The Department of Journalism offers numerous choices for specialization. The options include the M.A. program in journalism, which has five areas of specialization; two dual degree programs, Business and Economic Reporting and Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting, that lead to an M.A. and an advanced certificate; and the global and joint studies programs, which lead to joint M.A. degrees.

Reporting New York

The three-semester Reporting New York specialization is designed to prepare students to cover news in any of our nation’s great urban centers by focusing on the one that is the nation’s largest, greatest, and most complex. Students take a series of specialized research, reporting, and writing courses and seminars that take their cues from urban affairs and city life. Each semester, they also have the opportunity to enroll in at least one offering from another department or school in the University, in order to engage more deeply with such relevant subject matter as municipal government, budgeting, city planning, ethnic and racial diversity, and municipal courts. An internship with a city publication or broadcast outlet takes place between the second and third semesters.

Prospective students should feel free to contact the director, Associate Professor William Serrin, at jwserrin@aol.com.

Reporting the Nation

Reporting the Nation prepares students to cover issues that concern the American people as a whole. New York City presents a particularly compelling place to offer such a specialization. The U.S. government’s presence in the city includes the federal courts, federal regulatory agencies, and various economic agencies, such as the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. And many of the great issues that concern and divide Americans can be found in the city and its environs. Each semester includes an intensive series of writing and reporting courses and journalistic seminars as well as an interdisciplinary course that students choose from an approved list meant to provide them with a deeper understanding of the federal government and significant national issues. A course in the U.S. economy is a key one in the first semester, as a basic understanding of economic issues is so central to national reporting.

Prospective students should feel free to contact the director, Associate Professor William Serrin at jwserrin@aol.com.

Magazine Writing

Students in magazine writing master the basics in an introductory sequence of reporting and writing courses. They master the literature through a number of intensive reading seminars. Finally, they put all these skills together in a number of specialized reporting courses, such as Ted Conover’s The Journalism of Empathy, Lawrence Weschler’s The Fiction of Nonfiction, Robert Boynton’s Portfolio Program, Jeff Sharlet’s Journalism Faces Faith, and Michael Norman’s The Architectonics of Nonfiction Narrative. All teach students how to generate ideas, develop them into stories, report them thoroughly, and, finally, write pieces that are lucid, compelling, and elegant.

Many applicants to magazine writing aspire to work in the world of New York magazines with its strong “back of the book” focus on arts, fashion, leisure, sports, entertainment, ideas, and literature. NYU’s location in New York’s Greenwich Village puts students in close proximity to some of the best writers and editors in the country. Many of them teach in the department or are members of the “affiliated writers” program, guest lecturing, critiquing student work, and advising students on an informal basis. Editors and writers from some of America’s best magazines and newspapers frequently visit classes, critiquing student stories and queries, and introducing them to the world of publishing. At NYU, magazine writing is viewed less as a medium than as a way to look at the world with insight, intelligence, and a distinctive point of view.

Prospective applicants should contact the department at graduate.journalism@nyu.edu.

News and Documentary

News and documentary students are educated in reporting and producing short-form and long-form journalism for traditional and nontraditional media. From the first class, news and documentary students are immersed in the small DV camera and desktop editing environment. They learn form, structure, and storytelling by working in the field with a partner and, eventually, by themselves. The Reporting I course begins with the basics of short-form stories in a variety of formats, and then students move on in a progression of courses to the 30-minute documentary. Courses in the history of documentary as well as electives that cover 48 Hours-style newsmagazine editing enhance the experience. Students are also encouraged to take advantage of the department’s summer global reporting programs.

Prospective students should feel free to contact the department at graduate.journalism@nyu.edu.

Cultural Reporting and Criticism

Students in the cultural reporting and criticism concentration are equipped with a broad background in cultural issues as well as the reportorial and analytical skills needed to write on the arts, popular culture, the media, social issues, and social groups and milieus. Nine courses (36 points) are required.

Prospective students should contact the cultural reporting and criticism office at 212-998-3786 or cultural.program@nyu.edu.

Business and Economic Reporting Program

The Business and Economic Reporting Program educates students who aspire to cover major stories that have a business or economics angle. These stories may involve, for example, such subjects as the entertainment industry, the environment, national and local economic policy, finance, media, and marketing. Students take specialized business writing courses as well as courses at NYU’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business. The program requires three semesters of study plus a full-time summer internship and requires 44 points to complete. Students receive an M.A. degree in journalism and a certificate in business and economic reporting. Full-time and part-time study is available.

Prospective students should contact Associate Professor Stephen D. Solomon at 212-998-7995 or business.journalism@nyu.edu.

Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program

The Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program prepares students to cover stories in science, medicine, and the environment for careers in the news media, industry, government, and public interest groups. The program requires three semesters of study plus part of one summer; students must complete 11 courses (48 points). Students receive an M.A. degree in journalism and a certificate in science, health, and environmental reporting.

Prospective students should contact Associate Professor Dan Fagin at 212-998-7971 or dan.fagin@nyu.edu.

GLOBAL AND JOINT (GLOJO) PROGRAM STUDIES

A select group of students each year has the opportunity to work toward a joint M.A. degree in journalism and Caribbean and Latin American studies, French studies, or Near Eastern studies. These intensive two-year programs are designed for students with strong international interests and the needed language preparation. Students have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of each respective region or culture as they prepare to report and write from abroad or domestically on themes of international importance, always with a wide general readership in mind. From the very start of the program, GloJo students meet regularly outside of class several times a semester in informal workshops expressly conceived to support the master’s projects they will submit at the end of their studies.

The GloJo program generally includes five journalism courses over the course of three to four semesters. Three of these—Writing, Research, and Reporting Workshop I (G54.1021) and II (G54.1022), and either The Law and Mass Communication (G54.0011) or Press Ethics (G54.0012)—are required along with two reporting courses from the available elective offerings. Detailed course descriptions and syllabi as well as the most up-to-date fall and spring offerings may be found on the Course Listings page at http://journalism.nyu.edu/courses.

The sequence of courses varies slightly depending on the requirements of the other half of the program, but the recommended journalism schedule is as follows:

First Semester (Fall I)
Writing, Research, and Reporting Workshop I (G54.1021)
The Law and Mass Communication (G54.0011) or Press Ethics (G54.0012).

Second Semester (Spring)
Writing, Research, and Reporting Workshop II (G54.1022)
One or two reporting electives from that term’s Course Listings*.

Third Semester (Fall II)
One or two reporting electives from that term’s Course Listings*.

Journalism and Latin American and Caribbean Studies

The joint M.A. program in journalism and Latin American and Caribbean studies prepares students for careers as professional newspaper, magazine, or broadcast journalists with a particular expertise on Latin America and the Caribbean. The program is administered jointly by the Department of Journalism and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

Journalism and Near Eastern Studies

The joint M.A. program in journalism and Near Eastern studies is designed to prepare students for careers as professional newspaper, magazine, or broadcast journalists with a particular expertise on the Near East. The program is administered jointly by the Department of Journalism and the Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies.

Journalism and French Studies

The joint M.A. program in journalism and French studies provides advanced education and training for students wishing to combine specialized knowledge of France with journalistic writing and/or broadcasting skills. It is designed to prepare students for careers as professional journalists with a particular expertise on France and the French-speaking regions of the world. The program is administered jointly by the Department of Journalism and the Institute of French Studies.

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