There have been various attempts to rank journalism schools, and the question of which are the “best” or “top” journalism schools is frequently raised on the internet by students. Many institutions claim to be leading schools of journalism, and there is inevitably debate about which are the most appropriate criteria with which to evaluate and judge journalism schools. Awards are obvious indicators of a quality J-school, as are the quality of school graduates.
[edit] Australia and New Zealand

In Australia, a ranking of all journalism schools in the country has been assembled based on graduating students’ assessments of the quality of their courses: [1]. Top journalism schools in Australia include University of Technology Sydney, RMIT, Charles Sturt University, Jschool, University of the Sunshine Coast, and Edith Cowan University. The New Zealand Training Organisation has published a list of that country’s journalism schools recognised by industry.[2]
[edit] Europe

The Centre de Formation des Journalistes ( CFJ[5]) was founded in 1946 by two Resistance leaders, although both Ecole Superieure de Journalisme of Paris and Lille had been founded earlier (1899 and 1924 respectively). Located on the rue du Louvre in Paris, many of the leading journalists in France today graduated from this school and come back to help train today’s students. Other main French journalisme schools are École supérieure de journalisme de Lille, created in 1924, Ecole de journalisme de Sciences Po, CELSA, École supérieure de journalisme de Paris and Institut Pratique du Journalisme, all in Paris.

Europe’s most long-established postgraduate centre of journalism education is the highly-regarded School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies at Cardiff University which was founded in 1970 by Sir Tom Hopkinson. The course was also the UK’s top-rated course by the National Council for the Training of Journalists for the academic year 2007/8 [6]. The London School of Journalism (LSJ) is an independent and highly acclaimed institution with well-recognised Postgraduate programs in Journalism and writing.

London’s City University, Sheffield, University of Central Lancashire, Liverpool John Moores and Kingston University also have well-respected journalism departments, and is developing fully converged journalism courses without reference to separate production disciplines such as radio journalism, newspaper journalism or magazine journalism. Issues from a European perspective in evaluating journalism schools are discussed by the president of the European Journalism Training Association: [3].

In Russia, the MSU Faculty of Journalism is the leading journalism school. The majority of textbooks on journalism in Russian were written by MSU scientists.

In Minsk (Belarus) The Institute of Journalism of BSU is one of the leading scientific and educational centers in the sphere of Mass Media on the territory of the former soviet countries. It possesses a high scientific and pedagogical potential and it’s able to prepare high-qualified professionals of Mass Media ready to work in Belarus and abroad.

In Spain, the School of Communication of the University of Navarre is the most prestigious and many of the top journalists in Spain have studied in this School, founded in 1958.
[edit] Latin America

An evaluation of developments in journalism education in Latin America has been undertaken by Professor Rosental Calmon Alves[4].

JOURNALISM SCHOOLS IN COLOMBIA

In Colombia, the high court determined in 1998 that journalism was not a career. This High court said that journalism is a human right, not a profession.

Because of the ruling there are many schools of communications in Colombia where people study to work in mainly enterprises, but not in mass media

There are only two schools of journalism:

University of Antioquia, a public institution in Medellín, offers Journalism inside the Communications faculty.[7] And University of Rosario in Bogotá, a private institution offers Public Opinion Journalism[8]
[edit] North America

A listing (unranked) of Canadian journalism schools has been assembled by Canadian-Universities.net [5]. Journalism schools are listed and classified on the “J-Schools & Programs” page of The Canadian Journalism Project

In the United States the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) [6] applies nine standards in evaluating university programs: mission, governance and administration; curriculum and instruction; diversity and inclusiveness; full-time and part-time faculty; scholarship: research, creative and professional activity; student services; resources, facilities and equipment; professional and public service; and assessment of learning outcomes. The ACEJMCC has awarded accreditation to 109 university and college programs of study in journalism and mass communications, but does not attempt to rank the courses or programs. It accredits colleges, schools, Departments or “Divisions. The listing of a unit as accredited indicates that the unit has been judged by ACEJMC to meet its standards. That judgment is rendered after a self-study prepared by the faculty and administration of the unit and an independent evaluation of the unit by educators and practitioners.The listing shows the bachelor’s and professional master’s degree programs that were examined during the unit’s most recent accreditation review. Some units offer degrees in addition to those listed here. ACEJMC does not accredit programs leading to the Ph.D., which is considered a research (and not a professional) degree. The Council does not list sequences or specialties.

Editor & Publisher has presented an unranked list of leading journalism schools [7], while U.S. News & World Report produces annual lists of the top schools in advertising, print, and other categories based on responses to questionnaires sent to deans and faculty members. A list based on a variety of resources claims to identify the “ten most popular journalism schools in the United States”[8]. One critic has pointed to the anecdotal nature of much j-school ranking in the absence of effective tracking of journalism graduates’ career paths[9].
[edit] Debate about the role of journalism schools

From Wikipedia

Journalism is the timely reporting of events at the local, provincial, national and international levels. Reporting involves the gathering of information through interviewing and research, the results of which are turned into a fair and balanced story for publication or for television or radio broadcast.

Journalism is not just

* fact-finding
* media analysis
* opinion writing, or
* commentary

although all of those aspects can play a part at times.

What do beginning journalists do?

Journalists who are starting their careers normally do not do commentary or opinion pieces. Rather, they cover hard news stories such as community news, courts, crime and speeches by notable people. In broadcast, beginning journalists also may do pre-interviews and research for senior journalists.

An entry-level reporter often does “general assignment” stories rather than stories for a specific beat. General assignment stories are given out to reporters by the city desk or assignment editor.

Is journalism for you?

Asking yourself the questions below will help you determine whether journalism is a good career choice for you.

* Do you regularly read at least one newspaper or consult an online equivalent, such as GlobeandMail.com?
* Do you regularly watch or listen to television or radio newscasts?
* Is it important to you to keep up with current events?
* Are you interested in other people’s lives?
* Are you able to talk to a wide variety of people?
* Do you work well to deadlines?
* Are you persistent and willing to dig for information?
* Have you mastered basic writing skills? (see below for expectations)

If you answered NO to even one of the above questions, you may want to think again about whether journalism is a good match for your interests and abilities.

What does the Journalism Program at Western cover?

The Master of Arts in Journalism is a well-rounded, professional program that prepares graduates for entry-level positions in newsrooms. The program stresses a balance of academic and practical courses and offers a solid grounding in the basic tools and practices of print, broadcast and online journalism. The curriculum of the Master of Arts in Journalism program is not focused on producing graduates to work in public relations or communications positions.

Expectation of writing ability in the journalism program

It is expected that students entering the MA in Journalism program have mastered basic writing skills, including grammar, syntax and the ability to conceptualize and articulate ideas in writing. It is also expected that students possess the ability to write in English at a post-graduate level. The Admissions Panel assumes that the entrance essay provided by applicants is entirely their own work and is an accurate reflection of their writing ability. Journalism, by necessity, requires that its practitioners produce clean, competent copy on deadline, often without the benefit of external editing or extensive rewriting. Students who do not meet the expectations of writing may not achieve marks necessary for progression and could be required to withdraw from the program.

Source: What is journalism