At NYU, we believe that journalism has a critical public mission and can make a difference in a free and democratic society. Opportunities abound in the media world, but the opportunity to do compelling work that informs, engages, and matters is what drives our faculty, motivates our students, and shapes our basic approach.
Our coursework focuses on the basic skills of reporting, research, writing, and multimedia storytelling. Simultaneously students tackle ethics, learn journalism history, and consider what journalism can and should accomplish when informing the public. New York City is our laboratory, and students move seamlessly from the classroom into the city on assignments that take them all over town.
Given our place within the Arts and Science core of a leading university, the institute sees journalism as an essential strand in the liberal arts tradition. But we also recognize that news is a business. When our graduates enter that business, they are prepared to improve and enliven it. And even if they do not pursue careers in journalism, the training our students receive—the ability to read closely, engage in deep research, think critically, and write effectively—are essential for success in any career.
Honors Program
Juniors and seniors who have maintained a 3.65 overall GPA and a 3.65 GPA in the Journalism major are eligible for the two-course, 8-credit honors program. The undergraduate student adviser will reach out to all eligible students during the spring semester to gauge interest in the program and advise regarding next steps for participation. Students take a special honors section of JOUR-UA 351 Honors: Adv Reporting followed by JOUR-UA 352 Honors Senior Seminar to complete a two-semester capstone project that culminates in a sophisticated and substantial portfolio of work. The capstone will be a long-form feature of 6,000 to 10,000 words; or a multi-part series of three features of 2,000 to 3,400 words each; or a 15-20 minute video/documentary for the broadcast honors course. Students enrolled in honors may take a maximum of 40 credits in journalism.
Admissions
New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU. For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply.
Program Requirements
The major in Journalism requires eight 4-credit courses (32 credits) as outlined below.
Coursework for the second major (all Journalism majors must complete a second major in CAS. In this chart a nine-course, 36 credits major is used as an example)
36
Electives
Select three of the following Journalism Electives:
This plan applies to both the Broadcast and Print/Online tracks in the major. All majors in Journalism must complete a second major in the College (here assumed to be nine courses/36 credits).
Adv Reporting: (Broadcast OR Print/Online version of course)
4
Second Major: Course 9 of 9
4
Elective
4
Elective
4
Credits
16
Total Credits
128
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will have:
Strong research, reporting, and writing skills in print, online, video, and audio media, presented appropriately to the intended audience.
The ability to develop story ideas, interview subjects, conduct research, and evaluate information.
The ability to use technological tools and apply quantitative concepts and methods as appropriate.
A commitment to work ethically in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness, and diverse perspectives in informing the public and holding those in power accountable.
Policies
Program Policies
Policies Applying to the Major in Journalism
Completion of the major exempts students from the College Core Curriculum’s requirement in Societies and the Social Sciences.
The prerequisite for both JOUR-UA 50 Investigating Journalism and JOUR-UA 101 Journalistic Inquiry: The Written Word is completion of the College’s Expository Writing requirement. Students must complete the College's Expository Writing requirement before enrolling in JOUR-UA courses. Please see course descriptions for more detail on prerequisites and sequencing.
Although students are generally encouraged to complete the core courses in sequence, some courses can be completed out of sequence and/or concurrently. Students may also consult the undergraduate studies section of the journalism website for details about course prerequisites and sequencing.
Students must achieve a grade of C (not C-) or better in all journalism courses to meet prerequisite requirements and count them toward the major. (Pass/Fail grades do not count.) Students earning grades lower than C must either repeat the course, or take an equivalent course if permitted.
The major in Journalism requires eight 4-credit courses (32 credits). Students may choose to take up to 36 credits in journalism (but no more); the only exception is for honors majors, who may take up to 40 credits (but no more).
All majors must complete a capstone piece in the required skills course Advanced Reporting, which allows for assessment of their progress at the conclusion of the major.
Certain electives from other departments and programs can, with permission, be approved as electives for the Journalism major. Because the institute puts a high value on numeric literacy, double majors in economics, politics, psychology, and sociology may count one of the following quantitative courses toward their three required journalism electives: ECON-UA 18 Statistics (P); Politics POL-UA 850 Introduction to Research Methods for Politics; Psychology PSYCH-UA 10 Statistics for The Behavioral Sciences; Sociology SOC-UA 302 Statistics for Social Research.
Tracks
Before completing the last two core courses in the major (The Beat and Advanced Reporting), Journalism majors specialize by pursuing one of two tracks:
The Print/Online track is designed for students who wish to focus on writing and reporting for print and online media.
The Broadcast track is for students who wish to focus on reporting and video production for broadcast media.
While students are not required to formally declare their track (and it will not be specified in Albert or on their diploma or transcript), they will need to choose which track they want to pursue before taking The Beat and Advanced Reporting and must commit to that track. Students cannot “mix-and-match” Beat and Advanced reporting sections from different tracks (e.g. they cannot take a Broadcast section of Advanced Reporting after taking a Print/Online section of The Beat).
Policy on 2-Credit Courses
Journalism majors may take two (and no more than two) 2-credit JOUR-UA courses in lieu of one 4-credit course toward the elective requirement for the major (which is the completion of three electives/12 credits in total). Petitions to substitute 2-credit courses from outside the journalism department will not be considered. Journalism minors must fulfill their elective requirement by completing 4-credit electives.