What Do You Need for a Journalism Degree?

Answer 1

A degree in journalism is a good springboard to a career as a reporter and editor, or in public relations. In fact, many people start out working for a news organization, where hours may be erratic, and then switch to public relations after a few years.

Since news is made around the clock, journalists can expect to work odd hours at times. They are in the front lines when news breaks and may see gruesome sights.

But careers in journalism can be very rewarding for people who are curious and like variety as no day is ever the same. They research and write articles. They may specialize in one area of news, such as education or business, which is called a beat, or may write about a lot of subjects if they are a general assignment reporter.

Journalists must be good spellers who can write quickly and accurately as they constantly work on deadlines. They need to be comfortable with laptops to file stories from the field. In this digital age, they should have graphic design skills to illustrate their articles.

Curriculum Includes Writing, Media Law Courses

Courses for a journalism degree include writing, editing, libel and media law, Photography, visual communications and graphic design, ethics, broadcast news and website design. More than 1,500 colleges offer journalism programs; the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications maintains a list of accredited journalism schools in the United States (http://www.ku.edu/~acejmc/STUDENT/STUDENT.SHTML).

Employers hiring new J-grads like them to have some experience, which can be gained through an internship or writing for the college newspaper. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' "Occupational Outlook Handbook" (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos088.htm) says students with some experience get the best shots at jobs. Grads will generally start out at smaller newspapers and broadcast media to gain experience that will make them attractive to larger news outlets.

Beginning journalists are not paid very much; at smaller news outlets, they may not make much more than minimum wage. As they gain experience and move on to bigger things, they will move up the salary scale. The mean hourly wage for reporters in May 2010 was $43,780, says Occupational Employment Statistics, a division of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes273022.htm).

Answer 2

To pursue a journalism degree, you typically need a high school diploma or equivalent to apply to a college or university offering journalism programs. It's helpful to have strong reading and writing skills, as well as an interest in current events and media. Some programs may require a portfolio of writing samples or previous journalism experience.