<p>Any journalism majors out there? We're visiting Madison next month, and that's my son's interest. What's the department like? How difficult is it to get into? What are the department's strong points? What kinds of internships are available? What questions should he ask?</p>
<p>Research the website before you go. I personally know nothing about this particular dept, but know there is a wealth of info on the UW website which may answer many of your specific questions.</p>
<p>Thanks--we've read the web site, and I guess I'm looking for the inside scoop--someone's real-life experience with the j-school. Wisconsin doesn't routinely show up on lists of j-schools that everyone is interested in, but it's such a great place overall (and lists don't tell the whole story).</p>
<p>The last time US News did them UW was ranked #7. They have a very good reputation and grads have won a number of Pulitzer prizes.</p>
<p>Right here. The department is pretty good ... I'm actually not into producting content, such as writing for the Washington Post, but journalism studies (e.g. media framing). It's challenging, but not outrageously competitive for admissions. There are specific classes/things you can do to be admitted. It's all on the website and they have advising for pre-journalism. There is an entire page/advisor who deals with internships; these are not going to be a problem, especially if you want to write. We have several campus papers (you can't find that anywhere else) and the city had numerous options as well. The department is strong in basically everything, certainly one of the best in the country. I recommend that he ask more general questions about what going to UW-Madison is like. He won't be in NYC, but the opportunities to be a journalism major in Madison are still pretty substancial. People change majors/have new interests in college, so asking more generic questions will also be important.</p>
<p>I don't know much about the actual program, but one of my two tour guides on the walking tour was a Journalism Major, and she ranted and raved about how much she loved it the entire time. She talked about the two newspapers they have and the competition between them in some senses... she made it sound like a challenging program that was also a blast for the students involved.</p>
<p>She was also a tour guide though, so, take it for what it's worth, but what she said sounded very legitimate.</p>
<p>I spent a lot of time researching journalism programs around the country and UW has produced more professors at the leading programs (other universities) than any other school. </p>
<p>1) Wisconsin
2) Texas
3) North Carolina
4) Missouri
5) Illinois</p>
<p>I looked at it from some other angles:</p>
<p>Journalism program's faculty with the most graduate degrees (MA or PhD) per student</p>
<p>1) Georgia
2) Texas
3) Alabama
4) Indiana
5) Wisconsin</p>
<p>A final analysis I did (which may be the most significant for people looking to attend a particular undergrad program) is which journalism programs have the highest wieghted average of faculty members who attended the top 25 programs. Here is what I came up with:</p>
<p>1) Georgia
2) Texas
3) North Carolina
4) Wisconsin
5) Tennessee</p>
<p>The US News & World Report study is so old (1996) and was widely panned by the people in the field. It is important to consider if your child is interested in print journalism, PR, advertising, or broadcast. Schools often have one or more of these in which they excel, but rarely all four. Now that I have totally confused you, let me summarize by saying UW has a good program but should not rest on its laurels...some schools in the South are on the rise.</p>
<p>I was a journalism major, but then I realized I didn't want to be poor my whole life.</p>
<p>CDOne, I have to question some of your analysis and conclusions. On one hand, you claims the last US News ranking on journalism is outdated and hence less relevant today. Yet, you use it as the basic of your derived ranking, didn't you? How did you come up with the "top 25" and "leading programs" list? Even if you do have a truth list, I still don't see how a department is strong because most of its faculty are from other top-X schools.</p>
<p>IMO, the best measurement of most academic programs is the graduates, specially where did they end up and how well their career go.</p>
<p>dallas, I can review the methodology I used, but it would be too lengthy here and not important to most readers. If you are interested send a separate private message. I agree that career success is ultimately the most important factor. There are so many variables that go into this (internships, personal experiences, mentors, connections in the field, being in the right place at the right time) that it would be hard to track it back to the undergraduate degree. My analysis was quantitative, not qualitative and provides another point of reference. There are some schools not on this list that have an strong reputation and good alumni network and this can help graduates find jobs after graduation...</p>