Posts filed under “education”
The great journalism education debate
What is the future of journalism education? Many people have taken issue with journalism education, especially in the U.S. One major concern is that journalism education appears to be behind the industry and rarely out in front, innovating. Many people even advise against majoring in journalism. But let’s step back from the criticisms of journalism [...]
My advice for would-be journalists
A reader recently e-mailed me asking advice about his sister because she wants to get a graduate degree in journalism from a prestigious university. She has an English degree, hasn’t done journalism before but loves to write. He was concerned, however, that now is not a great time to be entering the journalism field, and [...]
Would I get a graduate degree in journalism? No
People have asked me this question, and it has become a hot topic in the journalism blogging world. I would personally not get a graduate degree in journalism. Journalism is not one of those fields where practicing journalists will see a big benefit from additional schooling. In fact, work experience and skills are what ultimately [...]
Grades (education) matter for journalism (all) students
There is a school of thought that says journalism students should only worry about clips they receive from internships and not about grades. Sure that makes sense if a student is going to work for a newspaper but most students won’t. Most journalism students won’t even work in mainstream media. And, honestly, all students will [...]
What would the perfect j-school curriculum look like?
I want your help deciding what the perfect j-school curriculum would look like. The basics would be a basic intro to journalism course, a reporting course, a copy editing course, a law course and a media ethics course. Also, an internship is required for graduation. After that, we’ll decide what students really need to learn. [...]
A journalism education worth paying for
Most journalism educations aren’t really worth paying for anymore, but there are some programs that get it. Mindy McAdams has compiled a list of things she believes every j-school should be teaching their students right now. It’s important to note that myself, McAdams and basically everyone else arguing for change in journalism higher education believes [...]
Today’s thought: Tenure for journalism professors?
Does the tenure system make sense for journalism professors? Tenure serves a vital purpose for many disciplines and professors, especially since a lot of ideas and research are controversial — at least at the time (Remember when the Earth was flat?). Tenure serves to protect the academic honesty of educational institutions and their faculty. With [...]
Today’s thought: Never stop learning
Education doesn’t just stop when a person is handed a diploma. In fact, colleges and universities are not trade schools. They are not in the business of just giving people skills to do a job (like say work for a newspaper) — they are in the business of giving students skills for life. A good [...]
Is College Publisher a good CMS for your college paper?
A lot of colleges are using College Publisher as a content management system, but is it the best choice? Well, College Publisher is free, so it can’t be that bad of a choice (that automatically makes it a pretty good choice actually). I’ve heard a lot of complaints about College Publisher as a CMS, but [...]
My advice for j-students who want to make a difference (and get a job)
I just told you how journalism is not a good career choice for most of you, but I know many of you are going to attempt to change journalism and I salute you. Therefor, I would be remiss if I didn’t offer you advice on how to get a good journalism job and how to [...]