<p>NYU: Joint Masters in Journalism and Latin American Studies 2 years
No Funding
But with pretty sick internship hookups, especially for Journo's (yes, dying field, blah blah blah. So far I've done ok in journalism/communications work)
Awesome Faculty
It's New York!</p>
<p>U Chicago: Latin American Studies 9 months
$14,570 in funding-BIG PLUS!
Very oriented to my research interests
Unclear about post-MA career outcomes
Uncertain about faculty. Program was founded by John Coatsworth who teaches at Columbia now, and they cross list with NYU.
Never been to Chicago but I hear it's pretty cool.</p>
<p>GWU: Latin American and Hemispheric Policy Studies 2 years
not really sure.
I'm familiar with the DC Area.
Not too sure about methodology.
Good connections.</p>
<p>Which one to choose? Who has the better career services (e.g. invests more time in you to get ahead)? Does anyone have experience with either Latin American Studies programs or NYU journalism institute?</p>
<p>U Chicago is a great school. However, for journalism and media jobs, NYC doesn’t compare. It’s a tough call in that respect. I don’t want a PhD for a WHILE. U Chicago seems geared towards academia.</p>
<p>As you said, the journalism job market is terrible right now. I know this from first-hand experience. (Undergrad journalism major.) If you have to borrow the entire cost of a two-year NYU master’s degree, you’re looking at $100,000 in debt for a “credential” in a massively-depleted field with lots of competition for few jobs and low pay. You realize that starting salaries for journalists are commonly in the $30,000 range, right? Your loan payments are going to be close to half of your take-home pay.</p>
<p>I just don’t see that making any sense.</p>
<p>If you’re rich and can afford full-pay, go wherever you want. But if you’re financing this on loans, borrowing $100,000 for a journalism master’s degree is a terrible idea.</p>
<p>Can I vote “none of the above”? Taking out loans for a journalism degree - ANY journalism degree - is NUTS, and was nuts before the economic downturn. I know quite a few journalists - none of them went to journalism school, and fewer all the time. Most traveled, wrote, traveled, wrote, became experts in certain areas, got work as stringers, and worked their way up.</p>
<p>If you aren’t planning a Ph.D., what is one year in Latin American studies going to net you? (other than teaching Spanish in a public school, for which you’ll need a teaching degree. </p>
<p>How much time have you spent in Latin America? Wouldn’t it make more sense to take a small fraction of the funds, and go spend some extended time before you commit to a very, very expensive two-year M.A. program?</p>
<p>Actually I lived in Mexico City for 10 years and El Salvador for 3 (I’ve been traveling to Central America my entire life since my family lives there). </p>
<p>I have reported from Mexico City and been involved in latin america specific projects and research. And yes, I have worked in a newsroom (had a crazy dream about that place last night, no less) and had articles published in different outlets. I’m currently coming off of a 2 year non-profit stint so I suppose I have that to fall back on. But I have been writing and submitting pieces to local newspapers.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, my contacts have only gotten me so far. Communications coordination/PR/grant writing jobs are not something I want to keep doing. I enjoy doing research. And if the school I go to can afford me some contacts to keep writing while I research what I want all the better.</p>
<p>Had someone told me how the freelance process works, I’d be out in Haiti or hell, even Somalia. Lord knows I’ve got enough saved up. And with the aforementioned contact situation, turns out, you do need identified contacts to pitch your stuff to post-recession newsroom bloodbaths, regardless. </p>
<p>I guess the real questions are…is the investment worth it if you have different career areas to fall back on that are still somewhat relevant to the field you want to work in? Or am I really just a closeted academic that can pursue journalism all the same while doing something else (which I kinda do now)?</p>
<p>Borrowing $100,000 to give to NYU with the hope of making a few contacts is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad “investment.” Have you run the numbers on what it will take to pay that kind of debt off? Journalists do not make that kind of money!</p>
<p>Apply for internships. Leverage your clip file. Heck, use that money you have saved up to go somewhere and report, then offer the finished story up on spec to a variety of outlets.</p>
<p>If you enjoy doing research and want to be an academic, you should apply for funded research-based MA/Ph.D programs, not cash-cow professional programs.</p>
<p>So you are perfect journalistic stringer for Central America. You know the ropes, you speak Spanish, you’ve been around, you’ve published. You should be worth your weight in gold - down there - you’ll never get such a job applying for one up here. </p>
<p>Then, if you ever get that out of your system, you can apply to a Ph.D. program and you’ll get full funding.</p>