<p>I applied to AU for Fall 2010 and when I grow up I want to be a foreign correspondent. I was wondering, what would be better to major in for that career at AU, Journalism or International Relations/Studies? I am going to visit the school on February 15th and I am going to ask a counselor there their opinion, but I was wondering if any has any firsthand experience or information about either course or which one would be better path for becoming a foreign correspondent?</p>
<p>If you want to be a foreign correspondent, the Journalism degree might do more for you there. In fact, the Journalism program (like all accredited programs) requires that you take on a second major or minor outside of communications, so that you have something to write about. International Relations could be that second major/minor. I know the minor is incredibly flexible in which discipline within IR you want to study.</p>
<p>Additionally the School of Communication has courses on backpack journalism and foreign correspondence. For example, an SOC professor shot the PBS special (which was nominated for some major awards) Afghanistan: The Forgotten War during a summer he spent embedded with a military unit in Afghanistan. While doing this, he taught a course in Foreign Correspondence via satellite phone! AU also set up the first foreign correspondence internship program with the Associated Press, which places students in foreign correspondence positions worldwide. The first winner of this internship, an SOC grad student, spent this summer reporting from Taiwan. In addition, SOC has the Foreign Correspondence Network, which connects alumni and professionals working in foreign correspondence overseas. So you’ve picked a good place to pursue this career.</p>
<p>Now on the other end if you want to major in IR, AU has some high-profile IR alumni who now work in journalism. Best example is David Gregory, who is now the host of Meet the Press, although his degree was in IR.</p>
<p>I hope this helped! Here’s some links to the programs/internships I mentioned:</p>
<p>[? | Foreign Correspondence Network](<a href=“http://www.foreigncorrespondence.org/”>Foreign Correspondence)
[AU</a> School of Communication | AU-AP Foreign Intership Goes to SOC Student](<a href=“http://www.american.edu/soc/news/AU-AP-Foreign-Intership.cfm]AU”>http://www.american.edu/soc/news/AU-AP-Foreign-Intership.cfm)</p>
<p>Wow. Thank you. That was a great answer :)</p>
<p>I had no idea American was the place to be for journalism! I’ll definitely keep all that in mind. Backpack Journalism? That sounds interesting. And getting set up for a Foreign Correspondence Network sounds fantastic.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>