University programs

VISITORS TO THIS PAGE PLEASE NOTE: The brief descriptions of the programs above were written based on information found at each school’s website. If the information is incomplete, out of date or incorrect, please let us know.

VISITORS TO THIS PAGE PLEASE NOTE: The brief descriptions of the programs above were written based on information found at each school’s website. If the information is incomplete, out of date or incorrect, please let us know.

Contact:
Melanie Coulson, education editor
and/or
Tamara Baluja, associate editor

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

Carleton University
In Ottawa, Carleton offers a four-year undergraduate program, in which all students receive practical instruction and workshop courses in print, radio, television and online journalism, along with a series of academic and lecture-based courses to prepare them to work as journalists. In their final year, they choose two advanced workshop courses from a range of media, allowing them to specialize in the media of their choice, and produce newspapers, radio shows, television shows, or an online magazine for public audiences. Many students also do combined majors in journalism and other fields of study. Approximately 230 students are admitted to the undergraduate program each year.

Concordia University
In Montreal, Concordia offers a three-year undergraduate program in which students learn practical skills in radio, television, print and online production workshops, along with a series of academic courses. They can choose to major in print, broadcast, or a stream that encompasses print, broadcast and online journalism. A working knowledge of French is required for graduation. About 80-90 students are admitted each year.

Kwantlen University College
Offered the Surrey, Langley, and Richmond campuses, in British Columbia, Kwantlen offers a four-year degree program in which students earn a Bachelor of Journalism, or an Honours Bachelor of Journalism. The programs are focused on academic studies and practical training that include photojournalism and multimedia storytelling. Students who choose to complete an Honours degree do so by completing additional courses which include an Honours seminar, and directed studies during which they will work independently on a specific area with a faculty advisor on a research and writing project. .

Wilfrid Laurier University-Brantford
The Brantford campus of Wilfrid Laurier University offers a four-year Bachelor of Arts in Journalism which offers practical instruction and workshop courses in print, radio, television and online journalism, along with a series of academic and lecture-based courses to prepare students to work as journalists. Students can specialize in four areas: print, new and emerging media, broadcasting, and public relations, some of which include study at a community college post-graduate certificate program. In Year 3, students in the Broadcast Journalism, Public Relations, and Emerging Journalism and New Media concentrations apply to Conestoga College and enroll in their respective one-year graduate certificate program .. Approximately 60 students are admitted to the undergraduate program each year.

Mount Royal University
Mount Royal University in Calgary offers a four-year Bachelor of Applied Communications – Journalism program, in which all students receive practical instruction and workshop courses in print, photo, radio, television and online journalism along with at least one term of work experience in media. Students also take courses in arts and science. Approximately 50 students are admitted to the undergraduate program each year.

Ryerson University
In Toronto, Ryerson offers a four-year Bachelor of Journalism degree in which students get a combined generalist and specialized education. In their first two years, students learn the fundamentals of research, reporting and writing, as well as the basics of online and broadcast news. After that, they may choose to concentrate in a specific medium (online, newspaper, magazine or broadcast) or gain expertise in a cross-media skill such as editing, or in a specific beat in journalism (including sports, business or international reporting). The final year includes an optional internship at a professional news organization, and the chance to produce a newspaper, magazine, online news portal, or radio or TV program. A variety of liberal studies courses are required, and a minor in economics, politics, English, law or other areas is optional. Approximately 150 students are admitted to the program each year.

St. Thomas University
In Fredericton, New Brunswick, St. Thomas University offers a four-year Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, in which students receive practical and theoretical instruction and workshop courses in print, radio, photo, television and online journalism.  A maximum of 25 students are accepted into the program each year.  It is the only one in Canada that has a unique partnership with CBC; where broadcast classes are taught out of the CBC building and students can do internships at CBC during the school year.  All the Professors have been or are currently working Journalists.  The program is offered as a B.A. so that students get a quality liberal arts education with transferable skills for a flexible career path.  Students can also pursue more than one major if they wish to have more knowledge on a specific subject they would like to report on.

Thompson Rivers University

In Kamloops, B.C., Thompson Rivers University offers a "two-plus-two" Bachelor of Journalism program: students enter the J-school in their third year of university (having already earned 60 university credits) and complete their last two years in the J-school, where they receive practical instruction and workshop courses in print and online journalism, along with a series of academic and lecture-based courses to prepare them to work as journalists.  Faculty offer special expertise in the following areas:  environmental journalism, newspaper writing and production, investigative, issues, and literary journalism, beat reporting (including business, arts, political, and health reporting), internship preparation, and online journalism.  Approximately 25 students are admitted to the undergraduate program each year. Thompson Rivers also offers a post-baccalaureate diploma in journalism for university graduates but takes only up to five students a year.

Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal offers a French language, two-year certificate in Journalism for university graduates, in which all students receive practical instruction and workshop courses in print, radio, photo, television and online journalism, along with a series of academic and lecture-based courses to prepare them to work as journalists.

Université du Québec à Montréal
The Université du Québec à Montréal offers a French language, four-year Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, in which all students receive practical instruction and workshop courses in print, radio, photo, television and online journalism, along with a series of academic and lecture-based courses to prepare them to work as journalists.

University of King’s College
In Halifax, the University of King’s College offers a four-year Bachelor of Journalism, in which all students receive practical instruction and workshop courses in print, radio, television and online journalism, along with a series of academic and lecture-based courses to prepare them to work as journalists. They offer specialized training in radio and television documentary, magazine, narrative non-fiction and investigative reporting. Approximately 40 students are admitted to the program each year. The College also offers a one-year Bachelor of Journalism program for university graduates, which admits 40 students annually.

University of Regina
The University of Regina offers a Bachelor of Journalism program (BJ), as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism program (BAJ). Both consist of two years of undergraduate study, in which all students receive practical instruction and workshop courses in print, radio, television and online journalism, along with a series of academic and lecture-based courses to prepare them to work as journalists. Students must have a previous degree or at least two years of pre-journalism to apply. Approximately 26 students are admitted to each undergraduate program each year.

University of Windsor 

The University of Windsor offers a combined honours digital journalism degree. Students learn the theoretical perspectives and technical skills journalists need to compete in the rapidly changing digital marketplace combined with an academic discipline in a four-year honours degree. The goal of the program is to graduate journalists who can find work in mainstream, alternative and citizen media. 

Vancouver Island University
In Nanaimo, (once called Malaspina University-College) Vancouver Island University provides students with the Bachelor of Arts program in Creative Writing & Journalism. Students have the opportunity to combine applied and creative writing skills with a background in all aspects of print and electronic publishing including editing, distribution, promotion, and production of print materials. The school also provides a minor in Creative Writing & Journalism.

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Carleton University
Ottawa’s Carleton University offers two programs which lead to a Master’s degree in journalism — a two-year program for those with undergraduate degrees, and a one-year program for professional journalists with at least five year’s experience, or those who hold the equivalent of Carleton’s Honours Bachelor of Journalism degree. Those accepted into the two-year Master’s program take one year of journalism fundamentals in print, radio, and T.V., as well as academic classes in journalism and society, media law, research methods, and professional practices. In their second year, students take advanced workshops in two of the four media: print, radio, television or online journalism, as well as advanced academic courses in print and broadcast journalism, public affairs reporting and other optional courses. Students in both programs can also choose to pursue a more academic Journalism Studies stream. Students in both programs must complete a complete a Master’s Research Project or a two-credit Master’s Thesis — a sustained piece of current affairs journalism in a medium of their choosing, or an academic thesis on a journalism topic. Students have the option of completing unpaid apprenticeships organized through the School of Journalism, and they must have 16 weeks of hands-on journalism experience to graduate. Most two-year Master’s students work as paid Teaching or Research Assistants throughout the year. The school admits about 20 people in the two-year program, and about 5 or 6 into the one-year program.

Concordia University
Concordia offers two distinct graduate programs:  a one-year Graduate Diploma and a two-year MA in Journalism Studies.  The Graduate Diploma in Journalism provides a thorough and intensive professional formation for those students who already have at least an undergraduate degree in another field of study. This program begins in June each year and finishes in April. The courses are concentrated along two axes. The emphasis in the production workshops – radio and television broadcasting, print and on-line media – is on practical skills, with newsroom and production standards applied to all assignments and activities. Complementing these workshops are the seminars and lecture-based courses which concentrate on the theoretical and analytical dimensions of journalism education, with a particular focus on the social, economic, political and ideological contexts in which journalism is practiced.  The MA in Journalism Studies is intended for students and mid-career journalists who seek a thorough introduction to the theory, the literature and the research methodologies pertaining to the critical-analytical study of journalism as an institution and a practice.  It is not intended for students seeking training to become a journalist. Students in this program will undertake course work in journalism history, political economy and research methods, with a number of elective choices (e.g., journalism ethics, mediating diversity, international journalism, textual approaches to journalism).  Students' program of study will culminate in a thesis based on original research under the supervision of a qualified faculty member.

Ryerson University
Toronto’s Ryerson University offers a two-year Master’s of Journalism degree to students with any kind of four-year undergraduate degree. Students take classes in newspapers, magazine, broadcast and new media, as well as core classes such as research methods, urban politics and society, covering the city, ethics and law, and journalism history. Students must complete an internship in a newsroom or editorial office. In keeping with the professional nature of the degree, the Master’s project is a substantial piece of journalistic work in the student’s chosen medium. Students must also take interdisciplinary graduate courses offered by Ryerson’s Faculty of Communication and Design, and are expected to complete an internship in the spring and summer of their first year. The program accepts about 28 students each year. 

Université Laval
The Université Laval in Quebec City offers an 11-month post-graduate degree (from September to July) in international journalism. The program is open to students who already have a degree in journalism (or have taken at least 30 credits of journalism as a part of another degree), who have a university degree with relevant journalism experience, or who may have no degree but have substantial journalism experience. Applicants must be fluent in French and English, and entrance to the school requires a test in both languages, a question about an international situation, and an interview. Students complete their first trimester at Laval, taking courses in international relations. They then take classes in specialization news at the Graduate School of Journalism of Lille, France, the City University of London or the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, from January to April. Students finish their degree by completing a work placement from May to July.

University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia in Vancouver has a two-year Master of Journalism program that runs over four terms, plus a three-month summer internship. The program combines the student’s academic interests with courses in media ethics and theory, alongside applied training in online, print, radio and TV journalism. Students take classes in all media in their first year, in a core course called Multiplatform Journalism. They can specialize in academic disciplines relevant to their interests, such as English, International Relations and Political Science, and Environmental and Health Studies. The program also offers a special Science Initiative to prepare students for careers in science reporting. Students can complete their 12-week internships in Canada or internationally.

University of King's College
The University of King’s College offers a one-year Master of Journalism that is designed for those who already have a strong background in journalism. The program begins in June, is built on a core of digital multimedia journalism and offers two specializations: New Ventures and Investigative Reporting. The New Ventures stream is for students who want to direct the future of journalism by creating new websites, apps, publications and news and feature services. The Investigative Reporting stream is for students who want to take a deep dive into data journalism and higher-level skills of investigative reporting. Both streams finish with a professional project during which students are mentored by experts in the field. The program is restricted to students who have an undergraduate degree in journalism, or very deep experience as a professional journalist.

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs offers an eight-month Fellowship in Global Journalism. After a six-week bootcamp in Toronto, fellows can complete the program from anywhere in the world. Global Journalism students will return to their profession and work part-time as a freelance journalist for media in print, online, television and radio. Munk says the job of its Global Affairs Fellowship program is to mentor students in their first year covering their specialty "in less time than most Master of Journalism degrees." Students will learn how to identify and pitch stories, investigate and report in written, video and audio form. The program also places a focus on how to compete as a global freelancer from some of the world's most successful freelancers. Students attend a series of lectures from leading journalists around the world.

University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario in London offers a one-year Master of Arts in Journalism program. The program runs for 12 consecutive months, from May to mid-April of the following year. The program combines an academic foundation with hands-on journalism skills. Academic courses include Law and Ethics, Media Theory and Criticism, Media and Politics, Research Methods and Media Organizations. Students take classes in print, radio, TV, and new media. On TV, students’ productions are shown in five half-hour productions on London's local station, the New PL. At the end of the fall term, students are placed in unpaid four-week internships at a variety of national news organizations, including CBC, The Globe and Mail, National Post, and CTV Newsnet.

See College programs
See Joint programs