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If I would like to be a journalist with an international focus, should I major in journalism or international relations?

My goal is to work in journalism, however I'm not sure which major would be best. I know that journalism is a competitive major, and an international relations degree offers more versatility, so I would like to study both. My choices are to major in journalism and minor in international relations, major in international relations and minor in journalism, or double major in both.

#journalism #international-relations #college #college-major

college-major journalism international-relations
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John’s Answer

Hi there Tamron! In my experience, I would suggest double majoring in both subjects, as well as working on a campus paper or campus digital news outlet if the opportunity is available. The hands-on journalism experience combined with classroom journalism learning is an excellent combination that will give you a good window into the nuts and bolts of the industry before graduation. Also, majoring in international relations will help give you a good subject-matter foundation to build upon in the future. I worked as a newspaper reporter for several years, and I found that you always need to be prepared to learn new things on the job to best tell your stories. The knowledge base from that second major will also help you learn how to keep on learning. Good luck!

John recommends the following next steps:

Speak to an advisor about available options.
Join campus newspapers/news outlets for hands-on experience.
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Ashley’s Answer

Hi Tamron. Personally, I would suggest majoring in journalism and minor in international relations. That way, you get the journalism skills you'll need to use with the background in international relations. Your primary focus should definitely be journalism. Best of luck!

Ashley recommends the following next steps:

Talk to an advisor about other options that may be available
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Keith’s Answer

I don't think it matters hugely, do what you enjoy. You should be passionate about current affairs in its broadest sense and be prepared to read widely around this whether you major in IR or not. I would also strongly recommend that you get involved in your university newspapers etc so you can demonstrate/practice your writing capability. A news organisation will want to see both a good understanding of macro global geo/political issues and also an ability to write about it in a engaging and concise style.
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