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What is a good school to go to if you want to major in Journalism, Mass Communicatons or Political Science.

By Warren on Wednesday, November 28, 2001 - 08:46 pm: Edit

Wow, there are quite a few schools that could meet those criteria, Laura! And the best Mass Communications school almost certainly won't be the best PoliSci school, etc. Do you have any other criteria to narrow it down, like geographic preference, small vs. large, urban vs. rural, etc.? Is one of the majors most important to you at this point? Do your stats qualify you for elite schools, or a level or two less selective?

By Nebma on Thursday, November 29, 2001 - 08:26 pm: Edit

Journalism: Northwestern, U. Missouri/Columbia; Columbia U. (no journalism undergrad, but home of the top J school & Pulitzers, in the media capital)

Mass Communications: Syracuse/Newhouse, USC

Just a couple of thoughts...

By Laura on Friday, November 30, 2001 - 11:31 pm: Edit

Thank you to Nebma. Journalism is the major I am really intrested in. I would like to go to a large urban school and I have a 4.6 gpa so I can pretty much go anywhere.

By Dadster on Tuesday, December 04, 2001 - 09:50 am: Edit

Laura, as you visit campuses ask about internships with news organizations, etc. One hallmark of a quality program is a strong record of placing its students in summer or part-time positions with good companies.

Sometimes the most glamorous internships aren't the best, of course. You might end up fetching coffee for junior execs at CNN, but covering breaking news stories at a small-town paper or station.

By RDH on Tuesday, March 26, 2002 - 11:30 pm: Edit

I wanted some advice. Have got admission in Syracuse Newhouse school for grad studies in Broadcast Journalism. I wanted to know how reputed the course/school is?

By Dadster on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 - 05:39 am: Edit

Newhouse is acknowledged to be one of the top few broadcast journalism schools in the country. Other than the climate, you probably can't go wrong there.

By RDH on Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 10:06 am: Edit

Thanks for your inputs on Syracuse. I also wanted to know about the Business & economic Reporting course at NYU. It is fairly new but is a joint program with Stern Business School. Any inputs on that?

By Dadster on Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 11:05 am: Edit

RDH, I'm not familiar with the NYU program, but it sounds like a great combination... Stern, of course, is well-regarded for business and NYU is in the media capital of the world. Newhouse has one of the stronger alum networks in the broadcast journalism business, but Syracuse (the city) has limited opportunities for part-time gigs, etc., compared to large, media-oriented cities like New York or LA.

By RDH on Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 12:51 am: Edit

Dadster - really appreciate your responses to my queries. Since I am not from the US am having a tough time making up my mind. Will contact you again if I need help - are you contactable through e-mail?

By 739 on Wednesday, July 17, 2002 - 11:33 am: Edit

You may not have heard of it, but you should check into DePauw in Indiana for those three disciplines. The journalism program is especially excellent, but since it's a traditional LAC, there is no major. That clearly doesn't matter, as grads founded the WSJ and edit the NYT among several others others. One grad is editor of Smart Money, and the advisor just published her own book. The paper, the oldest in Indiana and completely independent, regularly wins awards, and there's lots of opportunity for staffers. The Society of Professional Journalists was also founded there. In addition, there is a honors program for students interested in Journalism; it's called Media Fellows.

By Amy on Monday, July 22, 2002 - 09:49 pm: Edit

Is the University of Georgia a good choice if you're interested in the broadcast journalism field? I had always heard it was one of the highest ranked in the country and then I read somewhere that it had gone down in rank. Does anyone know how it stacks up against some of the other colleges known for their broadcast journalism departments?

By Erin on Monday, July 22, 2002 - 11:33 pm: Edit

I've also heard that UG is a really good place for broadcast journalism, but I don't really understand why. You would think that broadcasting programs would be more prevalent in large cities. UG being in Athens, Georgia, and Syracuse, which are not large cities compared to others, have great programs. I wonder why programs in NYC and DC aren't ranked higher.

By BBB on Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 08:01 pm: Edit

I've wondered how these evolved, too, Erin. It seems like choosing a school for broadcast journalism is a tradeoff - a good school in a small media market, or one with a lesser reputation (at least in that department) in a big market. USC combines both, I guess...

By Cassandra on Tuesday, August 06, 2002 - 03:00 pm: Edit

I'm an international transfer student from Malaysia, and I'll be a junior majoring in Journalism when I start. I'll be applying for Uni of Missouri-Columbia(my absolute first choice!), Indiana-Bloomington and Minnesota-Twin Cities for the spring 2003 intake. My safety schools are San Fran State and San Jose State.
My grades aren't as good (current GPA 2.8-3.0 on a 4.0 scale) as the one's I've read about here, but I was wondering if you guys could give me feedback nonetheless. Admission standards to those schools aren't that high but I'm still anxious to know if I even stand a chance. My Toefl is 273/300 (computer based) and I don't need to sit for the SATs because of my transfer status.
In high school, I was an inter-school swimmer, Cheer-Aerobics Captain for my school team and was active in all the clubs I joined. In college, I was both the Head of Journalism and the Head of Proofreading in my college Yearbook, Dance Coordinator of the Music and Fine Arts Society, and Assistant Secretary for the Foreign Language and Culture Club. I did community service, represented my college for a pageant, was a free lance writer for a local newspaper, and was chairman of various formal functions in college.

I'm also wondering how competitive and tough all those schools are, from a students perpective.

By JM on Monday, September 09, 2002 - 04:31 pm: Edit

What's the difference between Journalism and Mass Comunications?

By Dadster on Monday, September 09, 2002 - 08:31 pm: Edit

Mass Communications may lean more toward broadcasting and related topics, while Journalism may emphasize print journalism. Each school draws its own lines, though, sometimes with programs like "broadcast journalism", etc. I'd rely less on the name of a program than on the specific courses it includes.

By BGirl on Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 09:00 pm: Edit

I'm applying to GW early decision because I completely love the school and the city. It's where I would be happy, and I want to be a broadcast journalist. However, GW only has journalism as a major, or electronic media as a major. Journalism emphasizes writing, the electronic part emphasizes the television production portion. What should I do, because I know the internships for broadcasting in the city would be top notch.

By Dadster on Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 09:04 pm: Edit

A few thoughts:
1) a double major
2) a major/minor combo
3) if all else fails, major in one and try to pick up electives in the other area

My guess is yours is a common question, and when you visit it would be a good thing to ask about. Good luck!

By andrewsmith on Thursday, October 03, 2002 - 02:39 pm: Edit

Is there a good ranking of the various schools of journalism available?

By Dadster on Friday, October 04, 2002 - 08:53 pm: Edit

Gourman lists Missouri (Columbia), Northwestern, Syracuse, Minnesota, and Illinois as top choices. A few notes: some schools don't have undergrad journalism programs but may still be good choices. (Columbia University, home of the Pulitzers, comes to mind.) Also, depending on your specific area of interest, e.g., broadcast journalism, sports journalism, etc., some programs may be stronger than others.

By Joan Wickham on Monday, October 07, 2002 - 02:00 pm: Edit

I'm a high school senior from Washington state and I'm really interested in pursuing broadcast journalism. I have a really good merit scholarship to Washington State University, and from what I've heard it's a good school for that particular branch of communication. I would like to go to school on the west coast, but I really am not interested in USC because of its location (LA is not the place for me). I guess I was just wondering if anyone had an opinion about WSU's program or if they had any other recommendations on colleges with good broadcast programs over here on the west coast. Thanks a lot.

By Meredith Tate on Wednesday, October 16, 2002 - 04:28 pm: Edit

What do Travel Channel show hosts have degrees in?

By zubek on Sunday, October 20, 2002 - 05:18 am: Edit

Good question, I'd love to work for a travel channel. What could be better than adventuring around the world and being spared the torturous monotony of almost any other sedentary job out there?

By Dadster on Sunday, October 20, 2002 - 12:17 pm: Edit

I doubt if there's a specific degree requirement for travel channel correspondents, but I'd guess typical backgrounds could be journalism, broadcasting, film, etc. An slightly related major would be international relations, as it would be at least the start of developing familiarity with countries, systems of government, and cultures other than ours. I'd think a semester or year abroad would be a plus, too, for someone looking for that kind of job. Keep in mind that even for low-level on-camera jobs there's lots of competition.

By Rena on Saturday, October 26, 2002 - 08:44 pm: Edit

I'm a senior in high school in Nebraska, and looking at colleges that are well known for their journalism-mass communication programs. I was first really looking at the west coast, such as California, yet I don't want any place that is so huge of a university that I'm only known by an ID number. I've also looked in the midwest such as Creighton and St. Louis Univ. What are they like in that area? and what are other good places with warm weather?

By Tiara Jones on Tuesday, December 03, 2002 - 04:30 pm: Edit

I am a black, female, senoir in high school in Columbus, Ohio. My grades aren't that great I'll graduate with a 2.2 -2.5 on a 4.0 grading scale which I know limits my options. I messed up in the 9th and 10th grade but my junior year I stared to do better and now it's my senior year and I am doing excellent. Although I am doing better my accumative average is still not that good. I have the experience that it takes to be involved in Journalism/Communications/Political Science due to the fact that my father owns a Public Relations, Communications, and Government Affairs Firm. I have been very active in his firm but I dont think that I will get into the colleges that I need to get into to get the best education possible in my feild. What should I do?

By Kayse on Thursday, December 05, 2002 - 12:20 am: Edit

Id like to know what is the top schools for broadcasting and public relations are. Thats my major Im currently going to a smaller University in Texas but Id like to go to either a grad school out of state or at The University of Texas in Austin (HOOK 'EM HORNS). Pushing towards out of state but I also want a school with a high job placement afterwards. I have about a 1 1/2 left and since there isnt much out in west Texas, I dont have much options.

By Debs on Thursday, December 12, 2002 - 12:47 pm: Edit

Joves!
I am a grad student from India.I did my M.Sc in physics and joined TIFR(Mumbai) as a grad student ,I couldn't get the subject of my choice
and that too for reasons not related to my grades.
I left TIFR and joined a relatively obscure place
in this world and unfortulately couldn't get along well with my guide.
I am currently thinking about shifting to jounalism and mass communication.I would like to know my chances of getting into a decent US university and the procedure of application.
I would be grately helped if any body give
me some suggestion in this connexion so that I can dispel doubts about my own abilities.
Adieu,
Debs

By EOppegaard on Monday, December 16, 2002 - 03:39 pm: Edit

Anyone here heard of Quinnipiac University? Hellooooo They are one of the best in the business...just not a large university if thats what you are looking for. They have extremely small class sizes...which means good hands on...and there facility is amazing, they just built a new Mass CommCenter with a whole slew of money they got from EdMcMahon.

By Joasia Kaspercovia on Friday, December 27, 2002 - 12:04 am: Edit

I am a sophomore. I have a gpa of 4.4. I like to write. I am considering majors in journalism and minors in spanish. Does that sound like a good combo? What schools would be good for that? Would Northwestern or Harvard be good for that?

By Audrey on Sunday, February 02, 2003 - 07:52 pm: Edit

Hi Tiara.
Why don't you consider doing a postgraduate year at a boarding school. You could continue to get your grades up and apply to a mix of colleges to meet your needs.

By Tiara fan on Thursday, February 06, 2003 - 01:17 am: Edit

Tiara, one of the best things about the US education system is that it has second chances built in. Like you I had an appalling 9th and 10th grade period and then got serious in 11th and 12th. My gpa was under 3.0 and so I went to the local state school, where I got to work and graduated in the top 10%. I was then admitted to what USNews calls one of the top 5 law schools and graduated a little while ago. Your grades should still be able to get you into a respectable local state school. Where you go from there is up to you. Good luck!

By Andrew Smith on Friday, February 21, 2003 - 11:23 am: Edit

What are the best sources for rankings of the many Undergraduate Journalism programs broken down into Print, Radio, Television, and other subclassifications?