Journalism Research and Study Opportunities

Many foundations across the globe offer journalism fellowships and grants. 2020 was a difficult year for travelers worldwide, and many academic programs that should involve journalists were canceled. 2021 will be full of fellowships for journalists, and many organizations will open their doors for journalists, scholars, and students. Below we present different opportunities to apply and useful resources to follow in the field of journalism.

Journalism Fellowships

Journalism Grants and Awards

Journalism Funds, Centers, Associations, and Societies

Journalism Schools and Departments

Twitter Accounts in Journalism to Follow

What questions should you ask yourself before choosing journalism as a major?

Journalism is about ever-lasting curiosity and adventures. In parallel, that’s also a profession that can often lead you to dangers. The truth is not everyone’s taste, but a good journalist should commit to spreading awareness on real issues. 

Before you decide to choose journalism as a profession, ask yourself the below questions.

Am I ready to dig in something new every day?

Though you can choose a specific journalism field, there are new happenings every day you should cover. You can’t write about something without a comprehensive view of it.

Do I have an analytical mindset?

Aside from presenting the raw facts, readers expect to understand the cause-effect relationship and probable solutions to certain issues. 

Will I be interested in listening to/read the story by me?

Among many who tell smart and useful things, a few can grasp the attention of the public. Your communication style should be engaging and easy to read. 

Am I good at grammar at punctuation?

There are auto-correction tools, but still, you need to have good language skills. Aside from being pleasant to read or listen to, the journalists’ speech also educates the public. 

Am I OK with a non-stable working graphic?

Journalists arrive at the place of the event in an hour and under every weather. In case of special circumstances, you may not leave a certain location for a long time to cover the fresh news at the place. 

What career opportunities will you have as a journalist?

As a journalist, you will choose the main sphere(s) of life you want to cover and collect, summarize, edit and publish reliable information to the public. Therefore, any organization providing information services can be your potential workplace. 

In more detail, the main employers for journalists include:

  • Newspapers
  • Magazines
  • Newswires
  • Radio and television
  • Press agencies
  • Websites
  • Periodical publishers

In addition to the below-mentioned employments, note that your working culture can significantly vary, based on what type of journalism you choose. Different options in journalism allow you to select fields closer to your nature and interests.

For example, financial reporting and photojournalism will provide you with different daily activities and lifestyle, though they refer to the same profession. 

As a photojournalist, you will use creativity and probably travel much to build stories via photos you take in different corners of the world. As a financial reporter, you will have stricter and limited research frames, with a high focus on numbers, analytics, and forecasts. 

You might guess narrowing down your research subjects can help you become experts in spheres other than journalism, which can unlock new career opportunities. For example, photojournalists may become professional travelers and open sphere-related businesses like tour companies, travel blogs, or TV shows. 

To broaden your imagination on journalism opportunities, below are the main types of profession you may want to explore:

  • Broadcast Journalism
  • Business and Financial Reporting
  • Environmental Journalism
  • Feature and Magazine Writing
  • Global and International Journalism
  • News Reporting
  • Online or Multi-Media Journalism
  • Photojournalism
  • Political Journalism
  • Science and Health Reporting
  • Sports Reporting

If you do not build your career in any of the above options, journalism-related jobs require similar skills and enlarge your career opportunities. Mainly, below is the list of the professions you can switch to with your journalism degree. 

  1. Content-writer
  2. Copywriter
  3. Content Marketer
  4. Social Media Planner
  5. Communications Manager
  6. Public Relations Specialist
  7. Corporate Communications Specialist

Your place to grow academically in journalism

As in all the academic disciplines, you can upgrade your journalism degree up to a doctorate. There are employment opportunities for all the degrees you take, starting from advertising account executives for undergrads to university professors for doctors.

After the bachelor’s, journalists’ most popular academic opportunities are Journalism Masters and Ph.D in Media and Journalism. Also, consistently check the mentioned grants and awards opportunities in this section, as along with your academic upgrades, those programs can level up you in professional life. 

Along with academic degrees, especially in the modern world, your professional value increases if you participate in industry-leading workshops and trainings. Find below some of them. 

  1. Deutsche Welle, DW Akademie Journalism Training
  2. Society of Professional Journalism trainings 
  3. The Training of Journalists by UNESDOC Digital Library

The importance of the mentioned and other leading workshops is precious in the digital era, where journalism is one of the main professions impacted by internet advancements.

Journalists play a key role in the current era of information wars and the fake news disaster. As a journalist, you can reveal the problems people face and prevent injustice. You can also inspire and motivate your readers with positive vibes towards the future. 

We hope the academic opportunities in this article will bring you one step closer to your dream profession!