Journalism

The M.A. degree in Journalism at CUNY offers an intensive, professionally focused course of study designed to prepare students for the demands and opportunities of a rapidly evolving media landscape. In addition to completing 40 units of coursework, students participate in a comprehensive summer internship earning a total of 43 credits.

The curriculum allows students to complete the program in three semesters with an opportunity to extend the program to four semesters if needed. All  MAJ students are required to declare a subject concentration in Arts & Culture Reporting, Business & Economics Reporting, Health & Science Reporting, International Reporting, or Local Accountability Reporting. The program offers coursework in feature and opinion writing, audio, video, photo, data and investigative reporting. 

Students begin the program with a required sequence of foundational courses in the first and second semesters. These courses provide the essential reporting, writing, technical, ethical, and analytical skills that all journalists need, regardless of the media platforms or subject areas they choose to pursue.

Those courses, offered in the first and second semesters of the program, are:

• Craft of Journalism (must be taken in first semester and all work for the course must completed before the start of the second semester)

• Law Ethics and Safety 

• Fundamentals of Audio Journalism 

• Fundamentals of Data Journalism 

• Advanced Reporting: Writing, Video, Audio, or Data emphasis (prerequisite for Summer Internship; must be taken in the student’s second semester) JOUR 76009 – Advanced Audio Reporting and News Writing, JOUR 76009 – Audio Documentary, JOUR 76003 – NYC Climate Reporting Lab, JOUR 73351 – Data Journalism, JOUR 76008 – Advanced Multimedia Reporting for the South Bronx, JOUR 73104 – Feature Writing, JOUR 73102 – Introduction to Investigative Reporting, JOUR 76007 – TV News 1 (TV News Specialization), JOUR 76007 – Documentary Seminar 1, JOUR 76007 – Documentary Lab, JOUR 73251 – Video Features, JOUR 76008 5 – Advanced Reporting for Engagement Journalism, JOUR 76006 – Advanced Reporting on Latino Communities

• Advanced Research Techniques (prerequisite for Summer Internship; must be taken in the student’s second semester)

SUBJECT CONCENTRATIONS

MAJ students select a subject concentration at the midpoint of their first semester from the following options: Arts & Culture Reporting, Business & Economics Reporting, Health & Science Reporting, International Reporting, and Local Accountability Reporting. Through focused study in a chosen subject area, students develop the skills necessary for both general assignment reporting and specialized beat reporting.

Students are required to complete a minimum of nine credits within their chosen subject concentration during the course of their studies. Courses available within each subject concentration  are listed below. Unless otherwise noted, all courses carry three credits. Special Topics courses may also be offered within each subject concentration or specialization. Topics vary based on current industry trends and the instructor’s area of expertise.

SOJ Publishing Requirement

All SOJ students are required to produce and publish at least one piece of journalistic work each semester. Publishing work is required across all foundational, advanced reporting, subject concentration, and specialization courses. This requirement reflects the School’s commitment to applied, professional practice and ensures that all students graduate with demonstrable, public-facing work. In the first academic year, students must be published in Craft of Journalism and courses that fall within the Advanced Reporting course category. 

“Published” work is defined broadly and may take the form of text, audio, video, data-driven reporting, or multimedia packages, or a combination of these formats. Work must appear on a professional platform, either internal or external to the School, and be accessible to an intended audience.

Publishing is not limited to authorship. Editorial and production contributions that are integral to the creation and distribution of journalism also satisfy this requirement. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Editing articles written by other contributors

• Revising language, structure, and style for clarity and audience engagement

• Applying search engine optimization (SEO) principles to improve discoverability

• Writing headlines, subheads, and metadata aligned with audience search behavior

• Incorporating visual elements, multimedia components, and formatting for digital platforms

• Adding hyperlinks, sourcing, and attribution to strengthen credibility and visibility

• Using tools such as Google Trends or analytics platforms to position content for specific audiences

• Optimizing content for platform-specific distribution, including web and AI-driven search environments

In professional journalism, editorial work is a core publishing function. A piece cannot go live without these contributions. Therefore, students who perform this work on content that is published on a professional platform are considered to have met the publishing requirement.

Data journalism, research-based reporting, and visual or multimedia packages are also valid forms of published work when they are presented in a public-facing format and demonstrate journalistic intent, audience awareness, and editorial rigor.

All published work must align with the standards of professional journalism, including accuracy, ethical reporting, and audience relevance.

Final determination of whether a student’s work satisfies the publishing requirement rests with the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.

THREE SEMESTER TIMELINE

The MAJ program is a 16-month master’s program. Students typically complete the program over three semesters by following the standard credit model: 15 credits in the first fall semester, 13 credits in the spring semester, and 15 credits in the final fall semester, for a total of 43 credits.

Students fulfill degree requirements by completing foundation courses, subject concentration courses, and electives.

FOURTH SEMESTER OPTION

All students have the option to extend their enrollment in the program into a fourth semester. They may choose to pursue this option for any of the following reasons:

• To take additional media courses or electives that do not fit into a three-semester program.

• To allow more time to complete their M.A. in Journalism degree requirements.

Students who have chosen to stay beyond a third semester in order to take additional courses at the school should discuss appropriate sequencing of their courses over a four-semester time frame with their academic advisor. Students  who are attending part time and intend to complete their courses at a slower pace can finish their studies within the fourth semester. Please note that students who pursue this option must pay tuition for the extra semester. Any student in good academic standing may apply. Students who are interested in a fourth semester should consult the Office of Academic Affairs in the beginning of their third semester.