The School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) and the Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) have joined forces to create a five-year, BA/MA program to meet the needs of students who want to pursue careers in politics and public service. 

1. Joint Program
The School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) and the Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) have created a joint 5-year BA/MA program. This option is only available to GW students.

SMPA and GSPM share a common commitment to nurturing students who are interested in pursuing professional careers in public affairs. This common commitment leads to a natural affinity between many of SMPA’s undergraduate courses and GSPM’s graduate-level courses. In fact, in most instances GSPM graduate-level courses offer a clear and logical extension of many SMPA undergraduate courses. To further compliment the intellectual compatibility, the physical proximity enjoyed by SMPA and GSPM in the new SMPA building adds to the attractiveness of this proposed program.

• For an estimated 4-6 students per year, a joint degree program fulfills specific career development goals. SMPA undergraduate courses provide a solid grounding in liberal arts and social science theory. GSPM adds to that while providing more technically oriented courses appropriate for careers in politics and public service.

2. Admission Procedure for the Five-Year Program

SMPA students applying for the joint degree program must do so during the second semester of their junior year.

Applicants to the 5-year program must take the Graduate Record Examination during the junior year at a point that will allow scores to be considered as a part of the application. Students must meet the GRE requirements of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) before they are considered for admissions to the 5-year program. With guidance from CCAS, SMPA and GSPM will select the admissions criteria for the 5-year program.

The admissions committee for the joint degree program will consist of two full-time faculty members from SMPA and two from GSPM.

The committee will meet during the spring term of each academic year. Admissions will be granted during that term alone.

3. The Senior Year Curriculum

Students must meet all of the requirements of their respective SMPA program. Nothing in the 5-year program changes SMPA program requirements. For example, a student in the Political Communication Program may take Journalism 150 and PCM 128 to fulfill PCM graduation requirements. As noted below, these same courses also fulfill part of the requirements for the SMPA/ GSPM 5-year program. During either their junior or senior year, students will take two courses from the SMPA curriculum, selected from among the following:

• Journalism 134 Washington Reporting [3]
  Examination of reporting and writing techniques employed in news coverage of the national government, with an emphasis on serving a regional readership or audience. Prerequisite: Jour. 111
• Journalism 150 Media Law [3]
  Freedom of the press, censorship, legislative controls, copyright laws, laws of libel and privacy, and other law relating to the news business, privilege and fair comment.
• Media, Politics and Government. [3]
  Exploration of the role played by communication, principally through the mass media, in the conduct of government and the making of public policy.
• Television and Politics. [3]
  Examination of the impact of television on American politics and society, the nature of coverage of political issues and campaigns, the dynamics of selecting and presenting news stories.
• PCM/Journalism 132 Campaign Reporting. [3]
  In this course students will develop news gathering and writing skills and apply those skills to the coverage of political campaigns. Emphasis on use of reporting techniques to illuminate how campaigns work and how politics affects the lives of citizens.
• PCM 150 Principles of Public Relations. [3]
  Theory and practice of public relations, including approaches, problem-solving, effects and ethics.
• PCM 152 Public Affairs and Government Information. [3]
  Theory and practice of public affairs, with particular emphasis on the government information function in the federal government, including Congress and the White House. Includes a review of the principal roles and functions, administrative relationships, legal requirements and responsibilities, ethics.
• PCM 155 Strategic Political Communication. [3]
  Origins of strategic approaches to political communication; techniques. Use of strategic communication by individuals, groups, organizations and governments in both domestic politics and the international system. PRE: PCM 100 or permission of the instructor.
• PCM 157 Political Campaign Communication. [3]
  Communication aspects of political campaigns for candidates and ballot issues. Examinations of techniques and channels of communication, role of communication in campaign strategy, ethics and implications of campaign decision making.
• PCM 158 Political Campaign Advertising. [3]
  Theory and practice of campaign advertising, with special emphasis on televised political spots, direct mail and the Internet.
• SMPA 199 Senior Seminar in Political Communication. [3]
  Capstone seminar open only to senior EMDA, Journalism. and Political Communication majors.

Additionally, during their senior year students must take two courses from the Political Management curriculum

One of those courses is:

• PMGT 201--Fundamentals of Political Management. [3]
  An introduction to the field of political management: recent history, Washington and its centers of power, lobbying and influence, issues and ideology, elections, and ethical considerations. Required during first semester senior year.

Students will then choose one course from the following:

• PMGT 206--Speech Writing. [3]
  Analysis and techniques of effective speech writing and speech presentation for public officials and candidates.
• PMGT 207--Strategy and Message Development. [3]
  This course introduces GSPM students to the specialized forms of communication which political professionals use to win support for their candidates and causes.
• PMGT 240--Campaign Management. This course focuses on the role and responsibilities of the modern campaign manager at the local, congressional, statewide and national level.

4. Waiver of GSPM Internship Requirement

GSPM will reduce the 400-hour internship requirement for students in the joint degree program consistent with the time requirements of full-time graduate study. During the undergraduate phase of their education, students will continue to be encouraged to take full advantage of the internship opportunities available in Washington for which they can earn credit.

5. Thesis Option

Students in the joint degree program will be encouraged to pursue the M.A. thesis route. If they choose this option, students will be required to take PMGT 299-Thesis Research I during the first semester of their fifth year, and PMGT 300-Thesis Research II during the second semester of their fifth year.

The thesis committee may be comprised of faculty from both the School of Media and Public Affairs and the Political Management programs.

6. Example of Five-Year Program:

First Year: Basic undergraduate curriculum, including prerequisites to a specific SMPA program.
Second Year: Application to an SMPA undergraduate program (first semester).
Third Year: Application to the Joint-Degree program (second semester).
Fourth Year: Completion of four Joint-Degree courses. Fulfillment of all requirements for the B.A. degree.
Fifth Year: Four PMGT courses during first semester.
Four PMGT courses during second semester.
Two PMGT courses during the summer semester.
Fulfillment of all requirements for the M.A. degree.

In order to meet the requirements for the MA in Political Management, students will be required to take a total of 12 graduate level courses, two of which will count toward the B.A. degree requirements. PMGT 201 (Fundamentals of Political Management) and one other PMGT course will be taken in their senior year. During the fifth year, they must take the remaining core requirements (PMGT 202 - Qualitative Methods; 207 - Strategy and Message Development; 260 - Ethics for Political Management). Five year students are encouraged to take the thesis option, but if they choose not to do so, they will be required to take PMGT 295 in their final semester of study.

*Please contact Todd Berkoff for more information on the 5-Year BA/MA Program at (202) 994-8905 or tberkoff@gwu.edu