<p>What lacs have journalism as a major? What are some of the bigger, more competitive schools that also have journalism?
thanks.</p>
<p>Newhouse at Syracuse and Northwestern both have excellent journalism programs.</p>
<p>University of Missouri, too. Many/most state universities have journalism programs.</p>
<p>Stanford has a "communications" major that looks a lot like journalism.</p>
<p>Many of the Ivies (a) don't offer a journalism major at all, and (b) have very vibrant undergraduate publications that provide excellent training and career opportunities (and an alumni network) in journalism. Columbia has a graduate School of Journalism with no undergraduate program, but I don't know that undergraduates can never take a course there.</p>
<p>I don't know much about journalism at liberal arts colleges. The ones I know are a lot like the Ivies: a smattering of journalism classes, no major, and limitless opportunities to write, publish, broadcast, etc., and a strong history of producing journalists.</p>
<p>Hi Gatsby...the consensus that I hear about journalism majors from people within the field and among other professions is that it is not a worthwhile major. if you are interested in print journalism you may want to consider being an English major and minoring or double majoring in a field that will allow you to develop research skills such as political science, history, or international studies (or whatever type of journalism you think you would like to do). If you pair that with experience on the campus newspaper and a good internship, you should be set. </p>
<p>Pursue a graduate degree in a specific journalism field.</p>
<p>I second DHRBC07. I have often heard the advice, "Major in a subject you want to write about and supplement that with a few journalism classes." I cannot judge how sound that advice is, though, because I have absolutely no experience with the field whatsoever.</p>
<p>It will be much more difficult to get a job in a journalism related field - newspaper or television station as an example - without a degree in journalism. There is much more to being a journalist than just "writing" ... there will be law, ethics, and technical courses that cannot be replaced by working on the campus paper. I have more than 20 years experience in this field - and have hired hundreds of journalists. I would encourage the exact opposite. Major in journalism, minor or pick up classes in a subject area you are interersted in. Right now - it's important to make sure that you are versed in multi-media aspects. A newspaper reporter may need to take pictures, shoot video, write a blog, or even do a "newscast" for a website. Be well-rounded in the field. </p>
<p>As far as schools. A few that have been named are considered to have strong programs. Syracuse. Missouri- especially in broadcast. ASU Cronkite school - although it is moving to a downtown campus - and I'm unsure on how this will help or hurt the program. On the positive side, you'll be near the papers and television stations, on the down side - you do not live at the main campus and the drive is too much of a nightmare. KU has a strong reputation. KSU also has a good program as does Wichita State - I've hired many of their grads an they are prepared to work. USC has a good reputation, North Carolina and Florida. Northwestern was already named. I'm also seeing and hearing good things about the program at Emerson in Boston. </p>
<p>One thing to check out - faculty, is there a good mix of tenured track, research folks along with some recent professionals? What about the equipment? Is it in integrated program - or must you pick one discipline and focus? I can argue both sides of that coin - but these are all things you should look at as you decide.</p>
<p>I absolutely agree with KansasGirl. </p>
<p>I don't work in news media, but I do work in corporate PR. We ALWAYS prefer a Journalism major over a subject major. In fact about 2/3 of our staff started out in news media then moved to the corporate world when they 1) couldn't "make it big" in media, 2) burned out of media, or 3) realized journalists earn a pittance. </p>
<p>In order to have a shot at credibility in a journalism field, you've got to have the journalism degree. Good subject minor or second major helps, too. But, journalism first.</p>
<p>Dougbetsy/kansas girl: Just curious...what subject minor or second major do you recommend? Or is it just a question of interest level? Does it really matter what you take as the minor or the double major? (My D is starting Newhouse in the fall.....)</p>
<p>Check the mastheads of the WSJ, NYT, Washington Post and do some googling. Very few undergrad degrees in journalism. </p>
<p>TV? Many degrees in journalism and mass communications both at the networks and localstations.</p>
<p>Magazines? (New Republic, Atlantic, Vanity Fair, etc.) hard to find a "journalism" major there.</p>
<p>YMMV.</p>
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Right now - it's important to make sure that you are versed in multi-media aspects. A newspaper reporter may need to take pictures, shoot video, write a blog, or even do a "newscast" for a website.
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<p>Question - does that mean that majors in something along the lines of 'media tech' (sometimes a subcategory of communications) are used, or not? I'm trying to understand the job market in that area.</p>
<p>There's a bit of a disconnect. Elite media (like the NYT, WSJ, high prestige magazines, network news operations) are shot through with Ivy-League grads. None of the Ivy League colleges offers a journalism degree (except, of course, Columbia's graduate program). At least in my generation, lots of people I know went plenty far in journalism without formal academic training. (Which of course doesn't mean that they didn't take a course or two in journalism-related topics, or that they didn't do lots of college journalism.)</p>
<p>As far as I can tell, things still work that way now, although maybe not on the same scale. I know two late-20s Harvard grads with full-time jobs as journalists, at weekly papers. Both are clearly rising stars at their papers (lots of promotions, features, etc.). The one I'm closer to I know has fielded many offers from big-name dailies. He didn't even write for the Crimson. (The other did.) Both essentially spent a couple years doing hand-to-mouth freelancing, and wrote themselves into full-time jobs.</p>
<p>Further to the above: A couple of in-between generation examples who are public enough to name:</p>
<p>Jake Tapper, ABC's #1 national political correspondent, is a history major from Dartmouth. He did spend a few weeks at film school at USC, but chucked it for a job at a Washington PR firm, and then wrote and cartooned his way into journalism for a Washington weekly and then an on-line publication.</p>
<p>Tad Friend, a staff writer for The New Yorker covering the entertainment industry (and also, famously, the "Mr. Latte" who married the NYT's former food columnist, Amanda Hesser), is a Harvard graduate with no formal journalism training, who basically free-lanced himself into the New Yorker position.</p>
<p>For writing jobs, apart from knowing some ethical ropes that are relatively easy to learn, the only real job requirements are the ability to write well, the ability to formulate something to say, and the moxie to promote oneself shamelessly. One can hone those qualities at j-school, but one can hone them elsewhere, too.</p>
<p>rodney: it's been my experience and observation that useful second majors/minors include Business, History, and English. A student who aspires to work in niche media (e.g., Psychology Today, Successful Farmer Magazine, BMX Racing Online, etc) should, obviously, study the niche. </p>
<p>And, if you think you're too good for small niche media then you might want to rethink journalism as a career. That's where the jobs are: websites, magazines, and even corporate pubs. Mainstream, national media like in blossom's post (especially print media) are cutting staffs everyday due to shrinking circulation. It's fine to set WSJ and NYT as your dream job. But don't expect to work there when your diploma is still shiny and new. </p>
<p>JHS and blossom's posts do have an element of truth to them, but they are the exceptions, not the rule. And I pity the Ivy Leaguers JHS describes if they've got student loans to pay on a feature reporter's salary at a weekly. </p>
<p>The bottom line is that KansasGirl's post is right on. </p>
<p>As for tech skills, Treetopleaf, it will depend on the school. In some cases the necessary courses are available through a Mass Comm or New Media track. Or, if you're studying pure Journalism, you might have to step off-campus to the community college for hands-on training.</p>
<p>"Magazines? (New Republic, Atlantic, Vanity Fair, etc.) hard to find a "journalism" major there."....gross overgeneralization IMO.....</p>
<p>Hmmmm...S.I. Newhouse???? Magazine mogul??? You think they hire magazine journalism majors from Syracuse' Newhouse School???? you bet they do.....</p>
<p>dougbetsy: Interesting thought about the niche media....D has strength and interest in sciences and was actually thinking about a biology minor/double....definitely a thought.....thank you! She is definitely the "new media" type of kid, not pure print journalism....maybe that's a distinction that should be made by the OP in regard to his/her question....I think blossom is primarily referring to traditional print as well.......</p>
<p>Re student loans, DougBetsy has a valid point. I don't think any of the people I described had significant student loans to pay. Many of them did scut-work day jobs, though, during the period when they were getting themselves established. And all of the ones I mentioned were supporting themselves perfectly well in New York (except for Tapper, in Washington, also not a cheap place to live) within a couple years of graduation.</p>
<p>I'm not so sure that they are "exceptions" so much as an "alternate rule".</p>
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I'm not so sure that they are "exceptions" so much as an "alternate rule".
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<p>I consider them the exceptions because Jake Tapper and Tad Friend are in the big leagues. </p>
<p>If the OP had posted a question about majoring in football, you just answered with examples equivalent to describing Brett Favre and Peyton Manning. </p>
<p>Truth is, the vast, vast, majority of jobs in the industry we're dealing with here are found in the "minor leagues" and "semi-pro" environments.</p>
<p>The debate over whether to get a journalism degree won't be resolved. People who go to j-school get great jobs and become successful; so do people who don't go to j-school. My son is headed to the Missouri j-school next year. His reasons: He wants the photojournalism teaching and the internship/job opportunities. (Note: The Washington Post has several top reporters who went to Mizzou, including one who just won a Pulitzer. Jim Lehrer went to Mizzou; Ray Suarez didn't go to journalism school.) If you want to major in journalism, pick a school with a top reputation. If you want to major in something else, pick another type of school (LAC or smaller university) with opportunities for hands-on extracurricular journalism. Search for "journalism" on CC and you'll find some other threads that deal with your question.</p>
<p>dougbetsy: In the real world, most of us probably do work in the minor leagues!</p>
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dougbetsy: In the real world, most of us probably do work in the minor leagues!
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<p>Exactly. That's my point.</p>
<p>dougbetsy: Sorry--I missed your previous post. I'm agreeing with you! </p>
<p>It was interesting see how many <em>parents</em> on j-school tours had an unrealistic notion that little Susie was destined to be the next Katie Couric.</p>