A respected student-media scholar has included MTSU’S School of Journalism in his 2013 list of “50 Best Journalism Schools and Programs at U.S. Colleges and Universities.”

Dr. Dan Reimold, who teaches journalism at the University of Tampa and blogs at CollegeMediaMatters.com, said he based his evaluations on “knowledge of various schools’ and departments’ reputations, faculty, affiliated student media, classes (and) internship and study-abroad connections.”

“It is strongly biased in favor of programs exciting me in the digital journalism realm and in some way aligned with quality campus media and professional publishing opportunities,” Reimold wrote. “(These are) programs I consider to be the best in the country at this moment, AKA places I would strongly consider enrolling if I woke up tomorrow back in high school.”

MTSU’s undergraduate program in the College of Mass Communication is the only Tennessee program mentioned in the list. It’s also a part of the fifth largest communication college in the United States and has produced some of the nation’s top journalists for the last 30-plus years, said Dr. Dwight Brooks, the school’s director.

In April, the university unveiled a new Center for Innovation in Media, where students from all media disciplines hone their real-world print, Web, audio and video journalism skills under one roof in a high-tech facility. The center combines the newsrooms for Sidelines, the student newspaper; WMTS-FM, the student-run radio station; MT Records, the student-run record label; MT10-HD, the student-operated cable TV station; and WMOT-FM, the university’s 100,000-watt public radio station.

Dr. Dwight Brooks

“This recognition is a testament to the many fine students, faculty and staff throughout the College of Mass Communication and MTSU,” Brooks said. “Every one of our 800 students majoring or minoring in one of the School of Journalism’s programs should be as proud as I am for being listed among the top programs in the country.”

Other undergraduate programs recognized by Reimold include the journalism schools at Arizona State University, Boston University, Kent State University, Michigan State University, Northwestern University, Syracuse University, Temple University, the University of Alabama, the University of Missouri and Western Kentucky University.

The complete list is available at http://tinyurl.com/crukngt.

Reimold said he required each program on his list to have at least a journalism major, not just a concentration or minor, as well as accreditation by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. He also focused strictly on undergraduate journalism programs, which is why the list doesn’t include esteemed post-graduate programs at institutions like Columbia University and Stanford.

College Media Matters is a student journalism industry blog that “provides updates on influential, controversial, innovative, and newsworthy matters” affecting college media around the world. It maintains an official partnership with the Associated Collegiate Press, the largest and oldest U.S. student journalism organization.

“I am really pleased with this most recent news,” said Dr. Roy Moore, dean of MTSU’s College of Mass Communication. “This national recognition points to the enhanced status the School of Journalism and other units in the College of Mass Communication continue to see as we move forward to meet the demands of a new media environment. It also is a testament to the high quality of faculty, students and staff in the school and to its leadership.”