Students in the Master of Arts Program's Politics Concentration are experienced journalists who want to learn to report more deeply about social and political affairs. Unlike a program in international affairs or political science, the program is geared specifically to journalists, and all writing is journalistic. The in-depth immersion in the latest scholarship on politics produces better political journalists — ones who are comfortable drawing on expert research to produce stores of greater depth and nuance. Working with core faculty members Nicholas Lemann and Alexander Stille, Politics Concentration students sharpen their abilities to explore power and government the world over.
What is it like to be a member of the Politics Concentration seminar? We recently talked about the student experience with Thomas Danielian, a 2022 graduate of the M.A. Politics Concentration from Scotland who is now working as a Boston-based producer at WBUR Here and Now.
What inspired you to apply to Columbia's Master of Arts Program?
I had never had a degree in journalism, and I'm not saying every journalist needs that, but I personally felt like I wanted to have a real education in it. I picked the M.A. course specifically because I wanted to get behind the scenes of the political world that we report on. That's what really drove me. I also wanted to have a chance to work on my writing again, as I'd become a bit scared of writing because I'd spent so much time doing audio in my career. I had originally started off in written journalism, but moved away from it as radio journalism took hold of me. I eventually realized that I was avoiding doing any written journalism at all cost - and that needed to change. We need to be multifaceted, multidimensional journalists in this day and age. And so I wanted to pick up the writing again - and where better to do that than a course that focuses so strongly on writing and has some of the best writers in the world as your teachers?
Why did the Politics Concentration appeal to you?
I've always been deeply fascinated by British politics ever since I was tiny. And then in 2014 we had Scottish independence and that really piqued my interest. I was writing about that for my student newspaper, which I eventually became the political news editor of. And then I moved to a radio station down in London, just after Brexit had happened. And so covering politics as a journalist has always been a huge part of my life, and I didn't want to lose that when I came to do a graduate degree.
I'm excited by politics and this course helped me to hone that excitement into actual, tangible journalistic work and helped me find new corners of world politics and also learn a lot more about American politics, where the systems are so different from what they are in the U.K. It was nice to finally understand how politics takes place in the rest of the world, where there are different institutions such as constitutional democracies and ones that are not democracies. It was really a great opportunity to do that.
How would you describe the M.A. Politics seminar experience?
The Politics Concentration seminar alone makes the M.A. course worth it. If it was only coming for the politics seminar with Professor Alexander Stille and with Professor Steve Coll, it would be worth it, because it was just amazing to grow this understanding of why institutions and constructs of society and politics are the way they are.
What was it like to be a part of the Columbia M.A. community?
So my opinion on journalism is probably quite jaded from my time working in newsrooms in the U.K. I came in with a low expectation of what to expect from my fellow classmates. I was assuming there was going to be a lot of arrogance and hubris and competitiveness. And I have to admit I was completely wrong. I was shocked at how supported I felt by my fellow classmates within the politics cohort, but also in the wider M.A. as well. There's just a camaraderie. We all know that we're all going to be there for each other. Everyone was offering to edit each other's work, everyone was offering to talk about ideas, collaborate. I think I was just bowled over by the supportive nature of the community. We were all in this together. We all had things we disagreed on, but it was polite discourse and disagreement, which I found really stimulating. I learned so much from my classmates.
What are the most important skills you've taken away from the M.A. program?
By the end of the program, I could see that my writing had improved drastically. Now I'm working as an audio producer again, but I also write a lot of the online copy for the segments I work on. And I'm able to just quickly type something up that's really good, really quick. And I also know that I can couch it in historical understanding of the topic and the institutions I'm writing about. The writing has certainly improved - and also my ability to find stories. I think that my pitching before I arrived at Columbia was one of my weaknesses alongside my writing. And now I can identify stories that are interesting, that are good, that are pitch-worthy. Columbia helped me work out how to find something that's worth talking about.
What advice do you have for future M.A. students?
Well, first of all, congratulations to those people! They should first of all, not feel scared to reach out to alumni, because I personally will always be willing to speak to people to give them advice and help them feel like they belong. I think everyone gets a bit of imposter syndrome because it is an Ivy League school. Trust me: if you feel like you don't belong, that means you do belong, because we're all pushing ourselves so hard. A big piece of advice would be to go outside of your comfort zone with regards to topics you are going to write about. Go for something you don't know a lot about, but that you are really interested in. Also, don't beat yourself up over first- and second- and third- drafts, because they're exactly that. And if people are giving you feedback, have the thick skin you need to have to be at the school - just take it all in because if they're giving you the feedback, that means they care and they want to make it better.
What would you say to someone considering the M.A. program?
It's just been totally worth it for me because I've made connections with people who are other brilliant journalists and those connections will last a lifetime. It's the best of the best teachers in this course. You get to learn so much about your chosen topic area in depth. You are getting the education that so many people on the beat won't get and will have to teach themselves. Here, you can take a year out and you come out as the absolute expert. We get given this in-depth analysis which means we can come into a job ready to go. The program also gives you a moment to think and pivot if you're not sure what you want to do next. I know someone came into the M.A. who was at first determined to be a climate journalist and now they're leaving to be a healthcare correspondent, and someone who came in who purely wanted to be a music reviewer, but who's now going to go and be a features correspondent. The M.A. gives you a great opportunity to really discover exactly what you are interested in because you can really spread your reporting out and find what your calling is.
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.
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If you would like to make an appointment to speak with an admissions counselor, please email us at apply.journalism@columbia.edu.