In collaboration with the university’s Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Environment, Policy, and Society, the school offers students the opportunity to earn both the master’s degree in journalism, with an emphasis in environmental journalism, and the certificate in Environmental Policy. The time to complete the degree and the certificate is estimated to be about two years.

Course Requirements for the Certificate Program
A total of 48 credit hours are required to graduate with an environmental emphasis in both print and broadcast.

To qualify for the certificate, students must complete at least 18 hours of course work from the more than 40 courses in environmental policy and policy sciences offered at CU-Boulder, including the two capstone seminars. No more than 6 of the 18 hours required for the certificate may be in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. For students seeking the certificate, the following adjustments to the journalism program are recommended:

Journalism Core Requirements (9 hours)
JOUR 5511 Newsgathering 1, fall semester
JOUR 5521 Precision Journalism, fall semester
JOUR 6651 Press and the Constitution, second fall semester

Combo Print and Broadcast Requirements (21 hours)
JOUR 5514 TV Newsgathering, fall semester
JOUR 5552 News Editing, second fall or spring semester
JOUR 5502 Newsgathering 2, second fall, spring or summer semester
JOUR 5344 TV Documentary, or JOUR 5524 TV Investigative Reporting, of JOUR 5624 NewsTeam, or JOUR 5512 In-Depth Reporting, or JOUR 5802 Magazine and Feature Writing
JOUR 5851 Professional Project – Print or Broadcast  
JOUR 6661 Media Ethics or JOUR 6771 History of Mass Comm
One conceptual course. See Master's Courses

Required Electives (18 hours)
JOUR 5822 Reporting on the Environment, spring semester
JOUR 5812 Science Writing, fall semester
Four Environmental Certificate courses

Professional Project
Combo students may choose to complete either the Broadcast or Print professional project on an environmental subject. Students completing the Broadcast project will defend audio and video work produced in NewsTeam, Investigative Reporting and Broadcast electives. Students will submit their products and accompanying support materials at an oral defense before their committee.

Students completing the print professional project will produce a major product typical of the work done by professionals in the field — e.g., a well-researched magazine article; a package of opinion pieces; or a rationale, design and mock-up for a magazine with sample articles. Students will submit their products and accompanying support materials at an oral defense before their committee.

Degree requirements are subject to change.

Center for Environmental Journalism

Certificate in Environment, Policy, and Society

View all master's courses

More about applying to graduate programs

Contact
sjmcgrad@spot.colorado.edu
303-492-5008
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Armory Building
1511 University Ave.
478 UCB
University of Colorado, Boulder
Boulder, CO 80309-0478
303-492-5007