Journalist
📰Finds and checks facts, interviews people, writes news and features, films reports and runs investigations.
Prospects & pay
What the work is like
💼 Job market
🇺🇸 $89.4k a year on average · -5.9% jobs by 2035 · 3,400 openings a year
News analysts, reporters, and journalists — US: Census ACS 2020–24 (full-time), BLS projections 2025–35
🇬🇧 £43.3k median a year · 14,000 jobs
Newspaper and periodical journalists and reporters — UK: ONS ASHE 2025 (full-time)
🤖 AI & automation
AI writes news from press releases and roundups; on-the-ground reporting, investigations, sources and fact-checking are what count.
Who it suits
Interests: ✍️ Writing and literature, 📱 Media, content, advertising, 🏛️ History, society, politics.
Key strengths: speaking and writing, understanding people.
Where to study
- Bachelor's BA Journalism, or any degree (politics, history, English)
- Master's MA Journalism (e.g. Columbia, City in London); NCTJ Diploma (UK)
- Apprenticeship Journalism apprenticeships at newspapers and broadcasters (UK)
Key school subjects (A-level / IB / AP): English Literature, Politics, History.
🧗 A journalism degree or any humanities degree, often followed by an MA (Columbia in the US, City in London) or the NCTJ Diploma in the UK. Newsroom apprenticeships exist. Clips, internships and portfolio decide.
Universities
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- City St George's, University of London London
BA Journalism; Attestat + foundation; IELTS usually 6.5–7.0; site not reachable * - Cardiff University Cardiff
Journalism and media; Attestat + foundation; IELTS usually 6.5; site not reachable * - Goldsmiths, University of London London · €27.5k/yr
BA Media & Communications £23,900 (2027/28); IELTS 6.0 (writing 6.0, others ≥5.5); integrated foundation year option
🇺🇸 United States
- Northwestern University (Medill School of Journalism) Evanston, IL · €63.6k/yr
Common App; TOEFL/IELTS/DET for non-native speakers; aid for internationals limited (need-aware) - University of Missouri Columbia, MO · €34.5k–38.1k/yr
international rate $39.7–43.8k by major; TOEFL/IELTS/DET for non-native speakers - Syracuse University (Newhouse School) Syracuse, NY · €60.2k/yr
Common App; TOEFL/IELTS/DET for non-native speakers; ≈ $96–99k/yr with housing
🇩🇪 Germany
- LMU Munich Munich · free
No tuition; DSH-2, TestDaF 4 in all parts, telc C1 Hochschule; without it at least B2 to apply; medicine: non-EU quota - TU Dortmund University Dortmund · free
No tuition; German C1 (DSH-2/TestDaF 4x4); journalism has its own selection * - Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Mainz · free
No tuition; German C1 (DSH-2/TestDaF 4x4); Russian certificate: via Studienkolleg Mainz *
🇳🇱 Netherlands
- University of Amsterdam Amsterdam · €17.5k/yr
Certificate + usually 1 university year (Diploma finder); IELTS 6.5 (PPLE 7.0); medicine is Dutch-taught, numerus fixus, €34,700 - Erasmus University Rotterdam Rotterdam · €13.5k–32.2k/yr
Certificate + usually 1 university year; IELTS ≈ 6.5; medicine is Dutch-taught, numerus fixus (400 places), €32,200 - Fontys School of Journalism Tilburg
Dutch-taught HBO: certificate equals HAVO, Dutch NT2-II *
🇫🇷 France
- Sciences Po Journalism School Paris
Master's only (journalism); first do a bachelor's elsewhere * - École supérieure de journalisme de Lille Lille
Concours after a bachelor’s (bac+3); in French * - CELSA – Sorbonne University Neuilly-sur-Seine
Entry into licence year 3 (after bac+2) by concours; in French *
🇮🇹 Italy
- IULM University Milan
Private university: 12 school years, B2 in the language of study, entrance test * - Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Milan
9 English-taught bachelor's (Communication Management, Finance, Psychology etc.); English B2, selection by documents - University of Bologna (Communication Sciences) Bologna · €1.2k/yr
Taught in Italian: Italian B2, TOLC test; 12 school years *
🇪🇸 Spain
- University of Navarra (School of Communication) Pamplona · €13.9k–17.5k/yr
Private: own admission process; year 1 €13,900–17,500 (2026/27) - Complutense University of Madrid (Information Sciences) Madrid · €6.8k–8.2k/yr
Spanish B2 required; homologation + UNEDasiss, PCE; non-EU pay 4th-attempt rate - Autonomous University of Barcelona Bellaterra · €1.8k/yr
Homologation + UNEDasiss, PCE for score; some classes in Catalan; non-EU €30/ECTS *
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
- Charles University Prague · free
Free in Czech (Czech ≈B2 + exams, ÚJOP course); English programmes €40–30,620/yr - Masaryk University Brno · €0–16k/yr
Free in Czech; English €2,700–7,500/yr (Informatics €4,500), Medicine CZK 380,000; Czech ≈B2 + entrance exams - Palacký University Olomouc Olomouc · €0–14k/yr
Free in Czech (Czech ≈B2 + exams); in English: Medicine €12,500, Dentistry €14,000/yr
Things to know
🧳 Frequent work trips🌙 Night shifts and on-call🎤 Public speaking, being on camera
Similar careers
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