<p>My daughter is a Junior starting her college search. She wants a northeastern college or possibly Ohio (we live in Pennsylvania). Her intended major is Journalism and she likes the idea of a medium sized or large school. I think she should look at some small schools, too. Does anybody know of any other smaller colleges with a good Journalism Department? So far, we've found Susquehanna and Ohio Weslyan. Any others?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Syracuse (upperstate New York), Emerson (Boston), Boston University and New York University are all great communication schools in the Northeast.</p>
<p>If you're willing to look south, U-Missouri and U North Carolina-Chapel Hill are excellent. Northwestern University in Chicago is world-famous for its journalism program.</p>
<p>But ask your daughter if she's sure she wants to major in journalism. First of all, that specific major really limits her choices of colleges. Second, most people in the business I have spoken to have said they didn't major in journalism and didn't need to. Look instead for an institution with a really strong newspaper, say, to gain experience (which is what you really need). You can major in ANYTHING you want to be a journalist! Think about what you'd like to report on... politics? Do poli sci or history. Business? Economics. The environment? Biology, chemistry, environmental studies, et cetera. And an English major always fits the bill too. :)</p>
<p>Thanks for the info, we'll look into them...</p>
<p>As to limiting her Major, I've tried to talk her into the more broad based English major...but she's set on Journalism. Her other choice is creative writing, even more limiting...of the two, I'd rather see her in Journalism.</p>
<p>I'm a professional journalist, and I majored in journalism. While it is indeed possible to major in "anything" and become a journalist, the field is so competitive that it is extremely difficult to break into an entry level job these days if you do not have a journalism degree. Not impossible, but very difficult. (Of course you can always major in any subject as an undergraduate and go on to get a graduate degree in journalism).</p>
<p>If your daughter is serious about becomming a journalist, and understands the pluses and minuses of the profession, she should persue journalism as a major in a good journalism school. If she changes her mind about working as a journalist, there are many careers where the skills she will learn in a journalism program (research, writing, interviewing, editing, etc.) will be useful and marketable. Maintain is correct that a MINOR in another area can add to her employability as a journalist down the road however. </p>
<p>Here is my advice, which I have posted in the past, about what to look for in journalism programs:</p>
<p>Start with the 106 journalism programs accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Here's the list: <a href="http://www.ku.edu/%7Eacejmc/STUDENT/PROGLIST.SHTML%5B/url%5D">http://www.ku.edu/~acejmc/STUDENT/PROGLIST.SHTML</a></p>
<p>Any program on that list will have met specific standards for journalism education and provide you with the skills you need to become a practicing journalist. There are a few very good programs that are not accredited, but the ACEJMC list is a very good place to start. </p>
<p>Most important things to look for in ANY journalism program:
1. Have a substantial majority of the faculty been practicing journalists?
2. Are classes focused mainly on skills (i.e., writing, editing, etc.) or mainly on theory? The first type of program is geared towards developing working journalists, the latter type is usually geared towards moving people into graduate school. Someone who wants to break into journalism should concentrate on programs that develop real world skills, not theoretical knowledge.
3. What facilities are available? How available are they to undergraduates? Ideally, you want access to the types of equipment used in real newsrooms.
4. What opportunities are there to build a writing portfolio? How competitive is it to work on the student newspaper or radio/TV station? What types of internships are available and who usually fills them?
5. Where do recent alumni find jobs after graduation? What types of career advisement and placement programs are available within the school of journalism? Are a sizable majority of alumni working in media-related careers?</p>
<p>I and many others have made many posts about journalism programs and breaking into the field here in the past. Do a search above using the search term "journalism" and you will find more than you and your daughter will ever want to know about various programs, the profession, and how to prepare for a career. Good luck to your daughter - she can send me a private message if she has further questions.</p>
<p>By the way Springfieldmom, Welcome to college confidential. When you get a chance, you may want to check out the parents forum here. It is a good source of reliable information and support. :)</p>
<p>carolyn, i was wondering if you could kindly list some of the "pluses" and "minuses" of a career in journalism. I'd be very curious to hear your thoughts!</p>
<p>I am also a working journalist, and am going to give a perspective different from Carolyn. While there are some hiring editors who like journalism majors, there are others who strongly prefer liberal arts majors, and others who don't care. Not having a journalism degree does not keep someone away from this field. </p>
<p>As for donpon's question:</p>
<p>Pros: Newsrooms are great fun to work in -- lots of intelligent, lively, funny, passionate people. Something new happens everyday, by definition. When I was a writer, I loved that I had the opportunity to learn about new subjects all the time -- I've learned about sleep disorders, female prison population, leaking underground storage tanks, education for G/T -- and the list goes on and on. I left journalism for awhile, and am very glad to be back.</p>
<p>Cons: The pay, especially entry level, is low. It's very competitive to try to work in major metro areas, where the pay improves. You have to live where the job is, which may mean living in a small town in the middle of nowhere. The hours are not 9 to 5 (someone has to work nights and weekends, if that's when the news is happening). It can be demanding and stressful (deadlines cannot be fudged when the paper goes to press at midnight).</p>
<p>That's off the top of my head. I'm sure there's lots more, but it's a start.</p>
<p>thanks alot, sly_vt, that was really helpful!</p>
<p>I don't know much about Journalism schools, but my Journalism teacher said that Ohio University in Athens Ohio is supossed to be one of the best ones in Ohio.</p>
<p>Thanks for your input! Unfortunatley, Ohio U., which I'm sure is a wonderful program, is a very large school-I'm looking to steer her to some place smaller (under 5,000).</p>
<p>Not to hack into this thread but do you two know of the lifestyle of a foreign correspondent? I'm planning to major in International Relations and is there any pointers you could give me on how to become a successful one?</p>
<p>Emerson in Boston has a journalism major as well as English and creative writing.</p>
<p>This is an excellent resource that describes journalism education, and journalism careers. It also discusses the pro's and con's of going the J-school route vs. a broader liberal arts major, including how editors view each when it comes to hiring new grads. It is from the American Society of Newspaper Editors.
<a href="http://www.asne.org/index.cfm?id=5260%5B/url%5D">http://www.asne.org/index.cfm?id=5260</a></p>
<p>You should be looking at Penn State. Not small, but a good J school, and your home state, right?. There is even a sports journalism major within the J school. Also has one of the best student newspapers I have read. Added bonus: You can swipe your student Id and get daily copies of the NYTimes, USA Today and the local paper at various places on campus.</p>
<p>Try Ithaca College in upstate NY and American U in DC.</p>
<p>Thanks dudedad and Yankeegirl49. We are definately looking into Penn State as well as some of the other state schools (i.e. Millersville). As a very large (like, 40,000...) school, I am very wary. As for Ithaca; we looked into it, talked to some people and unfortunately, its not her style. And we already nixed American, too big, in the city, etc. Just found out we're going to see Susquehanna U. on Feb 20th. Still need more ideas!</p>
<p>Susquehanna actually has a very nice communications program. Hope she likes it!</p>