Join our accelerated and affordable graduate program

We offer a three-semester intensive graduate program for students who have a journalism, writing, communication or digital media background and who want to hone their skills to become the next generation's communicators. For students without journalism (or related) experience, we offer classes to prepare you for work in our graduate program.

Our program looks to the future, based on these observations:

  • The evolution of mass media to networked media requires new practices and new skills that merge the enduring values of professional journalism with the emerging practices of networked communication.
  • Effective communicators are able to use digital technologies to engage participants, tell stories, analyze and visualize data and enable new forms of interactivity between citizens, journalists, media communicators and institutions.
  • Journalistic work now requires much more than an emphasis on producing stories: it requires empathy, participation, a sense of service and a keen appreciation for experimentation and entrepreneurship.

Students who complete this program will:

  • Gain a deep understanding of how journalism is changing.
  • Master a range of interactive new media tools.
  • Practice user-centered design thinking to develop new ways of doing journalism.
  • Become proficient at social media and participatory communication.
  • Gain valuable experience in thinking entrepreneurially about networked communication.
  • Research, envision, and prototype a unique and innovative communication platform as a program option.
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Contact our program director

Patrick File

Phone: (775) 784-4894
Email: pfile@unr.edu

View Patrick's profile

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Reasons to attend the Reynolds School

Faculty member sits on a table in a classroom with students around him.

Dedicated faculty

At the Reynolds School, you will find a dedicated faculty committed to creating journalism that matters. We have a small program so you will have individualized study and plenty of contact with faculty.

Lake Tahoe with rocks and trees.

Rich outdoor environment

Our campus is less than an hour away from some of the most beautiful scenery in the country, like the Black Rock desert and Lake Tahoe. We learn in an environment that encourages exploration and recreation.

Student looks at video monitors in the control room.

Excellent facilities

Work in a lab specifically set aside for Reynolds School graduate students. You will be assigned a dedicated lab computer during the program as well as a Nikon DSLR camera, with video and audio equipment available for check out.

Graduate program news

Ran Duan outside of her office

How can we best communicate science during tense times?

Journalism professor Ran Duan discusses fear, risk, and the finite pool of worry

Michael Branch

Ask the Professor: How can tools from literature help us to better communicate science?

Professor Michael P. Branch shares five tips for better science communication

Professor Ran Duan

What is risk communication?

How can it be used to help people make informed decisions?