Business Journalism Specialization, M.M.C

MMC graduate Justin Doom is now a reporter for Bloomberg News.

There is greater demand than ever for journalists who can explain business and economics in print, broadcast, online and multimedia. The Business Journalism Specialization equips graduate students with the tools necessary to succeed in this sophisticated coverage area.

The specialization combines a thorough understanding of business and economic principles with practical journalism coursework and professional internships. The training takes place in the hub of U.S. business journalism, the Cronkite School, which houses the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism and the Society of American Business Editors and Writers.

Special emphasis is placed on new financial instruments and the changing regulatory environment. Students take their journalism and business journalism courses in the Cronkite School and related courses in ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business. Contact with working business journalists through visiting professors and guests is an integral part of the program. Student work is frequently published in periodicals, online and on broadcast outlets.

Cronkite students have most recently been placed in internships at Bloomberg News, Thomson Reuters, CNBC, MarketWatch, MSNBC.com and the business news departments of the Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle, Phoenix Business Journal and The Arizona Republic.

Graduate assistantships are available in the Business Journalism specialization during the academic year, with opportunities in the Reynolds Center to work directly with the nation’s major news organizations.

Students in the Business Journalism Specialization also have the option to participate in a 14-day, for-credit trip to China to better understand the inner workings of media and business of that important economy.

The 15-month, full-time professional program includes course requirements for the Cronkite School’s MMC program as well as MBA courses in ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business.
Required Business Journalism courses are:

MCO 598 Issues in Coverage of Business and the Economy (3 hours)
This seminar course focuses on the critical study of business and economic coverage in all media, with emphasis on quality, clarity and differences. Students are assigned specific companies and economic issues to follow throughout the semester and work on a final project appropriate to their personal journalism career goals. From balance sheets to regulation to business personalities, the course helps students set their own professional parameters for coverage and learn effective ways to communicate complex topics effectively.

MCO 598 Reporting on Business and the Economy (3 hours)
In this vigorous, hands-on course, students pursue deadline stories dealing with significant business and economic stories both local and national in nature. Outlets for presenting student work include the BusinessJournalism.org Web site as well as numerous news organizations. Students learn to present complex financial topics in clear, elegant ways, and they complete a final project in their chosen medium. The course prepares prospective business journalists for their internships and first jobs.

The number of MBA courses required in the W.P. Carey School will be determined by the student’s academic background. Types of courses include: ACC 502 Financial Accounting; ECN 502 Managerial Economics; ECN 503 Global Economics for Managers; FIN 502 Managerial Finance; and ECN 501 Statistics.

For more information on the business journalism specialization, contact Andrew Leckey, the Reynolds Endowed Chair in Business Journalism, at andrew.leckey@asu.edu.