This is the Information Age, and the Manship School is dedicated to producing graduates who will be its leaders, both in the profession and in academia. As one of the leading programs in the country, the Manship School graduate program is both rich in tradition and innovative. The Manship School offers master's and doctoral degrees: 

1. Master's in Mass Communication (MMC)
The MMC degree program in the Manship School of Mass Communication specializes in media and public affairs. Students make course selections to further focus on a specific type of mass media practice. For example, students may view their study of public affairs as public relations/advertising, as political communications in general or as journalistic (reporting of public affairs). An additional semester of work, foundation courses, must be taken by students without mass communication backgrounds. Decisions about which foundation courses must be taken will be made by the associate dean for graduate studies and research.

The MMC degree program is designed for:

• people with undergraduate degrees in mass communication or a related discipline who wish to build upon their prior academic experience
• college or university graduates now working as professional mass communication practitioners who wish to supplement their experience with advanced study
• people without an undergraduate education in mass communication or professional media experience who desire a career change
• international students interested in understanding the U.S. mass communication system.

2. Master's in Mass Communication-Juris Doctor/Diploma in Civil Law (MMC-JD/DCL )
The MMC-JD/DCL degree program, a joint program with the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, is designed for students who would like to earn both a Master's Degree and Juris Doctorate.

The Manship School and the LSU Law Center offer a concurrent degree program through which a student may receive both a Juris Doctor/Diploma in Civil Law and a Master of Mass Communication degree in approximately four years. This degree program is designed to attract those students who wish to specialize in First Amendment law or to work as professionals in mass communication in fields related to law.

Applicants to the program must be separately admitted into the JD/DCL and MMC programs. Students may begin the program in either the Law Center or the Manship School, but one of the first two years of the program must be devoted exclusively to the first year of the JD/DCL program at the Law Center. Thereafter, students may take a combination of law and mass communication courses, and complete the MMC thesis requirement near the end of the fourth year of the concurrent program. Although the two degree programs remain separate from one another, the concurrent program accelerates the completion of both degrees because of each school’s recognition of credit hours earned for coursework completed in the other. The Law Center accepts nine credit hours of mass communications coursework as elective credits toward the JD/DCL degree and the Manship School accepts nine credit hours of law coursework as elective credits toward the MMC degree. The Manship School requires that students in this program complete a thesis as part of their coursework.

3. Ph.D. in Media and Public Affairs 
The Ph.D. in Media and Public Affairs at the Manship School of Mass Communication is the nation’s only graduate program focused exclusively on media and public affairs. This innovative program encompasses a wide range of disciplines, from journalism to advertising, political communication to public relations, sociology to history. Whether your background is in mass communication, communication studies or another discipline, you will have a unique opportunity to tackle compelling questions that interest you and impact the public. You can tailor some of the courses you take to your particular area of interest and take advantage of collaborations with other departments such as political science and sociology to access a broad range of courses. Students frequently collaborate with other programs, including the Political Science Department, E. J. Ourso College of Business Administration and the Public Administration Program.

About the Manship School of Mass Communication
You’ll find the Manship School is a unique place, with outstanding support for graduate students that offers:

• Skills to pursue careers in print and broadcast journalism, political consulting, advertising and public relations, or government, non-profit, corporate or media organizations
• Opportunities for assistantships and fellowships; graduate assistantship packages include a stipend of $24,000 per year, tuition waivers and health insurance
• Opportunities for travel stipends and research funding through the Reilly Center
• Personal attention and guidance from senior faculty members
• Small, highly-qualified class of graduate students
• State-of-the-art, newly-renovated building, with outstanding computer and technology resources
• Free software for PCs and Macs worth up to $1000 through LSU's TigerWare program
• Collaborative opportunities for research with faculty and Ph.D. students
• Diverse student body and faculty

The school’s endowed Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs provides an outstanding research forum, including funding for research projects and an impressive array of visiting professionals and scholars. The Manship School also uses four endowed chairs to attract nationally recognized professionals and scholars to serve on the faculty and endowed professorships to support faculty research and teaching initiatives. In addition, a network of alumni and media leaders keeps the school closely tied to the professional community.