Welcome to the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism!

A Message from Academic Affairs and Student Affairs

Hello and welcome to the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism! Our school welcomes and supports students from all over the world. The Academic Affairs and Student Affairs Offices will work with you  to advise you on new student orientation, course registration and Curricular Practical Training procedures.

For questions regarding employment, optional practicum training, obtaining a social security number or your visa and immigration status, you should contact International Student Services.

As a new student, you may have many questions, and to help direct your inquiries to the appropriate office, please review the contact information list below:

Who to Contact During Your Time in the Program…

• For questions regarding orientation, please email: .

• To discuss your academic program and to request a CPT authorization signature, please email: .

• For academic accommodation requests, please email: .

• If you have questions regarding your visa or employment eligibility, please email the CUNY Graduate Center’s International Student Services Office at

• If you have questions regarding your scholarship and tuition bill, please contact .

We look forward to working with you! 

Lindsey Allen, Director of Academic Affairs
Alexa Maurer, Academic Advisor of Academic Affairs
Matt Brown, Director of Student Affairs
Bria Thorne, Assistant Director of Student Affairs 

Mandatory International Student Orientation and Specific Sessions

All international students are required to attend the International Student Orientation on Monday, August 17, 2026. The sessions will provide important information specific to your enrollment as an international student at the J-School.

In addition, all students—both domestic and international—are required to attend the full week-long orientation program from August 18, 2026 – August 21, 2026.

Mandatory International Students Orientation with School of Journalism and the Graduate Center International Student Services

Date: Monday, August 17, 2026
Lobby Check-In: 9:30am
Time: 10:00am-1:00pm
Location: Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. 3rd Floor, Room 308
Attendance will be taken.

Should you have any orientation-related questions, please email .

Visa & Immigration Information

If you have questions about your student visa, immigration, I-20, or planning for your arrival, contact the Office of International Students. The Office of International Students advises and assists students from outside the United States, particularly addressing immigration issues relating to F-1 Student Status and the J-1 Exchange Visitor Student category.

• F-1/J-1 Visas
• Arrival in the US/Travel/Re-Entry

You can email the Office of International Students at i. Their office is located at 365 5th Ave, New York, NY 10016, room 7200. Please note this is not the same location as the Newmark J-School.

New Student Orientation: International Students

New Student Orientation Session and Dates

The J-School International Student Orientation is Monday, August 17, 20026 and the all student orientation is four days August 18-August 21.  Attendance is mandatory for the entire orientation week. The international student specific orientation will allow you to meet other first-semester and third-semester international students, our deans, our ESL Writing Coaches, the Academic Affairs and Student Affairs team and the Graduate Center’s International Students Office. You will learn more about the school, curriculum requirements, etc.  If you have any questions, please email .

Curriculum and Publishing Requirements 

Curriculum Requirements

J-School international students must complete the program’s required 43 credits (MAJ) or 40.5 credits (Engagement Journalism) of coursework within three semesters (16 months). All J-School students (domestic and international) must take foundation  courses that stress the essential skills and mindsets that all good journalists must have, including reporting, writing and editing skills, and analytical thinking to approach complex subjects.  Additionally, the school requires students to have their work published during their first semester and throughout their time in the program.  See SOJ Publishing policy below:

All SOJ students are required to produce and publish at least one piece of journalistic work each semester. Publishing work is required across all foundational, advanced reporting, subject concentration, and specialization courses. This requirement reflects the School’s commitment to applied, professional practice and ensures that all students graduate with demonstrable, public-facing work.

In the first academic year, students must be published in Craft of Journalism and Advanced Reporting. The approved Advanced Reporting courses include:

JOUR 76009 – Advanced Audio Reporting and News Writing

JOUR 76009 – Audio Documentary

JOUR 76003 – NYC Climate Reporting Lab

JOUR 73351 – Data Journalism

JOUR 76008 – Advanced Multimedia Reporting for the South Bronx

JOUR 73104 – Feature Writing

JOUR 73102 – Introduction to Investigative Reporting

JOUR 76007 – TV News 1 (TV News Specialization)

JOUR 76007 – Documentary Seminar 1

JOUR 76007 – Documentary Lab

JOUR 73251 – Video Features

JOUR 76008 – Solutions Journalism

JOUR 75005 – Advanced Reporting for Engagement Journalism

JOUR 76006 – Advanced Reporting on Latino Communities

“Published” work is defined broadly and may take the form of text, audio, video, data-driven reporting, or multimedia packages, or a combination of these formats. Work must appear on a professional platform, either internal or external to the School, and be accessible to an intended audience.

Publishing is not limited to authorship. Editorial and production contributions that are integral to the creation and distribution of journalism also satisfy this requirement. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Editing articles written by other contributors

• Revising language, structure, and style for clarity and audience engagement

• Applying search engine optimization (SEO) principles to improve discoverability

• Writing headlines, subheads, and metadata aligned with audience search behavior

• Incorporating visual elements, multimedia components, and formatting for digital platforms

• Adding hyperlinks, sourcing, and attribution to strengthen credibility and visibility

• Using tools such as Google Trends or analytics platforms to position content for specific audiences

• Optimizing content for platform-specific distribution, including web and AI-driven search environments

In professional journalism, editorial work is a core publishing function. A piece cannot go live without these contributions. Therefore, students who perform this work on content that is published on a professional platform are considered to have met the publishing requirement.

Data journalism, research-based reporting, and visual or multimedia packages are also valid forms of published work when they are presented in a public-facing format and demonstrate journalistic intent, audience awareness, and editorial rigor.

All published work must align with the standards of professional journalism, including accuracy, ethical reporting, and audience relevance.

Final determination of whether a student’s work satisfies the publishing requirement rests with the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.

Curricular Practical Training Authorization to Publish – For Students

F-1 International students must obtain Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorization on their I-20 forms before engaging in paid or unpaid off-campus employment. This includes being published by a non-CUNY publication in relation to their academic studies.

If the off-campus organization has an educational affiliation with the School of Journalism such as  the  New York City News Service, Mott Haven Herald/Hunts Point Express and  CUNY TV, it is part of the course’s curriculum. In this case, if there is no remuneration, students technically could publish an article without a CPT authorization as they are participating in the requirements of their coursework.

The unpaid positions that require CPT are for internships and practicums or other experiences (including published articles) that may be  considered  employment, even if unpaid. For example, having your work published by a non-CUNY publication is considered work, and without an approved CPT authorization, is considered a violation of your visa.

If the non-CUNY publication/organization has hired the student to write multiple articles for them and they are repeatedly performing a service to the publication/organization and it is not paid, this could be determined as an employment relationship with the organization. We urge the student to obtain a CPT authorization to protect themselves from an immigration officer (USCIS, CBP, or US Consulate) later determining  that it was employment and a CPT should have been authorized. In other words, obtaining the CPT for unpaid off-campus employment/service/work protects the legal status of the student now and in the future. 

Below is further CPT information from the Homeland Security Study in the States Website:

• Training relates directly to the student’s major area of study.

• Training is an integral part of the school’s established curriculum.
• Designated school officials (DSO) authorized CPT in SEVIS, and the authorization was printed on the students’ Form I-20.
• Occurs before the student’s program end date on the Form I-20.
• Authorization is for one specific employer and for a specific period of time.
• Students must secure the training opportunity before CPT can be authorized.
• CPT must be authorized before the student can begin work.
• Students can have more than one CPT authorization at the same time.
• One year of full-time CPT eliminates a student’s eligibility for OPT.

How Does the CPT Process Work at the J-School and The Graduate Center?

F-1 International students should submit a completed CPT Authorization Request Form to the Office of International Students to apply for CPT authorization before beginning off-campus employment. Please make sure you are enrolled in the appropriate course indicated on the CPT Request Form prior to submitting the completed CPT Request Form to the Office of International Students. Please note: if you’re enrolled in a specific course that appears on your CPT, you must remain in that course; you can not drop or withdraw from that course after you have submitted your CPT. Your academic transcript should indicate that you are enrolled and have completed the course by the end of the term. If you have questions, please contact Academic Affairs or International Student Services.

Once approved, the Office of International Students at the Graduate Center, CUNY, will issue the student a new I-20 form with CPT authorization on the 2nd page. You may begin your off-campus employment once you have received your I-20 form with CPT authorization and the start date of the CPT authorization has arrived.

CPTs are issued for a specific employer. International students must apply for CPT authorization from each off-campus employer. Please apply for CPT authorization for each outside publisher when an editor approves a story pitch. To maintain F-1 status, it is important not to begin work for the employer until you have received your CPT authorization.

**CPT J-School Student Scenario 

Lucy completed an article in her Craft 1 South Bronx class about the South Bronx voter registration increase in anticipation of the 2024 United States Presidential election. Staten Island Tribune (a non-CUNY publication) would like to publish Lucy’s article.

Lucy was very excited to publish this article and remembered that, as an F-1 international student, she had to take certain steps to avoid violating her visa before her article could appear in the Staten Island Tribune.

Lucy must do the  following:

• Visit the Office of International Students webpage to complete a CPT Authorization form
• Complete Section 1 of the form.
• Email the employer (Staten Island Tribune) requesting they complete Section 2 of the form.
• After the forms are signed by the student (Lucy) and the employer, Lucy emails the forms to the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism Director of Academic Affairs at . Please note: When emailing the Director of Academic Affairs, Lucy includes what class this article was written for to be included on the CPT Authorization form (faculty name, course name, course number, and number of credits). *Please allow 24-48 hours for a signed copy of the form. 
• Once the CPT is signed by the employer, the student (Lucy), and the Director of Academic Affairs, the CPT Authorization form is emailed to the Office of International Students at to be signed by the Executive Officer. Please allow the Graduate Center 3-5 business days to process your request.

For additional information, please review the CPT Guide on the International Student Services website.

CPT Information for Employers

What is a CPT Authorization & Why Am I Asked to Sign It?

F-1 visa  international students enrolled in United States higher education institutions are required to complete and submit a CPT authorization (curricular practical training) form to their school’s International Student Services Office for any work whether paid or unpaid.  At the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, we require students to publish articles during their time in the program to build their portfolio as aspiring journalists and this requires a CPT authorization form. Writing/publishing an article is considered “work” and this includes being published by a non-CUNY publication in relation to the student’s academic studies.

The CPT Authorization is simply required paperwork that an F-1 visa international student needs to maintain their student visa while completing any work outside of school that is needed to meet school requirements. You, the employer, sign the form (along with the student and our Academic Affairs Office) to show that by working with you, the student is completing a requirement of their program to graduate.

The CPT Authorization protects the legal status of the student now and in the future. Whether the student is hired as an intern, publishing a single article in your publication, or  licensing content that they produced would be considered “work”.

Many of  our F-1 students have partnered with media outlets and have had their work featured in various digital and traditional publications. If you have further questions, please contact Colleen Leigh, Ed.D., Assistant Dean of Enrollment Management and Student Success at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at .

Please visit the Homeland Security Study in the States website for more information regarding the F-1 Curricular Practical Training Authorization form.

Internships and Employment

Internships

With the assistance of the J-School’s Office of Career Services, students graduate with on-the-job experience by enrolling in the 3-credit summer internship. F-1 international students must be enrolled/complete one academic year before they are eligible to apply for an internship. After completing the fall and spring semesters, F-1 students can participate in the required summer internship. You will receive more information regarding the 3-credit  summer internship requirements during new student orientation. We encourage you to visit the J-School’s Office of Career Services to learn more about the summer internship program and its services.

F-1 Student  Employment

Federal regulations allow F-1 status students to work on the J-School campus or an off-campus  CUNY office for up to 20 hours per week during the semester.  There is no hourly limit for on-campus employment during vacation periods when school is not in session.

J-1 Students Employment 

J-1 status students must receive on-campus employment authorization in SEVIS prior to commencing on-campus employment.  Please submit your completed J-1 On-Campus Employment Request Form to the Office of International Students to receive authorization.

Off-campus Employment

International Students must not begin any kind of employment off campus (i.e., outside CUNY) without (a) receiving authorization from either the Office of International Students or U.S. Immigration Services (USCIS) and (b) determining the applicable limit on the number of hours of employment permitted per week, the duration for which the employment may continue and employment reporting requirements. Students who work outside the regulations will be in violation of their immigration status.

Applying for a Social Security Number

If employed as a College Assistant, you must apply for a social security number to be placed on payroll. For more information about obtaining a social security number, please visit the International Student Services Office to work with an advisor.  To review the requirements and steps to apply for a social security number, please visit the Graduate Center’s International Students Services Office.

Tax Information

All international students are subject to taxation on all U.S. source income and must file annual reports (“tax returns”) with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regardless of whether or not they received any income. Taxes are due every year on April 15th for the prior year.  The Office of International Students holds tax workshops every February or March. Please contact their office at or visit their website for this information.

Please note. The J-School and the Office of International Students cannot provide income tax advice. However, please visit this page for more information regarding income tax resources.

Optional Practical Training (OPT)

(F-1 students only)

Post-Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a 12-month period of work authorization given to an F-1 status student who has completed their program of study. OPT is meant to help students gain practical work experience directly related to their field of study immediately following graduation. Please note, F-1 status J-School students on an initial 12-month period of post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT), who have graduated, may be eligible to apply for an additional 24-month period of STEM OPT employment authorization.

Please visit the Office of International Students for more information regarding the OPT process and the possible extension at CUNY.

For general information regarding Optional Practical Training (OPT) and STEM OPT, please visit: Homeland Security Study in the States.

Below are the upcoming dates for the CUNY Graduate Center’s OPT information session:

To be announced.

Asylum Seeking Students

If you identify as an asylum seeker, please reach out to Colleen Leigh, Assistant Dean of Enrollment and Student Success. Also, please visit the  CUNY Citizenship Now website for available resources (legal services,  events etc.). 

Message from J-School  Writing Coach Diane Nottle

ESL and writing coach

Bio: https://www.journalism.cuny.edu/faculty/diane-nottle/

Hello! My main role at the J-school is to help international students and anyone else whose first language is not English with any aspect of it. Most people think of me as a writing coach, and I am, especially in the first semester. (I also coach native speakers on writing.) My philosophy is that the best way to learn journalistic writing is by being edited, and my approach is to combine editing with teaching. I can also help with speaking, journalism skills and practices, scripts, presentation skills, applications (in coordination with Career Services), time management, and any particular problems you have with English.

Coaching is one-on-one and entirely voluntary unless your professors require it. I continue working mostly remotely but am happy to meet you at school if needed. My schedule is fairly flexible. I’m a journalist and understand breaking news, irregular schedules, and last-minute interviews. And yes, I’m available on weekends and evenings. To schedule a meeting, please email me at

Among the resources I use are the English for Journalists blog and my book American English for World Media (ebook available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, hard copies from me). Here’s a blog post on how coaching works. An excerpt on the courtesies of coaching:

Don’t wait until the last minute to ask. Let me know it’s coming. A day or two in advance will usually do. Say EXACTLY when your story is due. Not Monday, not Monday at 9, but Monday at 9 p.m. Say roughly when you expect to file it. And then FILE IT. If the deadline or anything else changes, let me know.

Think of coaching as an investment. It is free; all you need to invest is the time. Don’t wait until your third semester and then regret that you didn’t come sooner, as too many students do. If you need help, just ask – promptly.

Know Your Rights

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