For those already part of the USC Annenberg community, we're halfway through another week of school. But for those who want to join the community, the fall means the start of the application process. For their consideration, here are just a couple of exciting things you should know about us: The New Building and Our New Nine-Month M.S. Program: It's an exciting time to be applying to USC Annenberg. We're currently in the process of constructing our new building, Wallis Annenberg Hall, which will future a state-of-the-art converged media center, where all of the school's student media outlets will collaborate. Wallis Annenberg Hall will be open in Fall 2014. Starting at the same time, our new nine-month Master's degree will replace our former two-year program. The new program will feature:

• A three-week digital news immersion class. Students will be introduced – or re-introduced, depending on their experiences and expertise – to the basics of newswriting, news judgment and technology skills. A Fall semester in-depth immersion class, which includes an opportunity to work in Wallis Annenberg Hall’s Converged Media Center, where students will produce professional stories and packages.
• Required courses in the news business, quantitative analysis (data), mass communication law and journalism ethics.
• Under the banner of the Journalism M.S., following their graduation from the nine-month program, students may choose to add an eight-week summer internship or practicum – coordinated by USC Annenberg – at a variety of leading news organizations. Or, students can intern during an international study abroad program in Cape Town, Shanghai, Hong Kong or London.

Arts Journalism: USC Annenberg offers a master's degree program in arts journalism unlike any other. We offer artists with a passion for storytelling and storytellers with a passion for the arts a chance to innovate new ways of presenting their focus. In this program, students can delve into the creative depths of Los Angeles to move their own work to the next level as they create the new cutting edge of arts journalism. Professor Sasha Anawalt leads the arts journalism program. An author and frequent contributor to many major publications, Anawalt served on the 2006 and 2007 Pulitzer Prize Committee juries for criticism. She is a frequent host and speaker for the dance series at the Music Center and at USC’s Visions and Voices. She is a board member of USC Fisher Museum of Art, the LA Stage Alliance, and Art Sanctuary in Philadelphia. She is a research fellow at the USC Annenberg Innovation Lab, and also serves on the advisory board of Jacaranda: Music at the Edge of Santa Monica. For full info about the Specialized Journalism program for the arts, look here. Deadlines for applications vary based on the program. Here's what you should know:

• You must submit your graduate admission application before submitting official GRE scores, transcripts and the required letters of recommendation.
• Plan to take all required admission testing (GRE, GMAT, and TOEFL or IELTS)one month prior to the application deadline.
• Letters and recommendation forms are expected to arrive electronically from your referee after your submit your online application.
• Review the Annenberg Graduate Application Checklist (PDF)
• Visit the USC Graduate Admission Website
• Access the USC Graduate Admission Application on Apply Yourself
• To schedule an appointment for a graduate information session, look here.

For all information related to prospective students, look here.