S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
Mark Lodato, Dean
400 Newhouse I
newhouse.syr.edu
About the College
The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications is widely regarded as one of the nation’s top schools of communications. Engaged in industry partnerships and ongoing curricular development, the scope of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications reaches beyond the confines of the classroom. The school prepares students and faculty alike to take a leadership role in addressing the issues of today’s rapidly changing media landscape.
The Newhouse School claims a distinguished faculty with a broad range of expertise supplemented by visiting communications professionals, regularly bringing new experiences to the classroom. Students study in a modern, three-building complex, which houses multimedia labs, television and photography studios, and sound production and recording facilities.
Students are supported in their professional development by the Tina Press and David Rubin Career Development Center which serves public communications students and helps them make professional connections and find internships, as well as professional positions.
Upon graduation, students join the ranks of Newhouse alumni, a large and robust group of communications professionals influencing all aspects of the industry. The Career Development Center encourages networking among and between alumni and students, supporting their continued involvement in the Newhouse School.
The Newhouse School is an authorized certification partner with: Adobe, Apple, Avid and Microsoft.
The S.I. Newhouse School embraces every form of public communications offering a rich variety of undergraduate and graduate programs. See the Course Catalog for more information.
Shared Competencies
The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications participates in students’ knowledge and skill development through the Shared Competencies, Syracuse University’s institutional learning goals that highlight the knowledge and skills students can expect to gain through their major courses, liberal arts requirements and co-curricular activities.
Accreditation
The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, and the School is a member of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communications.
Educational Mission
The S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications’ mission is to educate ethical, visionary communicators, whose goal is to establish an open marketplace of ideas guided by the First Amendment using contemporary professional practices. While earning their degree, students are expected to achieve the following educational outcomes:
- Law: Apply the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press, in a global and domestic context.
- History: Demonstrate an understanding of the multicultural history and role of professionals and institutions in shaping communications.
- Diversity: Demonstrate culturally proficient communication that empowers those traditionally disenfranchised in society, especially as grounded in race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and ability, domestically and globally, across communication and media contexts.
- Visual Communications: Present images and information effectively and creatively, using appropriate tools and technologies.
- Writing: Write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the communications professions, audiences and purposes they serve.
- Ethics: Demonstrate an understanding of professional ethical principles and work ethically in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness and diversity.
- Critical Thinking/Research: Apply critical thinking skills in conducting research and evaluating information by methods appropriate to the communications professions in which they work.
- Use of Numbers: Effectively and correctly apply basic numerical and statistical concepts.
- Evaluation: Critically evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy and fairness, clarity, appropriate style and grammatical correctness.
- Technology: Apply tools and technologies appropriate for the communications professions in which they work.
- Contribute to Knowledge: Contribute to knowledge appropriate to the communications professions in which they work.
Graduate Education
Mark Lodato, Dean
Carolyn Hedges, PhD, Associate Dean for Professional Graduate Programs
Nicholas Bowman, PhD, Director of Media Studies
The S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications offers master’s degree programs in advanced media management; advertising; arts, style and culture journalism; broadcast and digital journalism; magazine, news and digital journalism; multimedia, photography and design; music business; public relations; and television, radio and film. We offer a combined degree program in public diplomacy and global communications from the Newhouse School and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. In addition to these residential programs, the Newhouse School offers an online communications master’s program.
In addition to the professional master’s degree programs, the School offers a research-based master’s degree program in media studies.
At the doctoral level, the media studies program is designed for advanced study in research, analysis of public communications, and teaching.
For a complete listing of faculty members associated with the Newhouse School, see the Faculty section of the Graduate Course Catalog.
Admission
Master’s Degree Programs
We welcome candidates from a wide variety of academic disciplines and backgrounds to apply to our master’s degree programs. Candidates with bachelor’s degrees from accredited colleges or universities are eligible for admission. No prior academic or professional experience in communications is required.
Our on-campus professional programs begin in the summer and can be completed in as little as 12 months. The two-year Media Studies program begins in the fall. Our online communications program offer multiple start-terms per year.
In addition to the master’s degree programs described above, the School offers dual degree options with the College of Law.
Inquiries about the master’s program should be directed to the Graduate Programs Office at nhmasters@syr.edu.
Doctoral Program
Only students with outstanding records will be considered for the Media Studies doctoral program. A candidate must be a graduate of an accredited college or university and have a master’s degree or equivalent in communications or a field considered appropriate by the school’s committee on graduate programs. Inquiries about the doctoral program should be directed to Dr. Nicholas Bowman, Director of Media Studies, nbowman@syr.edu, 315-443-9241.
Pending annual budget review, the Newhouse School funds five new doctoral students each year and the program draws from both the social and behavioral sciences and the humanities traditions, with faculty and graduates studying media from both perspectives. The Ph.D. in Media Studies is intended to be an interdisciplinary degree, with doctoral students taking a series of classes outside of the Newhouse School and developing at least one outside area of expertise. In developing an outside area of expertise, the student may draw on a wide variety of faculty in other schools at the University.
The purpose of the program is to train doctoral students to be scholars who are capable of conducting original research, creating new knowledge, and disseminating it through publications and teaching. Most graduates will leave the program to take faculty positions in journalism, mass communication, public relations, and other communication units in colleges and universities around the world; some will pursue careers that serve the needs of communications organizations or research organizations. Others work in research capacities in various for-profit, governmental, and non-governmental agencies.
Our four-year, fully funded in-person residential program is meant to help students develop their scholarly skills and abilities to the fullest. While there are a wide range of opportunities (such as teaching, research, service, travel, working with faculty), our focus is to make doctoral coursework as enriching as possible, and dissertation research of the highest caliber worthy of peer-reviewed publication. It is this educational experience that will prepare students most successfully for the careers ahead. We pride ourselves on the fact that our faculty work closely with our Ph.D. students to identify their professional goals as well as collaborate on research projects.
The Newhouse School believes that academic success is grounded in student well-being, community, collaboration, and inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility. We share the perspective that the whole person is part of a holistic ecosystem, incorporating both individual experience, knowledge, and perspective focusing on research, teaching, and service.
Assistantship Requirements
Students are accepted into the Ph.D. program on an assistantship, and these assistantships are guaranteed for four academic years. As part of the assistantship, students will dedicate 20 hours per week to an amalgamation of research, teaching, and academic service. The specific assistantship assignments are contingent on the needs of the Newhouse School and organized in collaboration with students and their advisors. Typically, students are Research Assistants (RAs) in their first year and Teaching Assistants (TAs) in their second year.
Research
As an RA, students engage in research and publication activities with faculty, and students learn the intricacies of research by working alongside our faculty. A solid publications and presentations record will help in a student’s pursuit of academic and research job opportunities available upon graduation.
Teaching
To develop as an academic, students may have the opportunity to teach within the Newhouse School as TAs, as well as Instructors of Record (IoR). They will further develop the skills needed to succeed in the classroom by taking part in Syracuse University’s Future Professoriate Program, a structured professional development experience designed to prepare our Ph.D. students for life as a faculty member. These skills are also critical to developing the necessarily skills at translating research and scholarship for myriad audiences, for those Ph.D. students pursuing industry and other careers, post-graduation
Academic Service
Students are expected to provide academic service to the school only to the extent that it furthers their academic progress and does not interfere with meeting program requirements. These service opportunities might include reviewing research papers, assisting with school or department-hosted professional meetings, helping to host guest research scholars, assisting with biannual Newhouse Symposium, and other opportunities as they arise. Service can also include community engagement as well as serving academic associations. We encourage you to engage with your advisor and the program director for questions about where and how you can engage in service that aligns with your interests.
Graduate Awards
Newhouse Diversity Fellowship
Established in 1993, these awards are offered annually to two minority students who wish to enroll in the Magazine, News, and Digital Journalism Master’s program to pursue a newspaper career. Preference is given to students who have majored in subjects other than journalism. Funded by the Newhouse Foundation, each award provides free tuition and a monthly stipend for 18 months of study (during which time the student also works as a reporting intern at Advance Media New York).
Dean’s Scholarships
These scholarships support graduate education for students with superior qualifications. Academic departments recommend students to receive these scholarships. These are percentage awards of varying amounts that are applied each academic term until completion of the degree. Awards range from 10 percent to 45 percent.
Forever Orange Scholarship
Specifically for Syracuse University students, the Forever Orange Scholarship provides a 50% tuition discount for students who enroll full-time in a qualifying graduate degree or certificate program at Syracuse University. The scholarship is automatically available to all graduating Syracuse University seniors who are eligible for admission. No separate scholarship application is needed.
Doctoral Assistanceships
As noted above, and contingent on annual budgets, the Newhouse School funds up to five new doctoral students each year who help support research and/or the teaching of undergraduate classes. These assistantships are guaranteed for four years of study and include a 100% tuition waiver covering all required ccredits for graduation, an annual stipend, and health insurance benefits.
Online Education
Master of Science in Communications
The online Master of Science in Communications prepares media professionals to thrive where strategic communication, storytelling, and emerging technology converge. Designed and taught by faculty from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the program offers students worldwide access to a top-tier communications education without the need to relocate.
Ideal for individuals with undergraduate degrees and professional experience in communications, journalism, public relations, advertising, media business, or related fields, the program emphasizes practical skill development alongside the strategic and theoretical frameworks necessary to navigate a changing communications landscape. Students complete the program with a capstone project that integrates and applies learning across the curriculum.
The 33-credit program can be completed in as few as 20 months and is delivered in a flexible online format that combines asynchronous coursework with weekly live sessions, designed to accommodate students who are actively working in their field.
Students are required to participate in two short-term immersion experiences held over two to three days in various locations. These intensives bring together faculty, classmates, alumni, and industry leaders to engage with current issues and practices in communications. Past immersions have taken place in Syracuse, New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Miami, and Costa Rica.
Master of Science in Communications Management
This program is no longer enrolling students.
The Master of Science in Communications Management is designed for experienced communications professionals preparing to take on leadership and executive roles. Since 1995, the program has integrated coursework in strategic communications, business management, and leadership to equip graduates for success across corporate, agency, nonprofit, NGO, and consulting sectors worldwide.
This interdisciplinary program provides the knowledge, skills, and strategic insight needed to advance in a field that is rapidly evolving due to digital transformation and the rise of social media. The 36-credit degree can be completed in as few as 18 months through a flexible online format that combines asynchronous coursework with weekly live (synchronous) sessions—designed to accommodate working professionals.
Students are also required to participate in two short-term immersion experiences held over 2-3 days in various locations. For more information about our online programs, please contact nhonline@syr.edu.
Facilities
The S.I. Newhouse School’s buildings are known on campus as Newhouse 1, 2, and 3, which support web conferencing, presentations, and advanced multimedia projects.
Newhouse 1 contains administrative offices and digital news writing and editing laboratories with motion graphics; 3D animation; and research tools such as SPSS and NVivo. Newhouse 1 also houses multimedia laboratories supporting digital imaging, video editing, digital sound editing; the Weiss Agency Center, an advertising and public relations campaigns laboratory; and the Bill Glavin Magazine Lab, a collaborative space for magazine writing and production. There is a large professional photography studio equipped with Profoto D4 strobe equipment and lighting attachments, as well as HDSLR cameras. Exhibition spaces and the Steele Center, a portfolio prep environment with digital ink jet printers, are also located in this facility.
Newhouse 2 contains the CAGE, an extensive field-equipment facility that manages the school’s digital video cameras (HD and DSLR formats), lights, microphones, and other production accessories. Post-production facilities include video editing stations, a 16-channel digital music-recording studio equipped with Pro Tools© HD and 5.1 surround sound capabilities; a digital post-production sound studio equipped with Pro Tools© HD; an extensive sound effects and music collection; and the full Adobe Creative Cloud© suite of software. The Newhouse School is an AVID©, Adobe© and Microsoft© authorized training partner and offers courses that lead to AVID©, Adobe© and Microsoft© certification. The facility also has two radio news production labs and writing labs equipped with the broadcast newsroom software ENPS©. Several voice recording booths for recording radio and television voice tracks support the creation of newscasts on multiple platforms. Students edit voice tracks using Adobe Audition©.
Dick Clark Studios are located on the first floor of Newhouse 2. This five-studio complex is supported by three control rooms, all equipped with state-of-the-art technology. Two large soundstages and two smaller flex studios can be configured for a variety of single and multicamera productions. The Broadcast and Digital Journalism newsroom and studio feature a fully automated system for newscast labs that integrate robotic cameras, graphic systems and digital video servers. Technology includes Ross Vision© video switchers, XPression graphic systems, Overdrive automation, SSL audio consoles, Ikegami© broadcast cameras, Imagine© video servers, Avid Isis© storage, and Evertz© routing systems. In 2019, Newhouse partnered with SU Athletics with the launch of the ACC Network. Fiber optic lines connect athletic venues, including the JMA Wireless Dome to Newhouse 2 and ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. The facility in Newhouse 2 produces over 100 live sporting events annually.
The Alan Gerry Innovation Center encourages students to experiment with new technologies including drones, large format interactive screens, Google and Meta watches and classes, 360° cameras, and technology which supports the creation of virtual and augmented reality programming. The University’s Orange Television Network is also headquartered in Newhouse 2.
Newhouse 3 houses a 300-seat auditorium; a collaborative media suite in which students can build interactive content; executive education interactive classrooms; student lounges; spaces for media-related student activities; and a research center. A dining and social area connects all three buildings in the center of the complex. A glass-enclosed bridge connecting Newhouse 1 and 2 provides a walkway with a winter garden setting for studying or socializing.
Research Centers
Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture
The. S.I. Newhouse School is the home of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture. Since 1997, the center has been overseeing the acquisition and editing of an ongoing series of books published by Syracuse University Press about television and other popular culture subjects, and maintaining a large archive of original interviews with pioneers of American television, as well as a collection of television scripts and production materials. The Center provides expertise to a wide variety of TV, radio, and print reporters. On-campus activities include symposiums, guest lecturers, and weekly screenings, all of which are open to the public. For further information contact Robert Thompson, Director, 315-443-4077.
Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship
The Newhouse Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship provides courses, consulting, connections and cop-ops/internships to encourage Newhouse students to start businesses and to identify new career opportunities in a fast-changing media industry. The Center teaches digital media trends, business modeling, and the latest in venture development. The work of the center is reinforced through one-on-one coaching and supporting resources on- and off-campus including mentoring, team development, assistance with legal, funding, technology and management issues, and more. The Center is home to the Newhouse Startup Garage, a co-working space that connects student creators and startups with services and resources. Through internships and events like South by Southwest in Austin, students are exposed to digital media startups and start-up culture. In promoting digital media innovation and entrepreneurship, the Center also connects students to alumni and others who are innovating and changing the media industry. For further information contact Sean Branagan, Director, 315-443-6310; startups@syr.edu.
Newhouse Sports Media Center
The Newhouse Sports Media Center builds upon the Newhouse School’s long history and strengths in sports communications. The Center provides courses across the spectrum of media, such as sports writing across platforms, sports reporting and anchoring, sports production, esports and media, television play-by-play announcing, and sports interviewing. The Sports Media Center oversees the Sports Media & Communications tracks in the Newhouse undergraduate and master’s programs. The Center fosters student and alumni interaction and academic-industry partnerships, such as reporting from the Super Bowl, hosting ACC Network Studio shows on ESPN, and photographing the Empire State Games. The Center also sponsors special events and frequent guest lectures on current sports issues. For further information, contact Olivia Stomski, Director, 315-443-4065.
Tully Center for Free Speech
The. S.I. Newhouse School is the home of the Tully Center for Free Speech, which educates students and the public about the value of free speech, free press and the First Amendment. The Center annually presents the Free Speech Award to a journalist who has faced significant turmoil in performing journalism in the previous year. The Center sponsors educational programs and conducts research related to media law and free speech, serves as a clearinghouse on media law issues in New York State, and supports interdisciplinary work on free speech topics at Syracuse University. For further information contact Professor Roy Gutterman, Director, 315-443-3523.
The Weiss Center
The Weiss Center was made possible in 2012 through the generosity of Syracuse University alums, Jim ;87 and Audra Weiss ‘89. Jim Weiss is founder and Chairman of Real Chemistry, a global health innovation company headquartered in San Francisco with over 2,000 employees worldwide. The Center’s mission is to ensure SU students graduate with the cutting-edge skills needed to address the convergence of communications with “big data,” business analytics, digital technology and social media in the area of “social commerce.” Toward this end, the Center brings together marketing, communications and digital experts from the industry with faculty and students; complements current course offerings with hands-on workshops and case studies; involves students in applied research projects for clients; and hosts internships at Real Chemistry and client offices across the United States. For further information, contact Beth Egan, Co-Director, 315-443-4015.
Library Resources and Services
Syracuse University Libraries support teaching, learning and research at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications by providing a wide array of research support services, facilities, and on-site and online resources.
Library collections in public communications cover advertising, broadcast and digital journalism, print journalism, communication theory and research, law of the press, public relations, sports media, printing, photography, film, and- freelance writing. Communications-related databases, accessible from any location on or off campus, include Nexis Uni, Factiva, MRI Simmons, Statista, Media Intelligence Center, PressReader, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, AP Newsroom, Vanderbilt University’s Television News Archive, JSTOR, Communication Source, World Advertising Research Center, SBRnet (Sports Market Analytics), Mintel Reports, and Adforum,
The library provides access to broader databases containing communications materials, such as ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global, Web of Science, Scopus, and Sage Research Methods Online, among many others. In addition, the library offers ebooks in the hundreds of thousands and substantial collections of streaming videos and DVDs, sound recordings, media trade magazines, collections of the foreign correspondents' memoirs ; and private papers of American news people, broadcasters, authors, and cartoonists. All current students, faculty and staff also have access beyond subscription paywalls to the platforms for the digital New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Syracuse.com, Advertising Age, Adweek, The Atlantic, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Physical facilities offer extensive hours, including 24-hour access most days; open collaborative study areas; teaching and seminar spaces; quiet and silent reading spaces; information technology loans; computer labs, reservable group study rooms; a faculty commons; digital scholarship services and open access publishing support; a café; events spaces for student, librarian or faculty use; a Biblio Gallery for exhibition of student creative work and the Blackstone Launchpad, a multidisciplinary center for entrepreneurship.
The Library’s Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) collects the history of American broadcasting. Notable acquisitions include the personal papers of iconic broadcast journalist Ted Koppel, which includes near complete runs of 6500 episodes of the television program Nightline (1980-2005) and episodes of The Koppel Report.. The SCRC is also the repository for the papers of several American columnists of national note, including William Safire, Drew Pearson, Westbrook Pegler, George Sokolsky, Harold Ickes, Dorothy Thompson, and Arthur Brisbane; an outstanding collection of prints, negatives, and personal papers of noted photographer Margaret Bourke- White, and personal papers, scripts, and audio-visual media of communications personalities Norman Corwin, Mike Wallace, Dick Clark, Long John Nebel, and Fulton Lewis Jr., as well as those involved in the business of television, such as Ed Bleier. The SCRC also maintains an extensive archive of scripts, videos and personal papers in the field of television history, including scripts and production notes from NYPD Blue and Party of Five; scripts and videotapes of St. Elsewhere; and interviews by critics Arthur Unger and Steven H. Scheuer.