<p>Hi,</p>
<p>My rising senior S is a classic artist and very good writer who is considering double majors or degrees. I found out there is 5 yr jointed BM/BJ program at Northwestern. However, Journalism major asks to join residency or internship program which is hard for tight music schedule with some tour. If it is too difficult, there is a Music Criticism minor within Music School. It looks like too easy. Is there anybody who has some experience? Thanks!</p>
<p>She might look into Bard College Conservatory - they don’t offer journalism but they have a phenomenal writing & English program - and one can focus on non-fiction prose taught by some of the best exponents of the genre. And the double degree is required of all conservatory students.</p>
<p>For any journalism program, practical experience gained through internships would be crucial for career success. This could be done in the summer if the school year is too busy. You might be interested to note that some of the summer festivals like Tanglewood and Aspen have publicity/journalism internships.</p>
<p>SpiritManager is on the money about the quality of Bard’s writing program - although there is absolutely no journalism focus there. I would think Northwestern might have a better match with Medill School of Journalism plus Bienen School of Music.</p>
<p>Some other options:
Ithaca College has a well respected School of Music and equally well respected School of Communication.</p>
<p>University of Hartford also has a good Communication Department and the Hartt School of Music.</p>
<p>Another idea is The University of Missouri/Columbia. I don’t know how receptive they are to double degrees, but they have a world renowned Journalism department and their School of Music is up and coming - at least in terms of New Music and Composition. [School</a> of Music - University of Missouri](<a href=“http://music.missouri.edu/]School”>http://music.missouri.edu/) [Mizzou</a> New Music Initiative - School of Music - College of Arts and Science - University of Missouri](<a href=“http://mizzounewmusic.missouri.edu/index.html]Mizzou”>http://mizzounewmusic.missouri.edu/index.html)</p>
<p>Thanks a lot, SpiritManager and stradmom,
I will check those site. Also, i think he can have a journalism internship at Music industry or Organization.</p>
<p>A great person to talk to would be Laurie Niles, the editor and publisher of violinist.com, who studied violin performance and journalism at both Northwestern and IU. You can reach her through her website.</p>
<p>Meekchun, Northwestern’s J-school is very well-regarded.
However, the profession (both internship and real work) requires availability during evening hours as you noted.</p>
<p>If your son were to instead dual degree in a strong writing program such as Bard, or even stick to music for undergrad, remember that options such as Columbia’s masters degree in journalism exist. Journalism is one of those fields where students benefit from a liberal arts undergrad and masters level prowess if they wish to rise to the higher levels.</p>
<p>Thanks, Glassharmonia,
I will contact with her. Thanks, too, kmcmom13, I will consider about it.
One of the reason we are looking for these double majors is that I am consider Media or marketing network would be very good backup for musician.</p>
<p>Don’t count on any work for arts journalists. Over 50% (and more, in certain areas) of all the arts journalists in the country were laid off in the last few years. It is a completely dying field being taken over, as much of journalism, by unpaid, or miserably paid, blogs. Only the major markets have one or two writers left - with NYC being the only exception with a couple more. (My brother, who had worked as a full time Arts Editor for a newspaper for 15 years was one of those. )</p>
<p>PR & Marketing would be another matter - but that would be as well served with an English or Communications degree, as a Journalism degree.</p>
<p>If you want to go into PR and marketing you don’t need a special college degree (I mean, any major will do) so much as the right job experience/internships.</p>
<p>And SpiritManager has a good point about arts journalism, and journalism in general. Writers/journalists have to hustle as much as freelance musicians.</p>
<p>Oh, my! More and more hard to survive.</p>
<p>I echo SpiritManager’s mention of University of Missouri/Columbia. The music school is gaining traction and the School of Journalism is world class.</p>