Consider doing a double major in journalism and another field if your university offers such a double major. Consider choosing something “wildly different” from journalism in order to diversify yourself. [2] X Research source For aspiring legal journalists, the most appropriate second major would be a law-related field. If you are studying at a university that offers law as an undergraduate degree (e. g. most universities in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom), then pursue law and journalism as dual degrees if offered by your university. If you are studying at a university in the United States, where law is a graduate level degree, then consider doing a ‘pre-law’ or ‘legal studies’ program if your university offers one along with your journalism degree. Note that while some believe that pre-law programs are not the best preparation for law school,[3] X Research source you may not necessarily be intending to go to law school, and doing a pre-law program may be a good way to complement your journalism degree on your way to becoming a legal journalist.
If you are studying law as an undergraduate degree, as most people do in Australia, India, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, then doing your undergraduate degree in law can also lead to a career in legal journalism. The Solicitor’s Journal’s Emily Bater, for example, studied law as an undergraduate degree at Cardiff University and chose a career in legal journalism without having studied journalism. [6] X Research source Attending law school in the United States first requires completing an undergraduate degree. This degree can be in any field. You may choose not to study journalism as an undergraduate and then attend law school and still become a legal journalist. Note that attending law school in the United States is particularly costly, and the most well-paid jobs after law school tend to be in legal practice rather than journalism. You may not necessarily earn a salary commensurate with the market value of your law degree if you choose a career outside legal practice. It is perhaps for this reason that journalism, for law graduates, is an “alternative” career. [7] X Research source Some U. S. law schools offer joint degree programs in journalism with their law degree. UC Berkeley, for example, offers a masters degree in journalism as a joint degree along with its law degree. Check if your law school offers a joint degree with the journalism school at your university.
Yale, for example, offers a Master of Studies in Law program for non-lawyers who wish “to obtain a basic familiarity with legal thought and to explore the relation of law to their disciplines. ”[8] X Research source Many of the leading journalism schools across universities in the U. S. offer graduate degrees in journalism. Note that graduate school in journalism can be expensive,[9] X Research source so consider carefully whether you need a graduate degree to achieve your ultimate goal of becoming a legal journalist.
Loyola Law School, for example, offers a three-day fellowship known as “Journalist Law School” to enable journalists with at least three years of journalism experience to learn about reporting on legal matters without a law degree. At the end of the fellowship, fellows receive a certificate of completion. If you do not have a background in journalism, you may boost your resume by enrolling in a continuing education program in journalism. Doing so can give you an insight into the field of journalism that may be useful if you do not have a journalism background. Columbia University, for example, offers a variety of continuing education programs in journalism.
You can find job listings for both full-time and freelancing work in journalism by clicking here. You should also use the connections made with former professors and others within the industry to find jobs that are not necessarily listed on the internet.
