Reporting the World
Take the next step in your career with an online master’s degree in journalism from NYU
We’re here to train journalists who want to change the world for the better. Whether you’re just starting out or want to get to the next level, we have what you need.
News Reporter / Magazine Editor / Podcast Host / News Anchor / On-Air Reporter / Music Critic / International Correspondent / Columnist / One-Person Mobile News Organization / AI Prompt Engineer / AI Animated Newsroom Producer / Influencer / Predictive Marketing Guru / Social Media Director / Branded Content Manager / Advertising Creation Czar / Multimedia Travel Blogger / Virtual Reality Storyteller / Neural Network Content Curator / Augmented Reality Correspondent / Blockchain Media Strategist / Genetic Network Stringer / Quantum Communications Professional / AI Ethics Consultant / Neural Digital Immersion Strategist / 3D-Universe Community Architect / Sports Immersion Analyst / Digital Producer / Documentarian / Photojournalist / Copy Editor / Investigative Reporter / Professor
Program News
AJO Alum wins two first place awards at this year’s annual Indigenous Media Awards
Brian Bull (AJO 2022) is a longtime reporter for KLCC and an associate professor of journalism at the University of Oregon. He was awarded first place in the Excellence in Beat Reporting (Radio/Podcast, Professional Division) category for a series of stories on legislation affecting or involving Native American tribes, and First Place for Best Feature Story (Print/Online) for "How the recovery of a stolen plant helped one tribe re-Indigenize tobacco," published and distributed by Underscore Native News.
AJO Launched “Journalism Crossroads” Showcasing Modern Media Career Paths and Wisdom from Veterans
The Studs Terkel-style collection of digital profiles showcases revolutionary new careers, pros redefining traditional roles, and the experiences of veterans to provide us context from the past.
AJO Alum wins Report for America Local News Award
Bobby Brier (2021) won a third place award in enterprise/investigative features at the annual Report for American Local News Awards for his NJ Spotlight News feature story on suicide rates among construction workers.
So You Want to Be an AJO Student?
“J-school changed my life. It set me on a course that, within two years, landed me a staff writer job at a storied feminist culture site. But I didn’t get there alone. AJO looked at me and saw a writer in the rough, someone whose voice they believed mattered. They helped me. Maybe they can help you.”
Coursework is only the beginning.
A thriving mentor network, a success coach, jobs and internship coordinator, one-to-one tutors and professional writing coaches, help with pitching stories to major publications, hardware and software tech support, AJO works tirelessly to help you get better as a journalist so you can make your mark on the world.
How will I fit in at AJO?
Our students come from all over, but no matter your experience, identity, or location, there is a place for you at AJO. Meet some of our students, who can tell you what it’s like. “I didn’t think I could connect with people through a screen, but I [have] made some of my best friends in the program.”
Got a Great Idea? AJO Can Help You Get That Byline
From helping the student hone his pitch to assisting with investigative techniques and working their own connections, AJO professors helped Ben Shimkus land a big investigative feature for Rolling Stone in the Spring of 2024. Here’s the story behind the story.
Modern Journalism
NYU’s American Journalism Online certificate course
This program provides aspiring journalists the flexibility to learn essential journalistic practices and skills, all on their schedule – it’s 100% online, on-demand, and completely self-paced.
Faculty
Adam L. Penenberg
Associate Professor | Director, Online Master’s in Journalism Program
B.A., Economics, Reed College
In a wide-ranging career as a writer, editor, columnist, and film producer, Professor Penenberg has written for Fast Company, Forbes, the New York Times, Washington Post, Wired, Slate, Playboy, and the Economist. A former senior editor at Forbes and a reporter for Forbes.com, Penenberg garnered national attention in 1998 for unmasking serial fabricator Stephen Glass of the New Republic. Penenberg’s story was a watershed for online investigative journalism and portrayed in the film Shattered Glass (Steve Zahn plays Penenberg). He wrote the popular “Media Hack” column for Wired News, was a columnist for Slate, and a contributing writer to Fast Company magazine.
Melanie Hicken
Adjunct Faculty
Melanie Hicken is an award-winning investigative reporter for CNN. Her work has exposed everything from widespread sexual abuse in nursing homes to one of the longest-running scams in history. It has also inspired legislative action and government investigation.
Hicken and her longtime reporting partner, Blake Ellis’s groundbreaking investigation into the secret world of government debt collectors won the prestigious Heywood Broun Award of Distinction and inspired lawmakers to take action with legislation aimed at closing the loophole highlighted in the stories. They were finalists for a Peabody Award for CNN’s coverage of guns in America, and the two journalists have been honored by the International Association of Broadcasting, the National Press Club, the National Endowment for Financial Education, the Radio Television Digital News Association and the National Association of Consumer Advocates. Hicken regularly appears on CNN and other television and radio networks to discuss her investigations.
Nidhi Prakash
Adjunct Faculty
Nidhi Prakash covers politics for BuzzFeed News. For the past year, she’s been on the campaign trail covering the presidential election and specifically the Biden campaign. Before that, she worked on Capitol Hill, reported on federal agencies, the Syrian refugee crisis, and broke news on the death toll in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria.
She previously worked in the UK, Chile, and started her career in Australian public radio.
Julia Dahl
Adjunct Faculty
Julia Dahl has worked as an associate features editor at Marie Claire, a city desk reporter for the New York Post, the deputy managing editor of The Crime Report, and a crime and justice reporter for CBS News. She has been the recipient of a John Jay/H.F. Guggenheim fellowship in criminal justice journalism, as well as a fellowship from the Nation Institute Investigative Fund. Julia has a BA from Yale, an MFA from The New School, and an MA in journalism from American University.
Julia is also the author of four novels – INVISIBLE CITY, RUN YOU DOWN, CONVICTION, and THE MISSING HOURS (2021). INVISIBLE CITY and CONVICTION were both named best books of the year by the Boston Globe, and INVISIBLE CITY was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel and has been translated into eight languages.
Liza Hogan
Adjunct Faculty
Liza Hogan is a founder and longtime senior producer for CNN.com where she covered a number of major stories from 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 presidential campaign, and the 2008 election of Barack Obama. Later, as a founder and editor for PBS’s NextAvenue.org, she helped design and manage a startup news website for adults 50 and older. She earned her master’s in journalism from Northwestern University and currently works as a digital strategies consultant in Washington, D.C.
Courses
Reporting the News
Choose a beat and start reporting—then publish your work on our online publication.
Feature Writing
Use your words: learn to captivate and enthrall readers with vivid storytelling.
Law & Ethics in American Journalism
History, ethics, law—learn how to navigate murky waters.
Note: All classes meet once a week from 7-10 pm ET.
Alumni Profiles
AJO graduates are working all over the media landscape: from breaking news and culture writing, to podcast and video production, to non-profit newsletters, to anchoring local news. Read what they have to say about how the program helped them achieve their career goals.
Get Published
Collaborate with classmates from around the world on our publication, The Click—written, edited, and produced by you.
Frequently Asked Questions
This program requires 30 credits, which is at least six fewer than the other journalism programs at NYU. You’ll take seven 4-credit courses and one 2-credit course. You can look up the latest information regarding tuition and fees by academic year on our NYU Bursar’s Website. As an online student you won’t have to move to New York, no need for a visa for international students, and you can continue to work through our flexible part-time options while earning a master’s degree from a prestigious university.
Nearly all students in the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, like the majority of MA students in other departments at NYU, are financing their own graduate study through external funding awards or student loans. Information on external funding opportunities and student loans follows.
To receive federal or state financial aid you must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or permanent resident of the United States. If you would like to learn more about funding options that may benefit international students at NYU, please visit the Financial Aid and Scholarships website.
Payment Plans defer tuition or allow you to pay tuition monthly.
Student Loans: U.S. applicants interested in federal student loans should fill out the FAFSA application after January 1 of the year in which they are seeking admission: fafsa.ed.gov.
Detailed information on filing the FAFSA application is found on-line at the NYU Financial Aid website. The NYU Federal School Code is 002785. At the graduate level, federal financial aid consists primarily of federal subsidized and unsubsidized student loans.
International applicants interested in student loans can find sources of loans available to international students at the NYU Financial Aid website. The website also lists other resources available to international applicants and students.
Payments from students living outside the United States must be in U.S. dollars.
Please visit our How to Apply page.
The online program is flexible. Students may complete the program in as little as 1 year, or take their time, as long as they graduate within 5 years. Visit this page to see some potential pathways to completing the program in 1, 1.5, 2, or 3 years.
- Our live class meetings happen over Zoom, so you will need:
- Internet-connection – broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE)
- Speakers and a microphone – built-in or USB plug-in or wireless Bluetooth
- A webcam or HD webcam – built-in or USB plug-in
- Or, a HD cam or HD camcorder with video capture card
- Supported Operating Systems
- Mac OS X with MacOS 10.7 or later
- Windows 10
- Windows 8 or 8.1
- Windows 7
- Windows Vista with SP1 or later
- Windows XP with SP3 or later
- Ubuntu 12.04 or higher
- Mint 17.1 or higher
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.4 or higher
- Oracle Linux 6.4 or higher
- CentOS 6.4 or higher
- Fedora 21 or higher
- OpenSUSE 13.2 or higher
- ArchLinux (64-bit only)
- Supported Tablet and Mobile Devices
- Surface PRO 2 running Win 8.1
- Surface PRO 3 running Win 10
- iOS and Android devices
- Blackberry devices
- Supported Browsers
- Windows: IE7+, Firefox, Chrome, Safari5+
- Mac: Safari5+, Firefox, Chrome
- Linux: Firefox, Chrome
Other than an internet-connected device for virtual class meetings (see previous question about technical requirements), you do not need to purchase additional equipment. You can use whatever equipment you already own, or we’ll teach you about shooting and editing video on your smartphone. If you don’t own one, we can work around that. Our motto is: whatever works.
No journalism experience is required. The program considers applicants holding a bachelor’s degree in any field. As long as you have an interest in writing and reporting, can produce a writing sample and provide three references who are familiar with your work, you’re on the right track.
English-as-a-second-language help can be provided for those who need it. Non-native English speakers must take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) OR the IELTS (International English Language Testing System). The TOEFL or IELTS requirement is waived if your undergraduate or graduate degree was completed at an institution where the language of instruction is English.
GSAS recommends that applicants achieve a minimum TOEFL score of 100 on the internet-based test (equivalent to 250 on the computer-based test or 600 on the paper-based test). For the IELTS, a minimum overall band score of at least 7 is recommended.
No, the online masters program does not have a physical location. We serve students from all over the world in a completely virtual environment. All accepted students will receive an NYU student ID in the mail which will grant access to the Bobst Library, if you happen to be in New York City.
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required.
Non-native English speakers must take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) OR the IELTS (International English Language Testing System). The TOEFL or IELTS requirement is waived if your undergraduate or graduate degree was completed at an institution where the language of instruction is English.
GSAS recommends that applicants achieve a minimum TOEFL score of 100 on the internet-based test (equivalent to 250 on the computer-based test or 600 on the paper-based test). For the IELTS, a minimum overall band score of at least 7 is recommended.
NYU journalism graduates go on to work in newsrooms around the world as reporters, editors, producers, anchors, videographers, podcasters, fact-checkers and a plethora of other job titles—this industry is always changing.
If you have questions, please contact our admin team at ajo-admin@nyu.edu.
Yes, the online program is flexible. Students may complete the program in as little as 1 year, or take their time, as long as they graduate within 5 years. Visit this page to see some potential pathways to completing the program in 1,1.5, 2, or 3 years.
No, the courses in the online journalism masters were designed specially for this program.
Request more info
If you have further questions about the online master’s degree in journalism, please contact us through the form link below. For press inquiries contact James M. Devitt, and read our press release.
For a student enrolled in a distance education program or course, please reference NYU’s state authorization website for further information detailing the applicable complaint process. NYU’s Master’s in American Journalism Online distance education complaint contact is Allan Corns, and you may reach him at acc13@nyu.edu.