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GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Journalism is the discipline of collecting, analyzing, verifying, writing and presenting news regarding current events, trends, issues and people. The main
activity of journalism is the reporting of events: stating who, what, when, where, why and how, and the signiﬁcance and eﬀect of these events or trends.
Journalism is present in a variety of media including: newspapers, television, radio, magazines and online. These graduate programs train students to beprofessional journalists and some schools may be stronger in certain specializations.

COMMON SPECIALIZATIONSPRINT JOURNALISMThis area covers journalism in newspapers, news magazines, general interest magazines, trade magazines, hobby
magazines, newsletters, and private publications.

BROADCAST JOURNALISMThis area covers journalism in radio, television and ﬁlm. Students can focus on reporting, production or both.

ONLINE JOURNALISM

As the name indicates, this area concentrates on journalism and emerging technology. These types of programs emphasize
web site production and layout as well as traditional reporting, writing and editing. Students also need to learn current
online ethics and law (privacy issues and intellectual property).

ARTS & CULTURAL

The emphasis for this specialization is the integration of journalistic writing with an individual writer’s voice, and requires
a broad understanding of contemporary culture, and the ability to analyze, criticize, and build an argument. Students may
take courses in architecture, ﬁlm, ﬁne arts, music, or theater to complement their journalism training.

REPORTING

POLITICAL REPORTING

This is a broad area of specialization that encompasses everything a reporter needs to know about politics. This caninclude history, current political systems and institutions and how to analyze and report on these topics.

ECONOMIC & BUSINESSREPORTING

In addition to learning business writing, students in this area normally take courses in accounting, ﬁnance, economics,
business history and marketing. The journalism programs that oﬀer this concentration do so in conjunction with thebusiness school. Some programs require applicants in this area of specialization to also take the GMAT exam.

SCIENCE, HEALTH
AND ENVIRONMENTAL

This specialization trains journalists in writing stories pertaining to scientiﬁc disciplines, health and medical ﬁelds andenvironmental issues. Courses are taught with an emphasis on scientiﬁc trends and the use of new technologies.

REPORTING
PHOTOJOURNALISM

Students in this area of journalism learn how to communicate through the use of photography. Courses focus on thetechniques and styles of photography for newspapers, magazines, documentary and online media.

COMMON DEGREESMS

Master of Science (program lengths vary from one to two academic years)

MAMaster of Arts (program lengths vary from one to two academic years)

SPECIAL NOTES ON APPLYING: Due to the nature of the program, English language skills are heavily weighed. Writing skills are also assessed with required essays on theapplication and/or writing/work samples. Some schools even go as far as requiring students to take a proctored writing exam. Prior academic performance is weighed in theadmission decisions, but since this is a professional degree program, the letters of reference, resume and work samples are critical.
SPECIAL TIPS FOR NON-DEGREE APPLICANTS: Most journalism programs do not accept non-degree applicants.
SPECIAL TIPS FOR VISITING STUDENT RESEARCHERS: Most programs do not accept visiting researchers.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTSADMISSION/ FINANCIAL AID
DEADLINESDeadlines vary by school, with the earliest typically being December 1st. Most deadlines fall between January 1st andFebruary 1st. The most competitive programs have extensive admission requirements, so it is important to review thewebsites early on in the process.

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

No speciﬁc ﬁeld of academic background is required, but most programs prefer students with multidisciplinary
training. A student’s educational background can vary as long as English writing ability is evident.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Although not required, it is helpful for international applicants to have some journalism experience. Most international
applicants have some professional experience in the ﬁeld prior to applying. This is a professional degree program, soa commitment to the profession of journalism is something the schools weigh heavily.

Source: Prepared by the Institute of International Education’s University Placement Services Division using information from internal resources and materials and resources readily available on the internet.
EducationUSA / CONNECTIONS/ SEPTEMBER

2010/9