Columbia University in the City of New York Reviews of Master's in Journalism

"In a changing journalistic landscape, Columbia Journalism school has so far proven to be dedicated to actively changing along with it. Students are expected and provided the opportunity to master multiple mediums, and two new centers located at the school - the Tow Center for Digital Media and the Brown Institute for Media Innovation - provide students with a potential glimpse into the future. Overall, amazing speakers, a challenging classroom environment and a dedicated career services team make this experience worth the mental and financial investment."

"Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism provides expert instruction with experiential learning."

"The curriculum is incredibly intelletual, which is a very positive quality. The pass/fail system fosters a learning environment that is both thrilling and conducive to expanding one's knowledge. The downfalls of the program thus far is the poor scheduling of courses, the assignment of beat neighborhoods for reporting, and reporting assignments that cause more anxiety than anything else. Reporting on a crime, courts, and neighborhood/community, is a burden for someone who aspires to pursue arts, culture, long-form narrative journalism"

"The journalism school is fast-paced and practical, particularly if you don't have prior experience in the field."

"I am enrolled in the MS in journalism course at Columbia University. The University offers excellent opportunities to network and meet the pioneers in the field of Journalism. The faculty arranges guest lecturers every week for the class and the grading system is extremely comprehensive and transparent. However, the workload during the one-year program is heavy and extremely demanding. The course has been condensed to just 10-months and students are expected to excel at every facet in the journalism industry: broadcast, print, online, photography and radio."

"The media industry is changing profoundly and rapidly, and I feel that Columbia's journalism school is keeping up. That is saying a lot. The only con is the high cost of living in Manhattan."

"Columbia is an network of elite journalists where students quickly learn how to operate as professionals in the media capital of the world. Columbia's staff is committed to the students and the school supports all of our endeavors, especially leading us to engage in leading technology."

"Columbia Journalism School is known for the excellence of its teaching. Columbia alumni can be found in the best media around the world. Working with eminent journalists, with the best equipment journalism students could hope for, and in New York, the global and cultural center of the modern world : there is, to me, be no better place or conditions to which study journalism. I am French and I wish to embark on a career as an international journalist, and Columbia Journalism School is, to my mind, the best possible starting point on this journey. However, the price of the program makes it very hard to attend. Adding every day life expenses and rent, I find myself in a difficult financial situation, in which each dollar count. I don't regret my choice, for the Columbia degree will change my career in journalism. But it is at a price."

"Columbia Journalism School is focused not just on giving you theoretical knowledge, but also 'real life' application. And being in New York means there is news happening literally on our doorstep every day."

"Columbia is a world class school in a world class city. I hope it's going to give me an education as impressive as it's reputation."

"CUJ is exactly as advertised: rigorous. But they are the best at what they do."

"The guest lecturers and networking opportunities are in integral part of my graduate school program"

"Columbia University is a great place to study Journalism. The course work is challenging, yet very rewarding. The teachers are professionals in the field and they are a great resource for students. The University itself is in a safe area of New York City and close to the 1 train. However, I do believe that the University's faculty could be more diverse."

"The course is competitive, but comprehensive. It enables a student journalist to graduate with all the skills required in the field of journalism today."

"I think the Columbia Journalism School offers a wide variety of skills and ensures that you are a journalist with many skills. The staff are extremely qualified, the best in the industry and they enjoy teaching journalism. Unfortunately the program is very expensive and the cost of living is extremely high in New York."

"The Columbia Graduate School of Journalism is considered to be one of the best, if not the best Graduate Journalism programs in the world. I studied Broadcast Journalism in undergrad, and I was interested in building up my print-style writing as well as taking a step back from the ever changing landscape of journalism and news. Since starting classes at Columbia, I feel I have been pushed, to do real beat reporting as well as stretch my print-style muscles. The campus is located in Morningside Heights, which is on the Upper West Side, a stone's throw from Harlem. My experience at Columbia has been great so far, I highly recommend it."

"One of the pros of my graduate program include knowledgeable professors and several multimedia and writing courses. One of the cons of the program include tuition, for the 10-month program, is about $55,000 excluding housing, food and books."

"I absolutely love this program. It's always been a dream of mine to be a part of this legacy that is the Columbia J-School. It's competitive to get in, but it's worth the fight to be part of such a great family - because that's what this school is. It's a network of journalists that are passionate about what they do."

"Pros: excellent network, amazing resources. Cons: extremely expensive tuition and rate of living."

"The M.S. program at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is a solid building block for budding journalists. Fundamental training with equipment and analytic skills help ensure a reporter's success. The strength of the program is the ticket into a relatively closed off world. Career opportunities are provided exclusively to Columbia J-School graduates and perhaps more a testament to the students than to the teachers, most graduates do end up in high-level positions in the industry. Subsequently, the network established as a student can help in future job pursuits. The J-School student body has historically had a strong presence of international students and people coming from diverse backgrounds. It does good to learn from one another. Throughout the course of the year, professors will invite rather successful members of the industry as guest speakers. This is a great opportunity to learn tricks of the trade, but also to exchange contact information should one choose. The program is great for beginners, but if you already have experience working as a journalist, consider the M.A. program, which is accelerated and focuses on specializing in a beat rather than as a general assignment reporter. Since classes are Pass/Fail, the student chooses how much or how little work to put into his/her own education. Even if you are not learning very much because you already know it, the program will still keep you busy. Researching, reporting and producing stories are time consuming depending on the medium - broadcast students work under further time limitations. The 10-month Master's program comes with a hefty price tag and so think carefully whether this is the right program for you. Best of Luck!"