With Columbia Journalism School's application for admission now open for the 2022-23 academic year, we have been spotlighting our different degree programs for aspiring and experienced journalists. Today, we are excited to feature the Master of Arts Program, a one-of-a-kind program that trains experienced journalists to go deeper as reporters and equips them with subject-area expertise, so they can explain complicated issues to the public. Students in the Master of Arts Program develop an intellectual grounding in one of four concentrations - Arts and Culture, Business and Economics, Politics, and Science - that enables them to ask more informed questions, evaluate evidence for competing theories and produce sophisticated and nuanced stories.
In the nine-month program, students will take part in an intensive, two semester core seminar in their concentration taught by leading journalists in that field. M.A. students will also have the opportunity to take three courses in departments and schools across Columbia University that will give them a deeper understanding of their subject area.
Below are answers to frequently asked questions about the Master of Arts Program:
Who is an ideal applicant for the Master of Arts Program?
The Master of Arts Program is designed for journalists who usually have three or more years of professional journalism experience. We are looking for intellectually curious students with demonstrable reporting experience and strong writing. On occasion, the program admits recent college graduates who possess exceptional experience in journalism through their work at collegiate publications or in professional internships.
Applicants for the M.A. should be competent at the essential journalistic skills: research, interviewing and storytelling. Applicants do not need to have a background in the subject matter of the concentration to which they apply. We accept journalists who want to go deeper in a subject they already cover and those who want to shift focus to a new area.
What is the duration of the M.A. Program and what does the curriculum look like?
The Master of Arts is a two semester program and lasts nine months, beginning at the end of August and ending in mid-May.
Every M.A. student takes an intensive Concentration Seminar in Arts and Culture, Business and Economics, Politics, or Science in both the fall and spring semesters. It is designed to build the crucial context and understanding that enables groundbreaking reporting. Each term, the seminar is taught by a journalism professor with extensive experience covering that specific concentration. Professors also bring in experts from Columbia and beyond to guest teach, resulting in an unparalleled level of depth and nuance. For instance, the Science seminar might spend one class session meeting with a medical researcher, the next examining journalism about that particular type of research and then a third critiquing student work on a related assignment. Throughout, the seminars combine deep subject instruction with high‐level journalistic mentoring.
In addition to the Concentration Seminar, each M.A. student also takes:
- Evidence and Inference
This fall semester course, taken by the entire M.A. class, teaches a disciplined “journalistic method” of testing assumptions and making sure that reporting firmly proves its points. Students develop useful skills for working with statistics, using academic research and conducting in-depth interviews. They are also taught to carefully combine anecdote and narrative with the big picture in their writing.
- M.A. Essentials
Investigative techniques are key to 21st century journalism. In this fall semester course, students learn the best ways to comb public records, conduct internet forensics and do thorough background searches on individuals and companies. They gain an understanding of cutting edge concepts in data journalism and how to employ them in coverage of their concentrations.
- Three Subject-Area Elective Courses
Students may enroll in up to three graduate level courses offered anywhere at Columbia University, provided the courses will deepen their understanding of their chosen concentration. Students will take one outside subject-area course in the fall semester and two outside subject-area courses in the spring semester. Please note that students in the Business and Economics Concentration must take 'Financial Accounting' and 'Corporate Finance' as two of their three subject-area classes unless exempted by their concentration professor. Each student's individual course selections are approved by the faculty.
- The Master’s Thesis
Every M.A. student undertakes a significant reporting project that results in a piece of longform journalism. The thesis gives students the opportunity to explore a topic in depth and to synthesize what they learn in a sophisticated manner.
Graduates have published and aired their theses in top‐tier outlets such as Harper's, The New York Times, WIRED, This American Life, VICE, The Atlantic, The New Yorker and The Guardian.
Can working professionals continue in their jobs and take the M.A. Program part-time?
The M.A. Program is only available as a full-time program. Columbia Journalism School does offer a Part-time M.S. Program in Journalism that offers classes at times that can usually accommodate the schedules of working people. Students in the Part-time M.S. Program will not be able to take Master of Arts Program courses, but they will have the opportunity to take the classes related to arts, business, politics, and science that are offered in the Master of Science Program. Please click here to learn more about the Part-time M.S. Program.
What kinds of work do M.A. Program students produce?
With the mentoring and education they receive in the Master of Arts Program, students frequently produce major stories that are published by leading print and online publications in the United States and around the world. Stories by our alums have won such awards as the Pulitzer Prize, the Polk Award, and the Livingston Award. Our M.A. alumni have also published highly-acclaimed books. Please click here to learn more about where some M.A. students have published their work. To learn more about the recent publications and activities of M.A. Program graduates, please visit the M.A. Program's @ColumbiaJournMA Twitter account.
What career services are available for Columbia Journalism School students?
Columbia's Career Development Office meets one-on-one with and guides Master of Arts Program students through every stage of the job-hunting process to assist them in finding jobs and internships that make the best use of their skills and interests. In the spring, Columbia hosts the Career Expo, the biggest journalism job fair in the United States. With 130 companies and more than 230 recruiters attending in 2020, the Expo is open exclusively to graduating Columbia Journalism School students. Editors, producers, reporters and hiring managers come from all over the country and world to interview, mentor and hire our students. Please click here to learn about Career Development and click here to see where recent Columbia graduates have landed.
M.A. graduates have secured full-time jobs at such outlets as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Esquire, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, Cosmopolitan, Quartz, ProPublica, Business Insider, CNN, Forbes, Popular Science, The Counter, Fast Company, Fortune, The Trace, Science Magazine, VICE News, Huffington Post, POLITICO, BBC, Oregon Public Radio, and CNBC.
Is scholarship aid available to M.A. Program students?
Yes. We encourage all applicants to submit a Columbia Graduate School of Journalism Scholarship Aid application, which will become available in December 2021. Columbia awards about $5 million annually in scholarship for master’s-level students. Many scholarships, including the Annual Fund, to which alumni contribute over $1 million annually, are open to all students who apply for and qualify for scholarship funding. Please click here to learn more about scholarships and financial aid opportunities. You can learn more here about median scholarship awards for our academic programs.
How do you apply to the M.A. Program, and what is the application deadline for the 2022-23 class?
The Master of Arts Program application is now open and can be started here; the application deadline for the M.A. for the 2022-23 year is January 6, 2022. Please click here to learn more about the application requirements.
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Please click here to begin an application to Columbia for the 2022-23 academic year.
As you consider the possibility of furthering your career as a journalist at Columbia, please explore our website to learn more about Columbia Journalism School's faculty members, course offerings, and career development services.
At Columbia, a top-tier journalism education can be within financial reach. Please visit our website to learn about our scholarship opportunities.
If you would like to make an appointment to speak with an admissions counselor, please email us at apply.journalism@columbia.edu.