Become a Social Journalist in 2017
Join us for a MA degree at CUNY in NYC
Admissions season is heating up for the class that will begin in January, so I decided it was time to do some good old-fashioned horn tooting. TOOT TOOT!
If you want to do meaningful work that makes a difference in the world and get skills that will make your journalism resume sizzle, please consider applying for our program.
Social journalism is about finding new ways to serve communities. We learn many skills that are hot in the j-biz today, like engagement, social video, audience growth, social newsgathering and verification, data, analytics, social media tools, design thinking, product development, and more.
The program lasts just 16 months. It’s full-time, and it’s intense. You will work hard. But you will also get to connect with many of New York City media’s best and brightest. Your average class guest speaker could be a major keynote at other schools; many of the professors work at highly regarded media organizations like the Wall Street Journal, Quartz, and ProPublica.
This program has only been around for a year and a half, and we are always learning and trying to improve. But having worked at or attended four other universities, I can say without exaggeration that I can’t think of better place to launch a journalism career than CUNY-J, especially now.
What do we want from you? More than anything else, I’m looking for passion, curiosity, and grit. If you already have a journalism degree and/or some journalism experience, you will soar quickly. This is meant to be a specialized graduate degree, and having that background already is a major plus that will allow you to advance quickly and take advantage of many opportunities. However, MANY of our students are career changers and have been tremendously successful. You should also enjoy using social media and NOT be petrified of technology.
Can you get a job, you ask, given the general doom and gloom in our industry? Why yes, you can…we started this degree in part because hiring managers told us there was a gap in the skill sets they were seeing from applicants. I only have one group of graduates so far, but they are/have worked at places like The Guardian, Univision, Wall Street Journal, and The Marshall Project, as well as at startups like The Tylt (Advance Media) and Hearken. I still get a fairly constant stream of emails asking for people with this skill set. Some do prefer to hire interns or on a short-term basis before making a permanent hire, but the demand is definitely there.
Oh and did I mention? We are a public school! We are extremely inexpensive, especially in comparison to our local peers (sorry, we love you, but it’s true), and especially for in-state students. We also give out a fair number of scholarships that cover a good portion of tuition for some of our students.
Check out some of 2015’s awesome student projects and get inspired. Read lots of good stuff in our Medium publication. And again, apply!
Questions? See our FAQ! Email me at carrielisabrown@gmail.com or tweet me @ Brizzyc
