will guide them through the process
- Electives: social media, broadcast news reporting, web publishing, television anchoring producing, advanced television production, global communication, special topics, among others
Equipment and Facilities
Students will have access to Point Park's professional audio, video and photographic equipment to create their documentaries. Explore our facilities and equipment.
Learn More in Our Virtual Open House Video
Questions About the Program?
Contact the Office of Graduate Admission at 412-392-3808 or gradadmission@pointpark.edu.