Journalism Major – Business Journalism Track

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

City University of New York

Program Overview

The Journalism Major – Business Journalism Track at Baruch College prepares students to report and communicate complex business, financial, and economic information for newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and digital platforms. It is especially suited to students who want to combine strong writing and reporting skills with an understanding of companies, financial markets, economic trends, data, and the role of journalism in society.

Curriculum Structure:

Year 1: Students begin by developing their understanding of journalism and the modern information environment through JRN 2500 The Individual and the News in the Information Age. This foundation helps students evaluate information sources and prepares them for more specialized reporting, research, interviewing, and writing work later in the major.

Year 2: Students move into the core of Business Journalism with JRN 3200 Business and Financial Journalism, JRN 3220 Media Ethics and Law, and JRN 3510 Multimedia Reporting. Together, these courses build the ability to report business stories accurately, understand legal and ethical responsibilities, work across media formats, and communicate financial information clearly.

Year 3: Students can strengthen their business specialization through electives such as JRN 3201 Covering the Financial Markets, JRN 3202 Covering Wealth and Poverty, and JRN 3800 Covering Climate Change, while additional options such as JRN 3450 Journalistic Blogging and JRN 3530 Journalistic Podcasting expand their digital storytelling skills. This stage allows students to connect economic and financial reporting with wider social issues and contemporary media formats.

Year 4: Advanced study brings together reporting, analysis, and professional practice through options such as JRN 4500 Advanced Video Journalism, JRN 4750 Investigative Reporting, JRN 4920 Narrative Writing, or the JRN 5050/JRN 5051/JRN 5052 Media Internship. These capstone-level experiences allow students to demonstrate their ability to research, interview, analyze information, and produce polished journalism for professional audiences.

Focus Areas:

Business and financial journalism, financial markets, economic trends, data journalism, multimedia reporting, investigative journalism, journalistic writing, interviewing, research, digital storytelling, journalism ethics and law, blogging, podcasting, video journalism, narrative writing.

Learning Outcomes:

Evaluate credible information and AI-related challenges, interpret business and economic trends, incorporate financial and economic data into news reports, conduct professional interviews, write clear and balanced journalism, produce multimedia projects, understand media law and ethics, research effectively, communicate with diverse audiences, develop independent and responsible journalistic judgment.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation):

Baruch College is part of the City University of New York and its academic programs operate within the university's institutional accreditation framework. The Journalism – Business Journalism Track does not list a separate specialized professional accreditation on its official program page.

Reputation (Employability Rankings):

Baruch's official career resources track employment status, employment type, internships, and average salary by major through its Starr Career Development Center Post-Graduate Outcomes system. The college also identifies Business Journalism as preparation for careers across media, finance, corporate communications, public relations, and digital content.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Business Journalism students gain practical experience by reporting on real issues, conducting interviews, analyzing information and producing journalism across digital and multimedia formats. The program combines specialized coursework with opportunities to publish student work, complete professional internships, work with multimedia journalism technology, and report throughout New York City. These experiences give students several ways to build a portfolio before graduation:

• Studio H Journalism Laboratory — the department's journalism laboratory has been described by Baruch as a state-of-the-art computer lab and classroom with Apple iMac computers and software for editing photographs, audio, and video, supporting multimedia journalism production.

• Dollars & Sense — students can contribute to Baruch's award-winning online magazine, which is reported and edited by students and focuses strongly on business journalism. The publication has received recognition from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and won an award for student business journalism from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing.

• Writing New York — journalism students can develop reporting skills through neighborhood-based reporting and multimedia storytelling, including dispatches and news stories connected to New York communities.

• On Assignment — students produce multimedia news stories, giving them an opportunity to practice journalism beyond traditional written reporting.

• Media Internship Program — the Business Journalism curriculum includes JRN 5050, JRN 5051, or JRN 5052 Media Internship as a core/capstone option, while Baruch's journalism department provides faculty support for securing high-quality media placements.

• New York Media Placements — journalism students have access to internships with organizations including Reuters, The New York Times Syndicate, American Banker, Crain's New York Business, Institutional Investor, CNN, WNYC, and other media organizations.

• Business & Financial Reporting — JRN 3200 Business and Financial Journalism and JRN 3201 Covering the Financial Markets give students direct practice in researching and explaining business and financial subjects.

• Investigative Reporting — JRN 4750 Investigative Reporting provides an advanced route for students interested in deeper research, source development, and public-interest reporting.

• Digital Storytelling — courses including JRN 3530 Journalistic Podcasting, JRN 4500 Advanced Video Journalism, and JRN 3450 Journalistic Blogging allow students to develop reporting skills across contemporary digital formats.

• Journalism Awards & Scholarships — Business Journalism students can compete for opportunities such as the Daniel S. and Florence Roher Scholarship, specifically designated for an outstanding student specializing in Business Journalism, as well as the Institutional Investor Scholarship.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Business Journalism Track prepares graduates for careers where strong reporting, writing, research, financial awareness, and multimedia communication are valuable. Baruch specifically identifies Business Journalism as preparation for work across media, finance, corporate communications, public relations, and digital content, while its New York City setting provides access to a major professional media and business environment.

Typical job roles: Financial Journalist, Business News Reporter, Market Research Writer, Multimedia Business Journalist

Students can build toward these opportunities through Baruch's career and employer network:

• Starr Career Development Center — provides undergraduate career advising, career exploration, resume support, interview preparation, workshops, employer events, and internship assistance. The center works with faculty, alumni, employers, and community partners to support students' professional development.

• Starr Search / Handshake — students can search for internships and jobs, connect with employers, and participate in recruiting opportunities through Baruch's online career system.

• Employer Recruiting — the Starr Career Development Center connects employers with Baruch undergraduates through job postings, career fairs, information sessions, interviews, and campus recruiting.

• International Internship Support — F-1 international students can pursue eligible paid internships through Curricular Practical Training (CPT), subject to the applicable requirements.

• Media Industry Connections — journalism internships have included organizations such as Reuters, American Banker, Crain's New York Business, Institutional Investor, CNN, WNYC, The New York Times Syndicate, and other newspapers, magazines, broadcasters, and digital publications.

• Employment & Salary Data — Baruch publishes post-graduate outcome data by major, including employment status, employment type, and average salary. The college notes that salary figures are calculated from full-time salary data and that results depend on the available knowledge rate.

• Graduation Outcomes — Baruch's post-graduate outcomes reporting tracks employment and graduate-school outcomes at graduation and up to six months afterward, providing students with a structured view of career progression after college.

• Professional Development Programs — Starr offers leadership and professional-development programs designed to strengthen technical skills, industry knowledge, and workplace skills valued by employers.

• New York City Professional Environment — studying journalism in New York City gives students the opportunity to pursue reporting, internships, networking, and professional exposure within one of the world's major media centers. Baruch's journalism department emphasizes original reporting throughout the metropolitan area.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the Journalism – Business Journalism Track, students can pursue graduate study in areas such as journalism, communications, media studies, business, public affairs, law, or related fields. The strong foundation in research, writing, financial analysis, ethics, multimedia reporting, and investigative journalism can also support applications to advanced professional programs where communication and analytical skills are highly valued.