Graduate School of Journalism

Journalism
Established	1912
President	{{{President}}}
Dean	Nicholas Lemann
Degrees	MA, MS, PhD
Enrollment	381 students (2005)
Website	www.journalism.columbia.edu

The Graduate School of Journalism, is sometimes referred to as the J-School — the only “j-school” in the Ivy League. Appropriately enough, it is located in Journalism Hall. Columbia’s Journalism School offers three degree programs: Master of Science in journalism (full and part-time), Master of Arts in journalism and a Ph.D. in communications.

Today, a faculty of internationally-recognized journalists with varying specialties—including politics, arts and culture, religion, science, education, business and economics, investigative reporting, national and international affairs—instruct Journalism School students. Faculty members are preeminent in their fields, and many have won numerous journalism awards including the Pulitzer Prize, the Guggenheim Fellowship, the duPont-Columbia Award, the National Magazine Award, and the National Book Award.

The Graduate School of Journalism offers approximately $4.4 million annually in fellowships and scholarships to students who demonstrate high academic achievement, financial need, and promise for leading careers in journalism.

Student Life

Students study journalism in the classroom, but also by covering diverse neighborhoods of New York City with close guidance and mentoring from their professors. Students form intense bonds during their time at the school. Every day, students are invited to attend and participate in lectures, workshops, conferences, and receptions with journalists who visit the school. The school’s student government is run through the University chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the world’s largest journalism organization. Student officers organize events throughout the year, including field trips, panel discussions, and community service projects.

History

The journalism school was opened in 1912 with a gift given ten years earlier by Joseph Pulitzer. In its early years, it was referred to as the "Pulitzer School". It has gone on to become among the top journalism schools (if not the top such school) in the United States.

In 1935, Dean Carl W. Ackerman led the school's transition to become the first graduate school of journalism in the United States. Classes of 60 students dug up stories in New York City during the day and drafted articles in a single, large newsroom in the Journalism School at night.

Pulitzer would also endow the eponymous Pulitzer Prize, which are awarded each year by the J-School in a ceremony held in the Low Library Rotunda.

See also

• In addition to offering graduate degree programs, the Journalism School administers several prizes, including the Pulitzer Prize and the duPont-Columbia Awards. It also co-sponsors the National Magazine Award and publishes the Columbia Journalism Review.