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Journalism is an excellent career for international students who possess a deep-seated curiosity and a keen insight. It is the domain responsible for spreading news quickly, fairly, and accurately, across all kinds of mass communication platforms. International students who want to pursue journalism in USA are making the start of an amazing career.
To answer any questions you may have, here is a complete guide for studying journalism in USA.
What are the specialties offered in journalism?
Journalism is a course that covers a wide array of writing issues and styles. It is a program that a lot of international students find appealing, no matter what their educational backgrounds may be. Specialties in journalism include photojournalism, online journalism, print journalism, and broadcast journalism.
Online journalism includes blogs, social media platforms, and online newspapers. Print journalism includes magazines and newspapers. Broadcast journalism includes television and radio.
What are some factors that should be kept in mind when you select a school for journalism in USA?
Decent undergraduate and graduate degree programs could be discovered throughout the country. It is important to focus on the location of the school when you are looking for colleges.
As an international student, it is important to place an emphasis on networking. Networking and making new connections with journalists and news outlets can help you in gaining experience. This is particularly important when students want to work in the US once they graduate.
International students who are interested in pursuing a job or doing an internship with a particular news outlet have to research universities, colleges, and schools where the work engagement is based.
Similarly, international students who are interested in getting a job in a particular industry should ideally focus on schools that are close to the headquarters of that industry.
What are some of the top schools for journalism in USA?
Some of the best schools for journalism in the USA include:
- University of Missouri: The University of Missouri is also the first school for journalism in the world. It was opened in 1908.
- UNC-Chapel Hill in North Carolina: UNC-Chapel Hill provides combined courses in law, health, science, and business. This is done to ensure that students who are studying journalism are well-prepared and properly informed about the industry in which they wish to work.
- Columbia University: Columbia University is located in New York City which is also called the heart of the publishing industry. It is world-renowned for the graduate programs it offers. Columbia University does not provide a course for a bachelor’s in journalism.
What are the application requirements to pursue journalism in USA for international students?
International students have to adhere to a few more requirements for their application. These are not applicable to American citizens. However, the exact requirements for your application will depend on the college of your choice. Here are the application requirements that apply specifically to international students:
- Standardized English Language Test Scores: International students whose first language is something other than English need to send in their standardized English language test scores. The purpose of these tests is to ensure that an international student would be able to perform well in the course.
Students are free to choose between taking an IELTS, PTE, or TOEFL test. However, it is important to ensure which test scores are accepted by the college of your choice.
- Some universities require English language translations for clips, writing samples, or transcripts. These are required by admissions committees to ensure that the student has a strong command of the English language.
It is also important since journalism is a domain that relies heavily on written English in the USA and your grasp of the language should be a reflection of the same.
- Proof that can verify that there are adequate funds available to pay the total expenses of attending colleges in the US. Proof of funds is required to ensure that the student has enough funds for tuition costs as well as the cost of living in the USA.
These proofs could be official forms that are given by the school that you are applying to or a bank statement. In many cases, you only need to furnish proof of funds once you are admitted into the school.
If additional funding is required to study journalism in USA, you should ideally research financial resource options such as loans and scholarships.
- International students who want to pursue a graduate course in journalism need to furnish a bachelor’s degree. Even though graduate students require an undergraduate degree, they may not necessarily need one in journalism.
What is the structure of a journalism course in the US?
In the USA, if you want to pursue an undergraduate degree in journalism, you need to attend school for four years. During the program, students will start with courses on core journalism. These include subjects like ethics, journalism history, media law, editing, reporting, and writing.
To gain practice, usually, teachers and professors will want students to complete some class assignments. These assignments are to be performed outside of the traditional classroom and generally focus on school issues or reports on the community.
Once students have mastered these basics, they are free to focus on the domain that interests them and take up specific courses on journalism. Some examples of these courses are newspaper writing, magazine writing, and photojournalism. Once you graduate, you will receive either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science in journalism.
Is it a good idea to opt for double majors in journalism courses?
However, journalism is a well-rounded industry, and a majority of the classes taught in journalism are not considered to be traditional courses. In addition to these courses, students are anticipated to gain a wide base of understanding in the humanities and art departments.
Students can decide between art, religion, philosophy, science, literature, and history. They can choose to study one of the subjects as part of a double major.
With a double major, students have expertise in an alternate field which comes in handy when they come across a similar field during their career. A second major can also be greatly beneficial when looking for a job.
Do journalism courses in the USA require internships?
As part of a journalism course in the USA, students are required to finish an internship. Most colleges can help students in finding a placement, however, if the internship is in an additional city, the student needs to take care of the housing.
Many colleges also have broadcast stations, radio, magazines, and campus newspapers. Being a part of these can help students in gaining some exposure and work experience.
What are the available career opportunities for journalists?
There are many different career opportunities available to journalists in the USA. These include:
- Public Relations Specialist
- Reporter
- Author
- Editor
- War Correspondent
- Foreign Correspondent
- Sports Commentator
- Technical Writer
- Copywriter
- Blogger
- Communications Professor
- Journalism Professor
- Radio Commentator
- Broadcast news anchor
- Photojournalist
Conclusion
Students who want to learn journalism in USA have to make sure that the colleges and universities they apply to provide courses in journalism, particularly in the domain of their choice. Journalism, although a challenging program in the USA; is a fulfilling one.
If you possess an inquisitive nature and have outstanding writing skills, then you are halfway there to making it big in this field. Connect with us to know more about future prospects of studying journalism in USA.