In their second semester, students begin studying a subject specialty that they select at the end of the first semester from six options.

Students take two or three courses in a subject concentration that build upon one another. However, they also have the flexibility to take a course that interests them in another concentration or select from a handful of electives.

The purpose is to develop an expertise in an area that could be pursued following graduation. Once students develop the skills required to be an analytic journalist in one specialty area, those skills can be applied to covering any specialty or beat area in the future.