BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
A master’s in journalism is a professional degree, not an academic prerequisite. Unlike fields where the master’s is the standard second step, journalism hires on demonstrated reporting ability at every level. That makes the question of who a master’s serves unusually important, and the answer is fairly specific: career changers who studied something else and need a structured entry into the craft, and working journalists who want depth in a specialization such as investigative, data, business, health, or science reporting.
An online MS or MA in Journalism typically runs 30 to 36 credits and culminates in a substantial reported project rather than a conventional thesis. Some schools deliver similar training as a journalism track inside a master’s in communications or media, which is why the required course list matters more than the diploma text.
It is a graduate professional program that builds advanced reporting, editing, and multimedia skills through online coursework, usually ending in a substantial reported project. It is designed for people entering journalism from another field or specializing within it.
Master of Science in Journalism and Master of Arts in Journalism are the most direct titles. Equivalent training also appears as a journalism track inside an MA in Communications or Media. Compare required course lists rather than titles.
Typically 30 to 36 semester hours, commonly one to two years full-time and longer part-time. Programs designed for working journalists often stretch across two to three years at a reduced course load.
Usually not, and many programs prefer applicants who do not have one. A background in economics, law, science, public health, or a foreign language is often treated as an asset because it supports a beat. Programs generally want evidence you can write, which is what the writing sample is for.
Investigative reporting, data journalism, business and financial reporting, health and science reporting, political and government coverage, documentary and audio production, and editing or newsroom leadership. Specialization availability varies significantly, so check that the one you want is actually staffed and taught.
A completed bachelor’s degree, transcripts, a resume, a statement of purpose, and – distinctively for this field – a portfolio of writing samples or published clips. Letters of recommendation are common; GRE scores are rarely required.
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
| Course Topic | What You Learn |
|---|---|
| Advanced Reporting | Sustained beat coverage, complex sourcing, and long-form story development |
| Investigative Methods | Public records requests, document analysis, and building a story from primary sources |
| Data Journalism | Acquiring and cleaning datasets, statistical reasoning, and visualizing findings responsibly |
| Media Law for Practitioners | Libel defense, prepublication review, records litigation, and source protection |
| Advanced Ethics & Editorial Judgment | Anonymous sourcing standards, conflicts, and decisions under legal or commercial pressure |
| Multimedia & Audio Storytelling | Documentary, podcast, and video production applied to reported work |
| Editing & Newsroom Leadership | Assigning, structuring coverage, and managing reporters and deadlines |
| Reported Capstone Project | An extended piece of original reporting taken through editing to publishable form |
Outcomes vary by program, but you can compare:
For pacing and delivery comparisons, see: How Online Journalism Degrees Work
Requirements vary by school, but most programs require a completed bachelor’s degree in any field. Common elements include transcripts, a resume, and a statement of purpose explaining what you want to report on and why.
The distinguishing requirement is the writing sample. Programs typically ask for published clips, or for unpublished writing samples if you are coming from outside the field. This is what admissions committees actually read. Applicants from non-journalism backgrounds are not disadvantaged by the lack of clips as long as the samples show clear thinking and clean prose; if anything, subject expertise in law, medicine, finance, or science is treated as a strength.
A bachelor’s in journalism is the standard entry credential and covers the same fundamentals: reporting, media law, ethics, editing, and multimedia. If you already hold one, a master’s mostly duplicates it unless you are specializing. If you hold a bachelor’s in another field and want to move into reporting, the master’s is the structured route – it compresses the fundamentals into one to two years and produces clips faster than starting over at the undergraduate level.
Compare degree options:
For a value and fit discussion, see: Is an Online Journalism Degree Worth It. For the broader field, see the Communications Program Guide, and for adjacent professional paths see public relations and professional writing.
Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
Back to Online Journalism Degrees: Programs & Careers (2026)
