MS in Journalism

Good journalism has never mattered more—or demanded more. Boston University’s MS in Journalism is built for this reality.

At BU, reporting starts immediately. You’ll work on strict deadlines, produce stories for real audiences, and learn inside active newsrooms, not simulations.

Over three semesters, you’ll report across digital, broadcast, audio, and documentary platforms, building a portfolio of published work that shows hiring editors what you can do, not just what you’ve studied. This program welcomes recent undergraduates and career changers alike, from any undergraduate major or background, turning your unique perspective into your greatest reporting asset.

Every great story starts with someone willing to ask one more question.

That’s exactly how you’ll learn journalism at BU.

Learn journalism by doing it

• Industry-standard news production facilities: Train inside TV Studio West, using the same high-end equipment, control rooms, and workflows found in major network newsrooms.
• The Newsroom Initiative: Beyond our campus labs, this signature initiative bridges the gap between the classroom and the newsroom. We connect you with an in-house editor and place you directly within professional news organizations across New England to gain real-world reporting experience for credit.
• Flexibility to specialize: Tailor your degree to your career goals. Choose electives in investigative reporting, sports journalism, broadcast news, photojournalism, documentary journalism, data journalism, arts and entertainment, and more.
• Global + national reporting bureaus: Move your reporting far beyond campus:
  • Statehouse Program: Cover breaking political news directly from the Massachusetts State House.
  • The Washington, D.C. Program: Spend a semester reporting from the nation’s capital.
  • The Conflict & Crisis Reporting course: Travel to Padua, Italy, for an immersive summer field assignment covering global crises.
• The Pulitzer Center partnership: Secure sponsored investigative assignments through COM’s partnership with the Pulitzer Center and Program on Global Health Storytelling.
• Power of Narrative conference: Gain access to our annual conference which brings together top narrative practitioners and long-form storytellers from around the world.

Boston: the birthplace and future of American journalism

Boston is the historic birthplace of American journalism—home to the nation’s very first multi-page newspaper, The Boston Publick Occurrences, published here in 1690. Today, that pioneering spirit drives one of the country’s most competitive, influential media markets.

For a graduate student, this means access to an ecosystem that includes legendary newspapers, public radio networks, commercial television networks, investigative nonprofits, and digital bureaus. The Boston Globe, Axios, Politico, WBUR, GBH News, a bustling State House news bureau, and five major commercial television newsrooms are all right here.

Your reporting opportunities aren’t hypothetical. They’re walkable.

Where do MS in Journalism graduates go?

Our graduates work across local, national, and international news organizations, public media, documentary production houses, and digital content strategy roles.

Where our graduates work

• Investigative + national news: The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The Guardian, ProPublica, CNN, ABC News, Bloomberg, NBCUniversal, US Department of State
• Public media: NPR, PBS, WBUR, GBH News
• Sports media: ESPN, FOX Sports, USA Today Sports, The Boston Globe, the New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers
• Documentary + long-form: CNN, PBS, WBUR’s Kind World, Condé Nast International

Roles alumni hold

• Reporting: Correspondent, Editor, Reporter, Broadcast news analyst, Director
• Visual: Photojournalist, Documentary filmmaker, Producer, Film + video editor
• Digital: Data journalist, Web developer
• Communication: Communications manager, Technical writer

Student publications + platforms

Our graduate students report for and produce award-winning, COM-sponsored publications and broadcasts that serve the greater Boston metro area:

• BU News Service (BUNS): Multiplatform digital news
• BUTV10: Award-winning television broadcasts
• WTBU: Live student radio
• The Daily Free Press: BU’s legendary independent student newspaper since 1970

BU offered an incredible hands-on lab setting, all in the heart of one of the most beautiful cities in the country. I loved that it would afford me more time for internships, training, and networking to really curate a graduate school experience for myself. I looked at my time in Boston as a time period where I was totally redefining my trajectory, and BU was the perfect setting for that story to unfold.

Ashley Davis, Alumna and Senior Producer at CNN

What you’ll learn in the MS in Journalism

Journalists aren’t hired because they took classes. They’re hired because they can report. In three semesters (12 courses), the MS in Journalism combines core reporting skills, specialized coursework, and a professional-quality capstone designed to prepare you for today’s rapidly evolving news landscape.

• Semester 1 (fall): Master the fundamentals. Your coursework focuses on core journalism building blocks: advanced news judgment, investigative writing, audio/visual gathering, media law, ethics, and multiplatform digital production in a professional newsroom environment.
• Semester 2 (spring): Select your specialization. Dive into advanced elective tracks. Take courses in investigative reporting, data-driven journalism, sports broadcasting, documentary, and more. Gain local field experience through COM’s partnership with Boston Neighborhood Network Media and the Newsroom Initiative that connects students with news organizations across New England.
• Semester 3 (fall): The Master’s Capstone. Produce an original, deeply-reported piece of journalism under faculty mentorship. This project serves as the centerpiece of your portfolio—the definitive work you present to hiring editors.

Explore our curriculum and courses.

Learn from journalists who are still reporting

Our faculty are still chasing stories. They write books, produce documentaries, take Pulitzer Prize–winning photos, and conduct investigations that shape public understanding. They’re reporters, editors, photographers, and documentary filmmakers whose work appears in today’s newsrooms, not yesterday’s textbooks. They teach graduate students as emerging colleagues, providing the rigorous editorial feedback and high expectations found in top-tier newsrooms.

See a list of our Pulitzer Prize winners.

In the study of journalism, we ask people to tell us their stories. Sometimes the best way to learn how to do that is to practice telling your own. Two BU COM professors helped me to do that – and I now bring those concepts into my own classroom and encourage my students to focus on the bits of wisdom and pieces of humanity that bind us together.

Noelle Graves, Alumna, award-winning journalist, and senior lecturer, Department of Journalism

Institutional reputation + rankings

BU’s MS in Journalism is consistently recognized as one of the best journalism master’s programs in the country, ranked by Intelligent’s Best Master’s in Journalism Degree Programs and SCI Journal’s 25 Best Journalism Schools in the US.

Frequently asked questions about the MS in Journalism at BU

Do I need a journalism background to apply?

No. While we look for a strong writing sample and a clear passion for reporting and storytelling, you don’t need previous professional journalism experience. We teach you the technical and investigative skills right from day one.

What is the Master’s Project?

The Master’s Project is an original, deeply-reported piece of journalism produced during your final semester under faculty direction. It’s the capstone of your degree and the centerpiece of your portfolio – the kind of work you’d show to a hiring editor.

Can I specialize in a specific type of journalism?

Yes. The program offers flexibility through electives in investigative journalism, sports journalism, broadcast journalism, photojournalism, documentary journalism, data journalism, and more. Your advisor will help you build a program that fits your goals.

Are there opportunities to report outside of Boston?

Yes. In addition to COM’s Statehouse Program that puts you in the state capitol, the Washington, DC Multimedia & Journalism Program offers a semester in the nation’s capital. And a summer course in Padua, Italy covers Conflict & Crisis Reporting.

What fellowships are available?

COM partners with the Pulitzer Center, WBUR, and others to connect students with paid fellowships and sponsored investigative projects. Merit scholarships are also available through COM with no separate application required.

See all MS in Journalism’s Frequently Asked Questions.

Also worth exploring

Learn more about our other graduate programs in communication and media, including:

• MS in Television: For students focused on the business and creative side of television – developing, pitching, and selling ideas to networks and streaming platforms.
• MS in Public Relations: For students who want to work on the communications side – media relations, crisis communication, and digital strategy.
• Graduate Certificate in Civic Science Communication (online): A four-course online certificate for students who want to communicate science clearly to public audiences.