UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

Degrees offered

The school offers a two-year professional Master of Journalism (MJ) degree, a summer journalism minor for UC Berkeley undergraduates, and a journalism certificate option for non-UC Berkeley students. The core master's program enrolls approximately 120 students, 60 per class year.

Programs and emphasis

Students choose among five areas of study: Audio, Documentary, Multimedia/Web Video, Narrative Writing, and Photojournalism, alongside reporting concentrations in climate, data, health and science, and investigative journalism. Students are required to complete an internship at a media outlet between their first and second year. First-year students take an introductory reporting course, J200, publishing to the school's two hyperlocal news sites, Oakland North and Richmond Confidential.

History

The UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism was founded in 1969. It has been housed since 1981 in North Gate Hall, a National Historic Landmark building on the northern edge of the Berkeley campus that originally housed the university's architecture department starting in 1904.

Key faculty and leadership

Michael D. Bolden: Dean and professor, the school's eighth permanent dean, who began the role August 1, 2025, after serving as CEO and Executive Director of the American Press Institute.
Geeta Anand: Former dean and professor of reporting, a former Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign correspondent for The New York Times.
Elena Conis: Professor who served as interim dean from September 2024 through July 2025.
David Barstow: Reva and David Logan Distinguished Professor in Investigative Reporting and a four-time Pulitzer Prize winner.

Location and contact info

Address
121 North Gate Hall
University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
Phone
(510) 642-3383
Email
journalism_admissions@berkeley.edu
Website
https://journalism.berkeley.edu