Students in the Master of Arts Program's Business and Economics Concentration are experienced journalists who want to develop a deep understanding of the forces driving the global marketplace and the interconnected decisions that determine how we live and whether we prosper. Developing skills to unmask false promises, they aim to expose the fault lines in the global economy, the national economy, the financial markets, the corporate world and the individual household. Critical thinking and historical context will be emphasized, with assignments geared toward weaving analysis and key data points into writing of all forms, from news to features to investigative endeavors. Working with core faculty member Winnie O'Kelley, Business and Economics Concentration students sharpen their abilities to discern the economic ripples that ultimately dictate everyday life, and assess the true values of enterprises.
What is it like to be a member of the Business and Economics Concentration seminar? We talked about the student experience with Peniley Ramírez, a 2022 graduate of the M.A. Business and Economics Concentration who is now an Executive Producer of Investigations and Special Projects at Futuro Media.
What inspired you to apply to Columbia Journalism School?
I started dreaming about coming to Columbia since I was in my early career. I felt that having a Columbia degree could help me go to a new level in terms of the depth of my investigative work. So I decided I wanted to apply a long time ago. I was just struggling on which M.A. concentration to pick. As an investigative reporter, my main experience was related to politics. I was wondering if I should pick M.A. Politics or the one that I ended up selecting: M.A. Business and Economics. I finally decided on the Business and Economics Concentration because I'm in love with following the money and the money angle of stories. And I thought that even if I may have experience with politics, I could bring a new level into my stories if I get stronger skills as a business reporter.
And I saw that attending a mid-career M.A. after working as a journalist for almost 10 years would also give me a new perspective on how to frame my stories not only for an American audience, but for an international audience.
What was the M.A. Business & Economics Seminar student experience like for you?
Well, I loved the concentration. The fall semester with Professor Winnie O'Kelley was just amazing. We had a broad perspective on American economics, and economics in general. You learn that you can approach any story - even if you're working on a story about human rights or immigration or climate change - with an economic angle. Professor O'Kelley introduced us to useful data sources and information and understanding about size, scope, and trends of economic data that could be used for stories even if they're not directly related to economic issues. And, Professor Andy Serwer's spring semester class was like a deep dive into Wall Street. We had amazing, high-level guests from the business and financial worlds. And we had a lot of journalists coming to talk to us about how they approach difficult sources and how they approach their stories.
What is the Master of Arts Program's student community like?
I learned a lot from my classmates. We have students from all over the world. And I learned a lot from them about topics ranging from religion to politics. I was based in Mexico before coming to Columbia. And we would have discussions about the politics in India and Pakistan, in England, in the U.S., and Latin America and Africa. And having all these colleagues with their deep perspectives on their countries and regions helped me see the blind spots that I sometimes had when reporting from my perspective. I loved all of my classmates, and we are still in contact, and I think we will be in contact for a long time.
What are the most important skills you developed at Columbia?
As part of the Business and Economics Concentration, I had to take Financial Accounting and Corporate Finance at SIPA. And I initially thought that were courses I would take but never draw upon again - but, now I am working as an executive producer for an investigative unit and special projects unit, and I'm using a lot of the knowledge that I learned in those classes for managing my own department.
I also took the M.A. class "Evidence & Inference" with Professor Jelani Cobb, which has helped me think about what techniques I bring to my stories, and where I decide to gather information. I learned a lot about how to approach a story with different perspectives - including oral history, ethnography, and historical approaches. And, Professor Ken Brown's "M.A. Essentials" class was really helpful for getting to a new level my understanding about how to file a FOIA request and how to dig into a database.
What advice do you have for future Master of Arts Program students?
I think M.A. students should try to attend the Journalism School's optional Tuesday night fall events, which offer great opportunities to talk about the field of journalism and meet top journalists. I would have loved to be better organized so I could have attended more of them. I would also tell people not to freak out about job searching, but to start early with that because it will take time. And, people should start as early as they can with the M.A. thesis and try to have a really strong first draft so they can continue working on it while also being able to focus on the spring semester classes.
What would you say to someone considering applying to the M.A. Program?
I think it's totally worth it. I would totally recommend people do it. I enjoyed it a lot, even though it was really demanding. I was reading all the time and completing all these assignments. You gain a lot of perspectives from your colleagues, who are all top-notch journalists. They have a lot of experience to share, and I enjoyed it a lot.
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.