Verification of professional maturity: the department of ukrainian language and journalism successfully completed the defense of qualification theses

In the life of every higher education institution, the defense of qualification theses is a key milestone that not only summarizes the results of multi-year study but also demonstrates the graduates’ capability to respond to the challenges of a dynamic media landscape. This year’s defense of bachelor’s theses by higher education students majoring in 061 “Journalism” at the Department of Ukrainian Language and Journalism became a vivid testament to the high academic level, deep patriotic consciousness, and thorough practical training of future media professionals.

The defense process took place in a friendly atmosphere, yet strictly adhered to high standards of academic integrity and scientific novelty. The members of the examination committee noted that the presented studies possess not only theoretical significance but are also clearly oriented toward solving urgent problems of the contemporary information society of Ukraine, which functions under conditions of martial law and permanent hybrid threats.

An analysis of the themes of this year’s qualification theses demonstrates a clear reorientation of young researchers toward analyzing transformational processes in the media. Particular attention was paid to the issues of media space algorithmization, the functioning of social platforms, as well as adherence to professional ethical standards in information broadcasting.

A characteristic feature of the defenses at the department is the mandatory synergy of theoretical generalizations with practical implementation. The majority of graduates reinforced their scientific research with real media products that underwent approbation in university and regional media. The students’ materials were actively integrated into the pages of the student newspaper “Universytetske Slovo” and on the platform of the “Studmedia BSPU” YouTube channel. Graduates demonstrated a full cycle of media content creation: from concept development, filming, and editing to the promotion of the finished product on social networks. This approach allows graduates to enter the labor market with a ready-made portfolio of a high professional standard. Exceptional interest was drawn by innovative media strategies aimed at promoting educational and cultural content through the popular platforms TikTok and Instagram, which confirmed the ability of young professionals to adapt classical journalistic standards to modern digital formats.

Special attention during the public defense was paid to the development and practical realization of authorial podcasts and special editions that reflect the demands of the modern youth audience. The candidates did not merely research the theoretical aspects of newly emerged mass media but also independently created digital projects dedicated to the popularization of the Ukrainian language, literature, national memory, and countering manipulative news technologies. The committee members analyzed each element of the presented works in detail – from the choice of target audience to the technical quality of sound recording and visual design, noting the high readiness of graduates for real competition in the media market.

A significant part of the research this year was focused on the potential of the popular social network Instagram as an effective tool for communication and content distribution. In particular, Anastasiia Horbunova presented her thesis “Strategy for Promoting an Educational Structural Unit’s Page on the Social Network Instagram” (academic supervisor – Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor Yuliia Melnykova). The platform’s transformation trends were also explored by Yuliia Kim in her thesis “Instagram as a Platform for Journalistic Content of a New Format,” written under the supervision of Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor Roman Kostromytskyi. The practical aspects of implementing trendy media campaigns in the digital space also deserved special attention, which was reflected in the study by Oksana Bublii “Development and Implementation of the ‘Library 2.0’ Media Campaign” under the supervision of Associate Professor Yuliia Melnykova.

An important vector of the graduates’ project activity was the development and modeling of concepts for new periodical and corporate media. Olha Bohovin successfully presented the results of her work on the topic “Development and Implementation of the Concept of the ‘NNIZHcommunity’ Career Guidance Publication” (academic supervisor – Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor Roman Kostromytskyi). The specifics of the functioning of niche thematic media were demonstrated by Nazarii Svyrydenko in his thesis “Development and Realization of the Concept of an Art Publication,” completed under the supervision of Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor Krystyna Pyrohovā.

Digital audio formats and information security also took a prominent place among the topics. The Examination Committee highly praised the relevance of all chosen themes, noting the independence of the graduates’ judgments and the obvious practical value of the media projects they created.

The Examination Committee, which included representatives of the department, noted the high quality of the defense. The majority of the theses received excellent grades. The successful defense of qualification theses in the specialty 061 “Journalism” was the logical result of the systematic work of the department’s faculty, who, even in today’s complex realities, ensure consistently high standards of education.

We congratulate this year’s graduates on their successful defense! We wish you inexhaustible inspiration, a sharp pen, resilience in the face of any professional challenges, and new significant achievements on the information front of Ukraine! A complex path lies ahead of you, and we are convinced that the knowledge gained within the walls of the university will become a reliable foundation for building a transparent and democratic information society.

Based on materials from the Department of Ukrainian Language and Journalism