The Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute has launched an online master’s degree program that aims to train students in environments that reflect 21st-century newsrooms.

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New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute has launched an online master’s degree program that aims to train students in environments that reflect 21st-century newsrooms.

“Today’s journalism is increasingly driven by virtual newsrooms, with reporters and editors interacting across the country and around the globe through video chat and e-mail rather than in cubicles and conference rooms,” says Adam Penenberg, a professor in the Carter Journalism Institute and director of the new Master of Arts in American Journalism program. “Similarly, these students will conduct their reporting around where they live, functioning as ‘correspondents’ in their home areas and learning the profession through substantial reporting and writing assignments.”

The program’s live virtual meetings are structured like a newsroom, with students filing and editing stories each week for online publication. On their own time, students will review a variety of materials such as videos, audio clips, readings, and interactive games that explore the craft and practice of journalism.

In their first reporting class, students learn how to pitch story ideas, write hard news and features, conduct interviews, and edit. In a law and ethics course, they’ll analyze case studies and controversial pieces of journalism to debate the pitfalls of the profession. Other courses have them dreaming up the next media startup or learning the ins and outs of video, podcasting, and photojournalism.

“We want to attract students from all over the country and the world, and those who have careers or are working jobs and cannot attend NYU in person, or have graduated from undergraduate institutions and are eager to gain an education in journalism,” adds Penenberg, who has reported for Fast Company, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Wired, Slate, the Economist, and Forbes, where he also served as an editor.

To help navigate a turbulent industry, students will also be paired with a mentor--a working journalist who can provide feedback on their work and tips for their job search. Institute mentors work at major media outlets, including the New York Times, CNN, the Washington Post, and the Atlantic, among others.

The program, which may be completed in one year or over multiple years, is currently accepting applications, with its first students beginning in the fall of 2019. For more information, please visit: https://journalism.nyu.edu/online-journalism-masters/.

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