FIU Launches Business Journalism Degree.

NORTH MIAMI, Fla. -- The School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) at Florida International University (FIU) is launching a new Master of Science degree track in business journalism in fall 2006.

The program is offered jointly by the SJMC and FIU's College of Business Administration and combines courses in advanced investigative reporting with basic business courses to produce professionals equally at home in a newsroom or a boardroom.

"There is a great demand today for journalists with the knowledge and skill necessary to recognize and investigate business issues and trends and write clear, concise explanations of complex business topics," says Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver, dean of the SJMC. "That is why we are launching this program. It is unique to Florida and one of only a few of its kind nationwide."

The program addresses the educational needs of three types of professionals, according to Gregg Fields, a Miami Herald senior economics/financial writer. Fields will direct the program when he joins the SJMC this summer. It is for experienced reporters and editors looking for a specialty that will help them earn better assignments and help accelerate their professional advancement. It is also for reporters and editors already covering business who want to expand their knowledge and add the skills necessary to do investigations in subjects like free trade, corporate corruption, or the changing American economy. In addition, it is for business, government or non-profit professionals with special subject-matter expertise who yearn for a career investigating, analyzing and writing for publications - possibly as a career change.

"FIU and Miami are the perfect setting for a business journalism program, providing a multicultural exposure other schools can't match," says Fields. "We're one the country's most diverse universities, in one of the world's fastest-growing hubs of international business. That means our students get an early glimpse of America's destiny - and the professional skills to cover it.

"This program isn't about just covering business. It's about understanding the economic processes that impact our daily lives. Whether you want to cover health care, the arts, banking or politics, the first step is knowing how to follow the money," he says.

"I believe business journalism is exciting because, in the end, it's all about people," Fields notes. "Whether it's Donald Trump announcing a skyscraper, a shopkeeper concerned about a new mega-store coming to town, or a single mother trying to juggle a job and day care, business journalism has the power - and the responsibility - to delve deeply into social and economic issues, bring injustices to light, and never forget that the ultimate impact is on people. In serving them, we achieve journalism's highest calling."

The business journalism track requires a total of 36 credit hours and can be completed in 20 months of part time study, including one intensive weekend of instruction monthly. Classes are taken in both the SJMC and the College of Business Administration at FIU. Some classes can be taken online.

Courses from the SJMC include advanced print reporting, advanced public affairs reporting, investigative reporting techniques and computer-assisted reporting. Each student must also produce a professional project - either a paper or a series of articles on a subject that reflects the student's area of concentration. Courses from the College of Business Administration include basic accounting, corporate finance and financial analysis. In addition, the program requires one elective course in international business.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication at FIU offers programs in advertising, journalism, public relations and television. The graduate public relations program is among the top 10 in the nation, and the undergraduate program is ranked in the top 25. The SJMC is the number one grantor of communications degrees to Hispanics in the U.S. It enrolls 2,000 students, 80 percent of which are minority. Alumni of the journalism program have won a total of eight Pulitzer Prizes. FIU is Consumer Digest's "best value in public higher education."