Top Journalism Colleges in the Nation
A journalism degree prepares men and women not only to be news reporters and editors, but also for careers in advertising, public relations and other media fields. Graduate study provides advanced training in the craft of journalism, as well as a deeper intellectual understanding of the impact of media. Media professionals and journalism educators may differ on the best journalism schools, but some institutions have built reputations as premier sites for learning the craft.
University of Missouri at Columbia
Founded in 1908 as the world's first journalism school, "Mizzou," as it is sometimes called, has had plenty of time to establish its reputation as a top-flight journalism school. Housing not only a newspaper, but also online news outlets, a Spanish-language radio program, a National Public Radio member station, the nation's only university-owned commercial television station and even a student-staffed advertising agency, Missouri offers more hands-on practice than any journalism school in the United States.
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Columbia University in New York City enjoys a reputation as one of the nation's most prestigious institutions of higher education. Its Graduate School of Journalism is no exception. Its master's and doctoral programs combine instruction in the craft of journalism with an intellectual understanding of the media's impact in society at large. The school also offers fellowships in business and economic journalism, and publishes the Columbia Journalism Review. Columbia's journalism school administers the Pulitzer Prizes and the duPont Awards, lending further credence to the school's reputation in the journalistic profession.
Northwestern University, Medill School of Journalism
Northwestern University's Medill School offers bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism, as well as the opportunity to earn both degrees in fewer than five years through an accelerated program. The school operates two working news bureaus - in Chicago and in Washington, D.C. - that employ many of the school's graduate students and provide news coverage to dozens of client organizations. Undergraduates undergo an 11-week residency in a professional newsroom. About 100 media outlets across the country participate in Medill's journalism residency program.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
U.S. News and World Report in 2009 ranked UNC Chapel Hill among the top 10 public universities in the nation. The same year, UNC's School of Journalism and Mass Communications was recognized by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications as one of the nation's leading journalism programs. The school's curriculum includes special programs in sports, business and science journalism. In addition, the school offers a joint master's and law degree.
Indiana University, Bloomington
For the aspiring sportswriter or sportscaster, Indiana University's School of Journalism in Bloomington is the place to be. Indiana hosts the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, with programs at Bloomington, and it offers a graduate degree in the specialty. Founded in 1911, the school has a long history as a center of journalism education.
Honorable Mentions
In addition to the five listed above, students can receive a first-class education in journalism and mass communications at the the University of Florida, the E.W. Scripps School at Ohio University, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Kansas, the University of Maryland at College Park, the University of Texas at Austin, Syracuse University, the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and the University of Minnesota.
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