Your Guide to Distance Learning Journalism Courses
Journalists, also referred to as writers, collect, write, edit, and present information and news in either print form, on the Internet, or through radio and television broadcasts. Distant learning journalism courses help to prepare students for a career in journalism. They can also help current journalists up-to-date with the changes in the world of journalism.
Required Courses
There are no required courses because students will just take the courses they wish to take. Common topics for journalism courses include news journalism, media law, freelance writing, Internet journalism, sports writing, subediting, travel writing, and the arts and music writing.
There are also educational courses for improving English skills, English literature, English for business, and English history.
Common creative courses include short story writing, newspaper cartooning, novel writing, poetry writing, writing best sellers, writing for children, writing romantic novels, and personal history writing.
Average Completion Time
Completion time depends on the student and the course. Some courses allow students to completely work at their own pace while others expect students to finish in a set period of time. Some students may need two months while others will need six months. However, most courses require students to submit work regularly. Students who take more than one course at a time will take longer to complete them than students who take only one course at a time.
Top Online Schools
The London School of Journalism provides a variety of journalism and writing courses to students throughout the world. Students will have two years to complete each course they take. To enroll, students need to simply choose the course they wish to take, how they wish to complete the course, their payment method, their enrollment method, make sure everything is accurate and they are done.
The cost of each course is different. They average about $500.00 to $600.00 per course. This cost includes all study materials as well as the total cost of the course. Students can choose to pay the full amount of the course upfront or they can choose to make monthly payments.
Stanford University offers online writing classes through a program called the Online Writer’s Studio. All adults can enroll and they welcome all writing skill levels. Students should make sure to enroll early because classes are limited to 17 students. Students must have a personal home computer with an internet connection and a browser with cookies and JavaScript enabled. Each course lasts ten weeks.
Students will need to purchase the required textbooks. The cost of each writing course offered varies greatly. The average is from between $300.00 and $1,000.00 per writing course.
Possible Careers
Journalists have a wide variety of career opportunities. They can choose to work in broadcasting, for small companies, for major magazines and newspapers, for online websites, and for large corporations. They can also work on a freelance basis. Freelance journalists can work in all of the same areas that non-freelancers can. The only difference is that a freelance journalist does most of their work from their home.
Career Outlook and Salary
The average median salary for a journalist is $50,000.00 per year. However, there are many factors that determine a person’s salary. These include industry, geographic location, amount of experience, amount of education, and employer.
Why is it Better to Obtain this Degree Online?
These courses can be taken through correspondence or online. These courses allow students to hone their writing skills to either advance their career or begin a new one from the privacy of their own home. Students will save time and money because they will not have to commute to school or sit through long lecture classes like they would if they were taking these courses on a traditional college or university campus. Students will have more time for family, friends, their career, and other responsibilities.
Distant learning journalism courses will help you hone your writing and journalism skills to help you in your current career or to help you make a career change. These courses can help with all types of writing from creative writing and poetry to news and technical writing.
Resources
Payscale.com. (2010). Journalist. Retrieved on February 15, 2010 from Payscale.com: https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Journalist/Salary/by_Industry
Image Credits
Hour Glass: O m – sxc.hu
Newspaper: Quil – sxc.hu
