Boston University - College of Communication
MS in Journalism
Boston, USA
MSc
DURATION
3 semesters
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
03 May 2026*
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
USD 69,870 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* priority deadline: February 1; applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until our final deadline: May 1
** additional fees may apply
Key Summary
Prepare to be a journalistic storyteller with Boston University's Master of Science in Journalism. Over three semesters, you'll delve into narrative writing, digital, and visual journalism across platforms, learning to analyze complex events while upholding top journalistic standards.
No GRE required. Scholarships available.
- First-semester classes equip you for professional newsroom work, focusing on law, ethics, journalism techniques, and digital media.
- Specialized courses in investigative journalism, data-driven journalism, photojournalism, and more offer custom-tailored training.
- Under faculty guidance, produce a final Master’s Project to showcase your skills and interests.
Experience hands-on learning through COM-sponsored newsrooms, including BU News Service, WTBU radio, and BUTV10 television. Explore opportunities like reporting on politics through the Massachusetts Statehouse Program or spending a semester with the Washington DC Multimedia & Journalism Program.
Our faculty, experienced professionals in the field, provide insider insights and mentorship, treating graduate students as emerging colleagues.
COM's values of diversity, critical thinking, and creative expression ground our approach to communication, preparing you for impactful careers in journalism. Join us in the heart of Boston, where media innovation meets purpose-driven communication.
Our Master’s program in journalism is designed to produce graduates who are trained to analyze and explain the complex events of our times, as well as raise journalistic standards in all media forms. Throughout your career as a journalist, you will be called upon to tackle a number of issues and stories; as such, a cross-platform knowledge of the industry is essential. You will become a content expert across all media while sampling electives from a variety of areas, including public policy, photojournalism, science, sports, magazine, foreign reporting, and more.
First-semester courses emphasize reporting, news judgment, writing, and visual skills as you plunge into the history, law, ethics, and techniques of traditional journalism and gain an introduction to digital media. In later semesters, you’ll work with a faculty adviser to tailor your program from courses across the College of Communication and the University. Under the direction of a senior faculty member, you’ll produce a professional-quality final Master’s Project that will showcase your skills and interests.
Core Requirements (26 credits)
- COM JO 700 Ju Symposium
- COM JO 704 Online Journalism
- COM JO 721 Introduction to Reporting
- COM JO 725 Media Law/Ethics
- COM JO 737 Journalism Internship
- COM JO 955 Professional Project
Recommended Journalism Elective Courses (choose any six courses—24 credits)
Students are encouraged to select courses across areas. Throughout their careers, journalists are called upon to tackle a number of issues and stories; as such, a cross-platform knowledge of the industry is essential.
- Students may choose electives (500+ level) that are not listed below.
- (The same elective courses are not offered every semester. Other special topics courses may be offered on a semester basis.)
Curriculum Offerings
- COM JO 500 Media Criticist
- COM JO 502 Journalism Special Topics
- COM JO 503 Journalism Research
- COM JO 504 Arts Criticism
- COM JO 505 Race and Gender in the News Media
- COM JO 508 Multi-platform Story Editing
- COM JO 511 Covering Government and Politics
- COM JO 512 Designing Media
- COM JO 513 Photojournalism II
- COM JO 514 Sports Journalism
- COM JO 516 Foreign Reporting
- COM JO 519 Narrative Radio
- COM JO 520 Editorial Graphics
- COM JO 522 Filmmaking for Journalists
- COM JO 523 The Presidency and the Media
- COM JO 530 Drafts of History
- COM JO 535 Investigative and Project Reporting
- COM JO 537 Advanced Visual Storytelling
- COM JO 539 Global Health Storytelling
- COM JO 541 The Art of the Interview
- COM JO 542 The Literature of Journalism
- COM JO 544 Trauma Journalism
- COM JO 546 Statehouse Program
- COM JO 550 Advanced Online Journalism
- COM JO 703 Magazine Writing
- COM JO 707 Video Reporting
- COM JO 711 Video Storytelling
- COM JO 712 Online Radio Newsroom
- COM JO 734 Television Newsroom
Computational Journalism (4 credits)
Courses in Sports Management and Law may be taken with advisor approval.
Questrom School of Business courses may be taken with advisor approval and in consultation with the Questrom School of Business.
The Pulitzer Crisis Reporting Fellowship and courses in International Relations are recommended with advisor approval.
The Washington, DC Program and electives in Political Science are recommended with advisor approval via petition.
- The student will understand the realities of modern journalism.
- The student will understand the need for clear and concise writing and accuracy, regardless of the delivery platform.
- The student will gain the ability to create stories under time constraints and challenging circumstances.
- The student will evaluate sources and resources from which news is generated and prepared for dissemination.
- The student will practice identifying and dealing with those sources, assessing their accuracy.
- The student will gain an understanding of the historical, legal, and ethical issues affecting journalism.
Benefit from Boston
One of BU’s greatest resources is its location. Consistently ranked among the most livable cities in the world, Boston is “America’s college town,” a city rich in history while remaining on the cutting edge. Boston is a Top 10 U.S. media market, and home to some of the world’s best news outlets such as the Boston Globe, WBUR public radio, and GBH public radio and television, a statehouse news bureau service, and five commercial television newsrooms -- all offering boundless opportunities for internships and careers.