Masters in Journalism: Career Options for Graduates with a Masters Degree in Journalism

Basic Information on Master's Degrees in Journalism

Master of Arts and Master of Science degree programs in journalism prepare students for highly skilled professional careers in specific sectors of the journalism industry, such as arts and entertainment, sports, politics or business. Many schools offer dual-focus degree programs. These allow students to concentrate their studies on both a journalistic medium, such as print, broadcast and digital media, as well as a topical area of specialization like fashion, medicine or technology. Course offerings include photojournalism, copy editing, media law and ethics, feature writing and investigative reporting.

Print Journalism Career Opportunities

Graduates of journalism master's degree programs often pursue careers as writers, reporters or editors for varying types of print media outfits. Writers and reporters track and cover breaking news stories, conduct interviews and write informational articles. Editors review these stories and make any necessary changes, and they often oversee the general layout, content and production of their publications. Print journalists can work as columnists, staff writers or freelance writers.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), www.bls.gov, predicts a highly competitive job market for print journalists in years to come, but adds that employment preference is usually given to individuals with specialized expertise. Therefore, journalism master's degree-holders are likely to have an edge over applicants without graduate-level educations.

Broadcast Journalism Career Opportunities

Television and radio broadcast journalists work as news anchors, weather reporters, sportscasters or general television and radio announcers. Many journalism master's degree-holders also work in behind-the-scenes broadcasting positions as copywriters or production managers.

Like print journalists, broadcast journalists are responsible for the timely gathering, filtering, reporting and spreading of all news or commentary relevant to their specific area of professional expertise. Master's degrees in journalism, particularly those with broadcasting concentrations, can help journalists advance quickly from mid-level writing and reporting positions to more senior managerial, editorial and supervisory posts.

Multimedia and Technical Journalism Career Opportunities

Journalism master's degrees can also lead to careers in the more specialized media fields of multimedia or technical reporting. Multimedia journalism generally entails a combination of video, audio and web writing through digital technology mediums such as blogging, podcasting, and interactive social networking websites. Career opportunities include social media editors, digital editors and multimedia content manager.

Technical writers, reporters and editors work for specialized scholarly, business-to-business or trade publications. They utilize the specialized educations acquired in subject-concentrated journalism master's degree programs to either report highly technical information at an advanced level, or translate industry buzzwords into layman's terms.