The Paper Trail

Not-So Good News for Journalism Students

August 6, 2009 RSS Feed Print

Though your two favorite Paper Trail bloggers found gainful employment after graduating college with journalism degrees in 2008, 40 percent of journalism and mass communication program graduates were not as lucky, the Red and Black, the University of Georgia's independent student newspaper, reports.

Data from a survey of journalism and mass communication graduates gathered annually by UGA's James M. Cox Jr. Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research found that job interview opportunities, job offers upon graduation, and full-time employment levels all declined for 2008 graduates. Only 6 in 10 of the graduates had full-time employment six to eight months after graduation, study directors Lee Becker and Tudor Vlad wrote in the report. They said this is the lowest level of full-time employment reported in the survey's 23-year history.

The study also found that different types of journalism and mass communication students have felt the simultaneous collapse of the economy and their chosen industries to different degrees. Students who studied public relations encountered a less hostile job market upon graduation than students who studied print media, telecommunications, or advertising.

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My daughter was hired full time with a National Company in 2010, as a fellow 2 months after graduation, In fact there she had another job offer. I also heard that there are more jobs now that the students enrolling has slacked off. How recent is this research?

Barb of FL 10:08PM August 25, 2010

Next year, it will drop another 40%. Watch. It's called "the internet + recession = quick death of written journalism as we know it." I got my degree in print journalism. I was one of those lucky ones who did get a job six to eight months after graduation. One year later, I got laid off. Now I'm heading to grad school. The sad thing is, journalism programs are as full as they have ever been. I want to urge all journalism students to look at a more diverse degree.

Bob Newhart of NY 11:52PM January 10, 2010

Next year, it will drop another 40%. Watch. It's called "the internet + recession = quick death of written journalism as we know it." I got my degree in print journalism. I was one of those lucky ones who did get a job six to eight months after graduation. One year later, I got laid off. Now I'm heading to grad school. The sad thing is, journalism programs are as full as they have ever been. I want to urge all journalism students to look at a more diverse degree.

Bob of NY 11:51PM January 10, 2010

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