Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Encyclopedia
| Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism | |
| Established | 1912 |
| School type | Private Private school Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory... |
| Dean | Nicholas Lemann Nicholas Lemann Nicholas Berthelot Lemann is dean and Henry R. Luce professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City.Lemann is from New Orleans and he graduated from Harvard University in 1976, but has never attended a school of journalism. He is a journalist, editor, and author... |
| Location | New York City, USA |
| Enrollment | ca. 270 |
| Homepage | www.journalism.columbia.edu |
The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is one of Columbia's graduate and professional schools. It offers three degree programs: Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in journalism (full and part-time), Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in journalism and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in communications. The school is located on Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
’s Morningside Heights campus in Manhattan.
In addition to graduate degree programs, the Journalism School administers several prizes, including the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
and the DuPont-Columbia Award
DuPont-Columbia Award
The Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award is an American award that honors excellence in broadcast journalism. The awards, administered since 1968 by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City, are considered a broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, another...
. It also co-sponsors the National Magazine Award
National Magazine Award
The National Magazine Awards are a series of US awards that honor excellence in the magazine industry. They are administered by the American Society of Magazine Editors and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City...
and publishes the Columbia Journalism Review
Columbia Journalism Review
The Columbia Journalism Review is an American magazine for professional journalists published bimonthly by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism since 1961....
, essentially a trade publication for journalists.
A faculty of experienced journalists with varying specialties—including politics, arts and culture, religion, science, education, business and economics, investigative reporting, national and international affairs—instruct Journalism School students. Faculty members are preeminent in their fields, and many have won numerous journalism awards including the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
, the Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
, the duPont-Columbia Award, the National Magazine Award, and the National Book Award.
History
The Journalism School was founded with a bequest from Joseph PulitzerJoseph Pulitzer
Joseph Pulitzer April 10, 1847 – October 29, 1911), born Politzer József, was a Hungarian-American newspaper publisher of the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the New York World. Pulitzer introduced the techniques of "new journalism" to the newspapers he acquired in the 1880s and became a leading...
. In 1892, Pulitzer offered Columbia University's president, Seth Low
Seth Low
Seth Low , born in Brooklyn, New York, was an American educator and political figure who served as mayor of Brooklyn, as President of Columbia University, as diplomatic representative of the United States, and as Mayor of New York City...
, money to set up the world's first school of journalism. The university initially turned down the money. Low's successor, Nicholas Murray Butler was more receptive to the plan, however.
It took the university many years to act on Pulitzer's $2 million gift and pitch for a journalism school. Classes began on Sept. 30, 1912 with a student body of about 100 undergraduate and graduate students from 21 countries. The building was still under construction at the time.
In 1935, Dean Carl Ackerman
Carl W. Ackerman
Carl William Ackerman was a journalist and author. He graduated from Earlham College and worked as a correspondent in World War I with the United Press. However, he first received public attention as the author of "Germany, The Next Republic?", a book that discussed the possibility of a successful...
led the school's transition to become the first graduate school of journalism in the United States. Classes of 60 students dug up stories in New York City during the day and drafted articles in a single, large newsroom in the journalism school at night.
Academic programs
Columbia Journalism School's 10-month master of science program offers aspiring and experienced journalistJournalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s the opportunity to study the skills, the art, and the ethics of journalism by reporting and writing stories that range from short news pieces to complex narrative features. Students choose from one of four specializations: newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
, broadcast
Broadcast
Broadcast or Broadcasting may refer to:* Broadcasting, the transmission of audio and video signals* Broadcast, an individual television program or radio program* Broadcast , an English electronic music band...
, or new media
New media
New media is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community...
. Some students interested in investigative reporting are part of Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism, a sub-specialization of the M.S. program. The M.S. program is also offered on a part-time basis.
The Graduate School of Journalism offers approximately $4.4 million annually in fellowships and scholarships to students. Throughout the year, the Journalism School hosts sessions on campus in New York City and around the country to provide information about its programs and career advancement in journalism.
The school also offers dual-degree programs in collaboration with other schools at Columbia: Journalism and Law; Journalism and Business; Journalism and Religion; Journalism and International and Public Affairs; and Journalism and Earth and Environmental Science. The school also offers dual-degree programs with Sciences Po in Paris and the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The nine-month master of arts program is for experienced journalists interested in focusing on a particular subject area: politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, science, business, or the arts. M.A. students work closely with Journalism School professors as well as professors from other academic departments at Columbia. The program is full-time.
The Ph.D. program draws upon the resources of Columbia University in a multidisciplinary approach to the study of communications. Students craft individual courses of study from the departments and divisions at the University, including Journalism, Political Science and Sociology, the professional schools of Business and Law, and Teachers College.
Student life
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
s. Students form intense bonds during their time at the school. Students are often invited to attend and participate in lecture
Lecture
thumb|A lecture on [[linear algebra]] at the [[Helsinki University of Technology]]A lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history,...
s, workshops, conferences, and receptions with journalists who visit the school. The school's student government is run through the University chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the world's largest journalism organization. Student officers organize events throughout the year, including field trips, panel discussions, and community service projects.
The Stabile Student Center, completed in 2008, includes a café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
, computer workstations, teaching labs, conference rooms, and the school library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
. Technical resources at the school include more than 150 multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
computers in laboratories and edit suites, the Roone Arledge broadcast studio, a radio studio, and an equipment room housing hundreds of media production kits for photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, audio and video.
Students publish their work in an array of platforms throughout the year, including ColumbiaJournalist.org, the online student publication of the school; Bronx Beat, a student-run weekly newspaper; Columbia News Service, a wire service that publishes student features in dailies around the country through The New York Times News Service; Columbia News Tonight, the weekly spring television newscast produced by students; and NYC24, a web site produced by the new media workshops, combining traditional reporting and writing skills with online journalism.
The Knight Case Studies Initiative aims to enhance the way journalism is taught in the U.S. and abroad by giving teachers and professionals new tools with which to work. The goal is to train students to think like newsroom managers and news industry leaders.
The career services staff—all former journalists with industry connections in print, broadcast, and online media—work with students to help them pursue jobs and internships. The annual spring career expo is one of the biggest journalism job fairs in the country, with more than 150 recruiters and editors attending. Career services web pages, accessible only to Columbia students and alumni, offer information about job hunting, and a jobs database updated daily.
The continuing education seminars and fellowships offer opportunities for experienced journalists and media executives to advance their knowledge and expertise. These include: The Punch Sulzberger News Media Executive Leadership Program, Spencer Education Journalism Fellowship, The Knight-Bagehot Fellowship, and the Columbia Publishing Course.
Journalism awards
The Journalism School administers many professional awards, a tradition that Joseph PulitzerJoseph Pulitzer
Joseph Pulitzer April 10, 1847 – October 29, 1911), born Politzer József, was a Hungarian-American newspaper publisher of the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the New York World. Pulitzer introduced the techniques of "new journalism" to the newspapers he acquired in the 1880s and became a leading...
began when he established the school and endowed the Pulitzer Prizes at Columbia.
The Journalism School administers the Pulitzer Prizes;
Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award;
National Magazine Awards;
The Maria Moors Cabot Prizes;
John Chancellor
John Chancellor
John William Chancellor was a well-known American journalist who spent most of his career with NBC News...
Award for Excellence in Journalism;
Lukas Prize Project;
John B. Oakes Awards;
Mike Berger Award; and the
Paul Tobenkin Award for Race Reporting.
School administration
- Nicholas LemannNicholas LemannNicholas Berthelot Lemann is dean and Henry R. Luce professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City.Lemann is from New Orleans and he graduated from Harvard University in 1976, but has never attended a school of journalism. He is a journalist, editor, and author...
, Dean and Henry R. Luce Professor - Sreenath SreenivasanSreenath SreenivasanSreenath Sreenivasan – also known as Sree Sreenivasan – is an academic administrator, professor and technology journalist based in New York City....
, Dean of Student Affairs; Professor of Professional Practice - William Grueskin, Dean of Academic Affairs
Faculty
- Floyd AbramsFloyd AbramsFloyd Abrams is an American attorney at Cahill Gordon & Reindel. He is an expert on constitutional law, and many arguments in the briefs he has written before the United States Supreme Court have been adopted as United States Constitutional interpretative law as it relates to the First Amendment...
, William J. Brennan Jr. Visiting Professor of First AmendmentFirst Amendment to the United States ConstitutionThe First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
Issues - June Cross, Associate Professor
- Samuel G. FreedmanSamuel G. FreedmanSamuel G. Freedman is an American author and journalist and currently a professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He has authored six nonfiction books, including most recently Who She Was, a book about his mother's life as a teenager and young woman, and Letters to a Young...
, professor - Sig GisslerSig GisslerSig Gissler is a Professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and the administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes.-Biography:Sig Gissler was born in Chicago. He is a graduate of Lake Forest College. He worked for the Libertyville Independent-Register and the Waukegan News-Sun until...
, Administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes - Ari Goldman, professor
- David HajduDavid HajduDavid Hajdu is an American columnist, author and professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is the music critic for The New Republic....
, Associate Professor - Richard R. JohnRichard R. JohnRichard R. John is a historian of communications who specializes in the political economy of communications in the United States. He currently teaches courses in the history of communications at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism....
, Professor, School of Journalism - David Klatell, Chair of International Studies; Professor of Professional Practice
- Victor NavaskyVictor NavaskyVictor Saul Navasky is a professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He was editor of The Nation from 1978 until 1995, and its publisher and editorial director 1995 to 2005. In November 2005 he became the publisher emeritus...
, former editor of The NationThe NationThe Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, Director of the Delacorte Center for Magazine Journalism; Delacorte Professor of Journalism - Sandy Padwe, former Dean of Academic Affairs, retired professor, currently an adjunct professor