Journalism Certificate: Course Curriculum for a Journalism Certificate Program

Published Sep 16, 2009

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A Journalism certificate program prepares graduates for entry-level positions in the Journalism field as reporters. Students learn how to write and publish articles, how to conduct an interview and how to write for beats, such as green technology.

Course Curriculum for a Journalism Certificate Program

New York University, School of Continuing and Professional Studies, www.scps.nyu.edu offers a certificate in Journalism program. The program consists of four required courses and either a 10-session elective or two 5-session electives. Successful completion of this course prepares graduates to work in a newsroom, write feature articles for magazines, conduct interviews and properly present them. students also learn journalistic ethics and First Amendment privileges.

  • Writing Green This course is designed for future reporters who wish to address environmental concerns, and write about new environmentally-conscious technology being developed.
  • News Reporting Students learn to write news articles, and learn the demographics of the audience that should be targeted with news articles. The course teaches writing, organizing the information and meeting deadlines.
  • Feature Writing In this course, students learn how to write and publish feature articles such as human interest, humor pieces, op-ed articles or personal essays.
  • Interviewing Students learn how to ask the right questions to get an adequate response when conducting an interview. Topics covered are how to get ideas for interviews, how to select the right interviewee and how to ask appropriate questions that will elicit a thoughtful response.
  • Legal and Ethical Issues in Journalism This course teaches the student the ethics involved in Journalism, from the rights to privacy from sources, how to quote a source properly and what direction the article should take to present the news accurately and professionally. Students learn ethical use of hidden cameras and microphones, and the legal questions and rules surrounding First Amendment rights.

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