Photo of students editing picture in photo lab.

MS in Business & Economics Journalism

Students pursuing an MS degree in Business and Economics Journalism will be expected to complete 12 courses designed to achieve three goals:

  1. mastery of the basics of journalism and an understanding of the history, principles, ethics, laws and practices of the profession;
  2. expertise in business and economics news;
  3. the ability to work in more than one format.

Students who intend to enter the field of business and economics journalism can elect to emphasize reporting about businesses or reporting about the economy or they can seek a balance of the two. Students primarily interested in business coverage should consider courses in finance, marketing, entrepreneurship and corporate organization. Students primarily interested in economic news should consider courses that deal with aspects of the national or global economy, such as labor economics or economics of the developing world. Courses should be selected in consultation with the student's advisor.

Students who would like to add an additional business and economics journalism course may substitute a directed study for a journalism elective with the approval of the advisor.

Any request to vary from the requirements needs approval from your advisor and the department chairman.

Find the complete listing of graduate course descriptions in the COM bulletin.

Core Requirements (4)
  • JO 525 Media Law & Ethics
  • JO 721 Journalism Principles & Techniques
  • JO 722 Advanced Journalism Seminar
  • Choose one from the following
    • JO 503 Journalism Basic Research Methods (or)
    • JO 807 Advanced Journalism Research
Subject-Area Courses: five or six
  • JO 501 Introduction to Business & Economics Reporting
  • JO 506 Writing Business Profiles
  • JO 738 Business & Economics Journalism Internship

In addition, students will select two or three courses from the School of Management or the Department of Economics. These selections should be made in consultation and with the approval of the student's advisor. The selection of courses will be guided by the student's interests, career aspirations and knowledge of business and economics.

Electives - Journalism Formats (1)
  • JO 537 Digital Photo Fundamentals
  • JO 519 Advanced Radio
  • JO 534 Broadcast News for Non-Majors
  • JO 540 Multimedia Journalism
  • JO 707 Writing-Reporting for Broadcast
  • JO 711 Electronic News Production
Other Journalism Electives (1)
  • JO 506 Writing Columns and Editorials
  • JO 535 Investigative and Project Reporting
  • JO 703 Magazine Writing
  • JO 538 Feature Writing