What Degree Would I Need to Be a Journalist?
The prospect of having thousands of people read your stories in newspapers and online, or see them on television may make a career as a journalist seem especially appealing. However, competition in the industry is tough, and today's journalists usually need bachelor's degrees and technical training to get the industry's top jobs.
Other People Are Reading
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Employer Preferences
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Employers usually prefer that applicants for journalist positions have a bachelor's degree in journalism or communications, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. You may bolster your job prospects if you earn a degree at a college that has programs accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. The BLS reports that about 1,500 institutions offer journalism and communications programs, and the council accredits more than 100 of them.
Other Degrees
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Many journalists enter the field with a bachelor's degree in English or political science, according to the "Princeton Review." Political science can be especially useful to journalists because it focuses on government operations, political systems and political behavior. Journalists also should have above-average computer skills in word-processing and online research. Many journalists also need to know how to combine an online story with audio, video and graphics. The "Princeton Review" notes that journalists who want to report international news may need to be fluent in specific languages to get the assignments they want.
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Broadcasting
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You need to take broadcasting courses if you want to specialize in radio or television news. Broadcast journalism requires reporting skills that are significantly different from print journalism. For example, radio and television reporters often have less than a minute to report a breaking story, while a newspaper may devote most of a page to the same story published the following day.
Employment Outlook
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The BLS predicts the news industry will see a decline in employment through 2018, in which more than 4,000 fewer jobs will be available for journalists. Competition among journalists for jobs at large newspapers and broadcast stations may be especially tough, since those positions usually come with higher salaries. People who have bachelor's degrees along with the ability to report on technical and scientific topics may have the best future job prospects, according to the BLS.
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