Journalism

The Journalism Institute’s undergraduate track in Journalism prepares its students to think, research, report and write as journalists who aspire to the highest levels of the profession in whatever subject areas they ultimately embrace. It places heavy emphasis on understanding the significance of the journalist’s role as an ethically grounded purveyor of news and insight and provides repeated opportunities to learn from the best through the close reading of seminal works in the field and equally close editing of student work.

At the same time, the program cultivates a passion for news and for the responsibilities involved in its coverage. It develops the student’s ability to research and report, to generate fresh story ideas and approaches to the coverage of all manner of subjects, and to work diligently at mastering story structure across media, both for work in immediate and longer-range deadline formats.

For students who began matriculating prior to Fall 2014, the concentration in Journalism consists of 8 to 9 courses, for a total of 32-36 credits. These students are not required to take Journalistic Inquiry: Multimedia and can fullfill their journalism requirement with a minimum of 8 courses, equal to 32 credits.

Students who began as freshmen in 2014, must take 9 courses, for a total of 36 credits.

All Journalism majors must also complete a second major within CAS or another NYU school, as outlined in the General Requirements for the major.

Students in the Broadcast sequence must take the broadcast sections of The Beat and Advanced Reporting — students may not mix broadcast and non-broadcast sections of these courses. In other words, if you take a broadcast version of The Beat, you must take a broadcast version of Advanced Reporting. The same applies for those in the Print/Online sequence — you must take non-broadcast versions of both classes.

All television, radio and visual reporting electives are open to any student in the major who meets the course prerequisites.

Pre- and Post Fall 2014: Two required lectures

Investigating Journalism

JOUR-UA 501 Prerequisite: Expository Writing. For the Journalism major and the prospective Journalism major. Also for Public Policy and Law and Society students.

This is Journalism’s gateway course, a lecture centered on articles and primary historical documents that have had a profound impact on the course of American Journalism as practiced today. A series of essays designed to assess students’ understanding of important journalistic concepts and practices will be assigned.

Journalism Ethics and First Amendment Law

JOUR-UA 502 Prerequisite: Expository Writing; suggested prerequisite: Investigating Journalism. For Journalism majors. Also for Public Policy and Law and Society students.

This lecture course provides a critical examination of the development of ethical standards for journalists and an understanding of the need to balance absolute freedoms of speech and press with other societal rights. This course will involve intensive discussion of case studies and writing assignments. It can be taken at any point in the program, preferably while taking a Journalistic Inquiry or Beat course.

Pre-Fall 2014: Three required skills courses

Journalistic Inquiry

JOUR-UA 101 Prerequisite: Investigating Journalism (or concurrent with Investigating Journalism, given Institute approval)

The Institute’s first level reporting class. Emphasis in this course throughout the term is on sophisticated reporting and research techniques as students concurrently survey the various forms of journalistic writing, from the essay, to the hard-news pyramid, to feature writing to broadcast style.

The Beat

JOUR-UA 201 Prerequisites: Investigating Journalism, Journalistic Inquiry

The Institutes’s second level reporting class. The Institute offers a menu of choices of beat-based reporting classes, designed to sharpen the student’s ability to identify a good story, report it fully and write it well across genres. Beats range from the geographical (New York neighborhoods) to government and politics and the courts, to arts and culture. The offerings, in both print, broadcast and converged formats, vary semester by semester. Broadcast students must take a broadcast-specific section.

Advanced Reporting

JOUR-UA 301 Prerequisites: Investigating Journalism, Journalistic Inquiry, The Beat

The Institute’s third level reporting class. Again, these courses are subject-specific, much like The Beat courses, but the emphasis is on completing the graduation capstone with a heavily reported piece of narrative, explanatory or investigative writing. Students will produce a major piece of narrative, explanatory or investigative writing of 3,000 to 5,000 words in length, or a longer, more complex broadcast piece. The course is offered in print, broadcast and converged formats. Broadcast students must take a broadcast-specific section.

Post-Fall 2014: Four required skills courses

Journalistic Inquiry: The Written Word

JOUR-UA 101 Prerequisite: Investigating Journalism (or concurrent with Investigating Journalism, given Institute approval)

The Institute’s first level reporting class. Emphasis in this course throughout the term is on sophisticated reporting and research techniques as students concurrently survey the various forms of journalistic writing, from the essay, to the hard-news pyramid, to feature writing to broadcast style.

Journalistic Inquiry: Multimedia

JOUR-UA 102 Prerequisite: Investigating Journalism; Journalistic Inquiry: The Written Word

The Institute’s second level reporting class. Multimedia students will learn how to report news and features stories, using photographs, video and audio, with the emphasis on story-telling techniques. The course will cover how to develop story ideas, reporting techniques, scripting, audio and visual digital editing, and multimedia story-telling structures. The course will be divided into three segments: audio, photography, and video designed for web production. Classes will incorporate lectures, including the “best practices” in audio and video; class discussion, and in and out-of-class assignments. Ethical and copyright issues involved in multimedia reporting will also be explored in the class.

The Beat

JOUR-UA 201 Prerequisites: Investigating Journalism; Journalistic Inquiry: The Written; Journalistic Inquiry: Multimedia

The Institutes’s third level reporting class. The Institute offers a menu of choices of beat-based reporting classes, designed to sharpen the student’s ability to identify a good story, report it out fully and write it well across genres. Beats range from the geographical (New York neighborhoods) to government and politics and the courts, to arts and culture. The offerings, in both print, broadcast and converged formats, vary semester by semester. Broadcast students must take a broadcast-specific section.

Advanced Reporting

JOUR-UA 301 Prerequisites: Investigating Journalism, Journalistic Inquiry: The Written Word; Journalistic Inquiry: Multimedia: The Beat

The Institute’s fourth level reporting class. Again, these courses are subject-specific, much like The Beat courses, but the emphasis is on completing the graduation portfolio with a heavily reported piece of narrative, explanatory or investigative work reported and written in this course. Students will produce a major piece of narrative, explanatory or investigative writing of 3,000 to 5,000 words in length, or a longer, more complex broadcast piece. The course is offered in print, broadcast and converged formats. Broadcast students must take a broadcast-specific section.

Pre- and Post Fall-2014: Three electives:

IMPORTANT: Only one course should be taken from each category, unless permission from the Institute is granted. The courses offered in each category vary by semester; take a look at recent course listings for examples.

Prerequisites—sometimes none—vary by course.

Journalism and Society

JOUR-UA 503

A variety of lectures and seminars that examine the role of journalists and journalism itself as they function in the wider culture.

Journalism as Literature

JOUR-UA 504

Reading seminars in courses that explore the intersection of literature and journalism through various prisms.

Issues and Ideas

JOUR-UA 505

Experimental seminars that examine contemporary issues in relation to the field.

Methods and Practice

JOUR-UA 202

Second-level elective skills classes, designed to provide a laboratory to help students improve their skill level in a variety of specific writing and reporting forms.

Methods and Practice: Visual Reporting

JOUR-UA 203

Multimedia and photojournalism courses are offered under this category.

Elective Reporting Topics

JOUR-UA 204

This category includes a variety of “back-of-the-book” reporting topics.

Media Criticism

JOUR-UA 6––

Courses that analyze the forces—cultural, social, economic, ideological, and aesthetic—that shape the media and their messages.

Production and Publication

JOUR-UA 302

Advanced level elective skills courses that produce work for publication or broadcast.

The Seminar

JOUR-UA 401

Varying offerings each semester taught by full-time faculty and designed for students to take in their final semesters before graduation.

Honors

JOUR-UA 351, JOUR-UA 352 Requires a 3.65 GPA (overall and within the Institute) as well as Institute approval.

Students electing to take honors for the first time will enroll in Honors sections of Advanced Reporting (JOUR-UA 351), which will feed into an honors section of The Seminar (JOUR-UA 352). Students must begin the Honors sequence in the fall term.

Honors students may take 9-10 courses in the Institute instead of 8 or 9. Read more about the Honors Program.

Requirements

• Contact information for the counselor or other school representative who will complete your Common Application School Report and submit your official high school transcript.
• Contact information for one teacher (or two, maximum) who will complete the Teacher Evaluation form.
• Nonrefundable $70.00 application fee. Students who are unable to pay the application fee can request a fee waiver.
• Official score reports (see NYU’s standardized testing requirements).
• English language testing if you have not completed at least 3 years of study where English is the sole language of instruction and English is not your native language.
• Official transcripts of all college work that you have received academic credit for.
• An audition, portfolio, or other additional requirement that might be necessary for the program you’re applying to.
• The Common Application Mid Year Report with updated transcript. This should show your first semester senior year grades. Have your counselor submit the report by March 1 through the Common Application.
• Submit original or certified copies only. A certified copy has an original signature of the registrar or other designated school official, or the institution's seal. Include an official English translation if the document isn't in English. 

Scholarships

• All students are automatically considered for academic (merit-based) scholarship with no separate application required. For financial need-based scholarships, students must submit all required financial aid applications by the deadlines. Scholarship awards are based on eligibility and the availability of funds. Most scholarships at NYU are based on a combination of need and merit and require that applicants submit their financial aid applications on time for consideration.
• NYU Award Package
• Financial Aid. All students should apply every year for financial assistance. NYU requires the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE application (for all new freshmen and returning international students, to be considered for institutional [non-government] financial aid), the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) (for eligible new freshmen and continuing students, to be considered for federal financial aid), and, for residents of New York State, the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) application.