Specialized Journalism (MA)
Specializations
Develop the skills, critical thinking and expertise to report on the ongoing struggles over race, equality and justice in America. Students will deepen their understanding of the struggle for racial equality and justice through the study of critical theories of race, the lived experiences... Read more
Curriculum
The Master of Arts in Specialized Journalism is a program geared toward experienced journalists seeking subject matter expertise and toward experienced professionals in other fields seeking journalism skills to advance their expertise. The program is also open to recent School of Journalism graduates with records of excellence in their university... Read more
Alumni Audrey Yap, Class of 2015, writes in Atlantic Monthly
Master of Specialized Journalism alumni Audrey Cleo Yap wrote an article for Atlantic Monthly titled "The Changing Face of America’s Chinese Schools." Please read her article here .
Yap was also featured on...
Matt Yoka
Matt Yoka, MSJ ’14, is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer, director and producer who works primarily for Vice Media.
“The Specialized Journalism program endorses and fosters a veracious story telling spirit. With close to zero limitations on what and how the story should and can be told, the environment is ripe for independent and ambitious minds. Also worth noting, the workload is...
Master of Specialized Journalism Thesis Projects
Kelli O’Mara, Class of 2015, Sports
“At USC, I got to work on challenging projects I never would have had the chance to otherwise, whether that was learning how to shoot mini-documentary about obstacle course racing or building an entire interactive website from scratch. My thesis advisor walked me through the steps I needed to code and build my website, which was designed to be a...
Jennifer Maytorena Taylor
Class of 2011
I had already been working steadily as a producer and director of documentary films and public television programs for about 15 years when I was accepted for admission to the Masters of Specialized Journalism program.
I had just finished a feature documentary called New Muslim Cool for the POV series on PBS, and it felt like the right time in my career to re-tool...
JOUR 596: Follow the Money: Business and Economics Reporting
Here is a series of stories students enrolled in:
Everything is a business story. You just have to know how to look at it. It’s a mantra I repeat frequently to my students.
This past spring, I set out to prove it in my graduate business reporting class, Follow the Money. Our topic: the environment. Many think of the environment as a story about science, government policy, or...