Top tier business journalism (econ related)

Graduate School
1

<p>I recently finished my undergrad and have been working to map out my graduate plans. I graduated with majors in journalism and anthropology. As an upperclassmen, I took an interest in macroeconomics and have been an avid consumer of business news ever since.</p>

<p>I've identified a few masters programs at schools where I'd be happy to study. NYU, Duke, Umich among others. Now it's a matter figuring out finances, practicality and likelihood of acceptance.</p>

<p>My question, broadly, is how useful a masters in econ could be to someone with an unrelated background. Given the thread title, I'm particularly interested in reporting for media outlets like Bloomberg, or other smaller, yet regarded publications/productions. Some of the requirements, for example, demand an understanding of business and markets.</p>

<p>I am also interested in hearing about the overarching general utility of an econ MA. I'm the kind of person who likes to keep their options open, so I'd be glad to hear how the additional degree could extend to roles like product marketing, business plan analysis or public administration.</p>

<p>I'd also be glad to hear speculation about my standing for higher-tier programs. My background was B.A., journalism and anthropology from UW-Madison, GPA 3.4. Didn't focus on math but I'm now enrolling to put the work in, starting with Calc 1. GRE not taken yet but I'd like to score above the 80th percentile in both categories.</p>

<p>I understand I'm not a stellar candidate on paper, but I'm confident and have a sincere interest in markets and decision making. I'm willing to go to the ends of the earth to target faculty and talk shop with them. I'm also interested in behavioral econ and did some related research as an undergraduate (though I know it's kind of unrelated).</p>

<p>Thank you</p>

2

<p>I think it’s a bad idea to borrow a bunch of money to pursue a master’s degree for a journalism career. Job prospects in the field are horrible right now, as you surely know, and if you do secure an entry-level job, it’s likely to be not very well paid. The payments on $75-100,000 in student loan debt will eat you alive.</p>

<p>Furthermore, hiring editors are looking for real-world experience, not credentials. Having a master’s degree in economics isn’t going to do you any good if you don’t have any clips. You would do better to just start blogging and writing about economic/business issues.</p>

<p>If you can afford to pay for a master’s degree straight-up out of pocket, this advice is less valid, because hey, it’s your money. Or if you can get a fully-funded slot… again, then you’re just talking opportunity cost. But taking out a bunch of student loans would be crazy, in my opinion.</p>