Today, it’s a different story. Master’s in Journalism
It won’t come as a surprise that the news media have changed. Stories are told in new, exciting and, often, cross-platform ways. At BU, the Master of Science program in Journalism is driving those changes.
We’ve crossed the old boundaries between media like TV, web, radio and magazines—because expertise across several media is now essential. Our curriculum emphasizes the theory and skills of digital journalism like immediacy and an unprecedented focus on visual journalism.
At BU, journalism is global.
By any measure—from academics to our physical resources to our online impact—Boston University is world class.
Join a community of students and faculty who share your passion for learning, storytelling, and doing work that matters. Contribute to our award-winning BU News Service website. And study in small classes with professors who are leaders in professional journalism. Current leaders. They write bestsellers, produce documentaries, make powerful photos and create content of all kinds.
You can also tap into one of our greatest resources: our location. Boston is a leading international city, the seventh-largest media market in the country and an urban news hotspot. Important things happen here. American journalism was born here. And, as a major high tech center, the city remains at the forefront of communications innovation.
What you’ll do.
You’ll become a journalist, capable of creating nonfiction narratives that tell the stories of our times.
Over three semesters, you’ll learn to analyze and explain complex events, and raise journalistic standards. And you’ll become a content expert in all media.
First-semester classes prepare you to work across platforms in a professional newsroom. You’ll focus on law, ethics, techniques of journalism and introduction to digital media with an emphasis on reporting, news judgment, writing and visual skills.
Then, you’ll sample from a variety of electives across journalism platforms and specialty areas — from general news, digital journalism, science, public policy, photojournalism, sports, magazines, foreign reporting, to narrative journalism. A faculty adviser will help you tailor your individual program from the many courses available in Journalism and across the University.
Finally, under the direction of a senior faculty member, you’ll produce a professional-quality final Master’s Project to showcase your skills and interests.
Experience: the difference.
Graduate school gives you the opportunity to learn the ropes before you enter the job market. At BU, in particular, you learn by doing. Professors treat you as a junior colleague in a newsroom and there are ample opportunities to get actual reporting under your belt.
Maybe you’ll cover the latest budget protests at the Massachusetts State House or a pennant run by the Red Sox—both located just a subway ride from our campus. The best of our students’ work is regularly posted by top professional news organizations such as the Boston Globe, Boston magazine, WGBH television and WBUR, our NPR-affiliated radio station. Or, you may choose to produce video reports for BUTV, our in-house cable network that boasts national awards and the latest in digital technology.
We strive to place all our graduate students in professional internships in the busy Boston media market, where we have extensive contacts and a large alumni network. As we said: we believe in learning by doing. When you see how well we prepare you for your journalism career, you will too.
So come join us. Tell a story. Tell stories that matter.
COM Broadcast Journalism professor, Susan Walker, talks about what it takes to be successful in our program and beyond. Get more information on our graduate programs and the application process.