Master’s in Magazine, News and Digital Journalism

The Newhouse School’s Magazine, News and Digital Journalism Program Offers You the Skills You Need To Make a Difference in the World.

Journalism has never been more crucial. Today’s journalists must know how to tell stories that capture the attention of diverse audiences. They should know how to report and write with accuracy and compassion across every platform. They need to be able to think critically about the world and the role of journalism in it. This hands-on program will teach you those skills and get you ready to step into your first job with confidence.

Magazine, News and Digital Journalism Master’s Program Basics

The Magazine, News and Digital Journalism master’s is a 12-month program. It is designed to hone your reporting and writing skills across different types of media on multiple platforms.

You’ll learn how to find, research, investigate and pitch stories. You’ll learn to write like a pro, clearly and concisely, while weaving facts and story lines into compelling narratives. You’ll master multimedia skills and learn how different aspects of a story work well on a variety of mediums, while creating content for a variety of audiences and platforms. This master’s program emphasizes the core skills of interviewing, reporting, editing and writing.

Who Should Apply to the Magazine, News and Digital Journalism Master’s Program?

• If you’re a working journalist, this program will take your reporting and storytelling skills to the next level.
• If you have a background in writing or storytelling, this program will connect you with contemporary best practices in these fields.
• If you’re new to the field of journalism, this program will help you develop the interviewing, reporting and writing skills you need to tell a story accurately and powerfully. You’ll learn how to use your words to make a difference in the world.

What Will I Learn in the Magazine, News and Digital Journalism Master’s Program?

In the Magazine, News and Digital Journalism master’s program, you’ll learn from seasoned journalists who still work in the industry. You’ll learn how to create long-form investigative pieces as well as more succinct news coverage. Digital journalism takes place across many platforms, and you’ll learn how to tell your stories in ways that are accessible to your audience, no matter who or where they are.

Of course, you’ll learn technical skills such as writing and editing, but you’ll also learn about planning, interviewing and storytelling. You’ll develop an understanding of pace and structure, and learn how to create a compelling, evocative scene. You’ll learn how to write in different voices for different audiences, and how to choose the right storytelling style for each medium and story type.  

Why Apply to the Magazine, News and Digital Journalism Master’s Program?

In our changing media landscape, anyone can become an independent source of news. If you are writing stories about your community, the environment, politics or other interests, you can benefit from learning skills involving story selection, interviewing, fact-checking, narrative, audience and more. Your own biases will impact your reporting, and through training and a code of ethics, we hope to help you recognize these biases and counteract or acknowledge them in your reporting.

Even in this fast-paced journalism environment, accuracy is key. Whether you’re reporting for a stand-alone digital publication or a national outlet, you need to be able to find stories and convey them accurately, objectively and ethically to your audience. This journalism master’s program will give you the tools you need to provide context or make readers care about an issue they didn’t know about before reading your story.

Why Does Journalism Matter?

Journalism can change lives, promote social change and stop corruption. In fact, there are parts of the world where being a journalist is a dangerous occupation, where investigating a story and reporting the truth may be enough to put you in jail or have you killed.

We live in a society where the wealth of information makes it difficult to find the truths that matter. A good journalist knows how to dig though information and connect the dots to uncover stories obscured by overwhelming amounts of content. The ability to ask questions to reveal the story, no matter how small or how large, is vital to an understanding and compassionate and just society.

And this is why journalism matters. A well-reported and well-written story can take you to another part of the world or around the corner and teach you about a plight facing thousands of other people. We all have a story. We all have many stories, and it takes a good journalist to tell them.

What if I Am Interested in Becoming a Sports Journalist?

Many of the greats in sports journalism studied at the Newhouse School. In keeping with this tradition, the magazine, news and digital journalism graduate program has a Sports Media and Communications (SMC) track run by the Newhouse Sports Media Center. This track includes sports writing, sports production, play-by-play (radio and TV), television sports anchoring and reporting, sports documentary production and more.  

Application Deadline

Application materials must be submitted by January 15 for priority consideration. Applications continue to be reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the spring if space is available.

For more information about the M.A. in magazine, news and digital journalism, contact Professor Harriet Brown (hnbrown@syr.edu), Program Director.

For more information about graduate studies at the Newhouse School, contact Martha Coria (macoria@syr.edu), Assistant Director of Graduate Programs.