(New York, New York) – March 19, 2024 – The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism is pleased to announce a new 4+1 Program, which offers undergraduate students enrolled at the City University of New York an efficient and economical path toward earning a master’s degree from the Newmark J-School, one of the nation’s top-tier graduate schools of journalism.
The J-School is partnering with five CUNY colleges: Brooklyn College, Lehman College, the Macaulay Honors College, Queens College, and the CUNY Baccalaureate Program for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies at the Graduate Center. The Newmark J-School is seeking to expand the program to other CUNY schools.
The program is open to highly focused students from a variety of majors – from the humanities and the arts to business, social sciences and education to STEM majors – who are interested in exploring a career in journalism. No prior experience or coursework in journalism is required.
Newmark J-School’s 4+1 pathway allows admitted undergraduates to begin taking introductory journalism classes at the J-School in their senior year, with up to 12 credits counted for both their undergraduate and graduate degrees. Then, upon completion of their undergraduate degree, students need to complete one more year to earn their Master’s of Journalism degree, joining an extensive alumni network, with graduates working at Reuters, The New York Times, The City, CNN, Bloomberg, Telemundo and many other news outlets.
“We are pleased to partner with CUNY’s outstanding colleges and interdisciplinary baccalaureate program to open an advanced journalism degree pathway for undergraduates. CUNY students are full of new ideas and eager to apply their learning to shape the world,” said Dean Graciela Mochkofsky. “We are excited to see how they will transform our community with their infectious curiosity and go on to serve the public interest, which is at the heart of Newmark J-School and CUNY’s mission. They will bring a new and compelling vision for what journalism can and should be.”
About the program launch, Jody Clark Vaisman, academic director of the CUNY Baccalaureate Program, said, “The Journalism 4+1 opens a door for CUNY BA students to become journalists — to work on their graduate degree while simultaneously developing expertise with a unique undergraduate major of their own creation. We are thrilled at being able to offer this opportunity in partnership with the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.”
Roblin Meeks, provost of Macaulay Honors College, added, “Macaulay Honors College is proud to partner with the Newmark J-School as a continuation of Macaulay’s mission to prepare tomorrow’s leaders committed to the public good. This 4+1 program provides our students with a powerful pathway to help them shape, for the better, the rapidly changing landscape of journalism and its consumption.”
Interested CUNY undergraduates from the partnering schools are encouraged to apply to the program during their junior year, which will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Prospective 4+1 students should refer here for further information and contact the program director, Dr. Andy Mendelson.
About the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, founded in 2006, is a public graduate journalism school based in the heart of New York City. With affordable tuition and extensive scholarship support, it prepares students from diverse economic, racial, and cultural backgrounds to produce high-quality journalism. The school offers 16-month master’s degree programs: M.A. in Journalism, M.A. in Engagement Journalism, and M.A. in Journalism – Bilingual Program (English/Spanish). Through the school’s J+ division, which offers a suite of executive training programs, the J-School trains seasoned journalists to reimagine news business models, build news products, and step into leadership roles with an entrepreneurial mindset. The Newmark J-School is also home to four unique centers and initiatives: the McGraw Center for Business Journalism; the Center for Community Media; the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism; and the Journalism Protection Initiative.
For further media inquiries:
Rachel Davila Ramirez, Director of Communications and Marketing | Newmark J-School |