Areas of Study

For Berkeley Journalism's Master of Journalism application, you’ll be asked: “Which track would you like to study?” Please select both a "First Choice" and a "Backup Option" from the list below:

• Audio Journalism
• Documentary
• Multimedia-Web Video
• Narrative Writing
• Photojournalism

(*Please note: If you wish to be considered for Documentary, you must select this as your First-choice, as this cannot be selected as a Backup Option.)

Your selected specialization will serve as the media platform for your Master’s Project, a significant piece of original reporting you will complete during your second year of study under close supervision of a faculty adviser.

While you must select a specialization upon entry, your final selection isn't due until the Spring of your first year! This gives you time to explore.

Throughout your two years of study, you will have the flexibility to take elective courses across other media platforms (Documentary is the only exception, given you must apply to this track outrightly), to further expand and customize your skillset. This allows you to follow your intellectual curiosities and align your training with your evolving professional interests!

Topical Areas

Additionally, outside of the sequence of courses needed for your select track, you can take an array of courses exploring various other topical areas to further tailor your studies at Berkeley Journalism:

• Business Reporting
• Climate Reporting
• Data Reporting
• Health & Science Reporting
• International Reporting
• Investigative Reporting
• Reporting on Incarceration

And more!

Please note: You do not need to outrightly apply for such topical areas, but please feel free to indicate in the application if you have any interest and/or experience in these areas.

For Berkeley Journalism, we require two statements of up to 500 words each. Furthermore, we recommend addressing the following in your statements.

1. Statement of Purpose (maximum of 500 words)

Please describe your aptitude and motivation for graduate study in journalism, including your journalistic preparation, what specific skills you hope to learn through the Berkeley Journalism curriculum, and your future career goals in the field of journalism and how it aligns with the program. Please also include specific reasons you would like to attend Berkeley Journalism at this point in your career.

2. Personal History Statement (maximum of 500 words)

Please describe how your background and life experiences have influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree in journalism at this time. This may include formative experiences, values, or motivations that have influenced your academic and/or professional path in journalism.

In this section, you may also include any relevant information on the following:

• Any educational, familial, cultural, economic or social experiences or opportunities that have shaped your academic journey
• Challenges or responsibilities you have navigated in pursuit of your educational goals, and how you responded to or overcame them
• Significant barriers or hardships you have faced, and how they have contributed to your growth and shaped your perspective
• Leadership experiences, community outreach, service initiatives, or research projects you have participated in or plan to pursue that aim to positively impact others or the broader community
• Ways in which your perspectives, experiences, or aspirations have aligned with UC Berkeley’s Principles of Community

The Personal History Statement should not duplicate the Statement of Purpose.

For writing tips on your statements, please check the Graduate Admissions Writing Your Statements page.

For Berkeley Journalism, this essay of maximum 300 words is optional, and is for anyone who wishes to expand on hardships or unusual life circumstances that may have impacted their opportunities, achievements, and impact.

It can be helpful to use this space to provide context for things such as a low GPA, a lack of related work experience, or any other part of the application that you feel might need some additional context.

For Berkeley Journalism, this Need-Based Funding essay of maximum 300 words is optional. 

All admitted students are automatically considered for merit-based departmental funding. However, to be considered for need-based departmental funding, you must:

1. Submit the Free Application for Federal Student AID (also known as "FAFSA") (applicable to domestic applicants only) and
2. Complete the "Departmental Grant" section of the application.
   For concurrent degree applicants, this section may not be available, so please feel free to submit your Need-Based Funding Essay of up to 300 words in the Optional Supplemental Essay or in the same PDF as the Personal History Statement and label the essay accordingly for clarity. 

The purpose of the Need-Based Funding essay is to determine relative need as compared to other applicants. Special consideration is given to applicants whose background and life experience contribute significantly to an educationally beneficial mix of students and enhance educational diversity. They may include applicants who have limited access to educational resources, who represent geographic diversity, who have preserved over economic disadvantage, who have shown exceptional fortitude by working many hours to support themselves during their education, or whose experience have brought about a perspective not widely represented within the program.

Please explain your financial circumstances in the space provided, including details that will give us a more complete understanding of your financial situation and financial need.

Fill out each section, including the Agreement, Need-Based Funding Essay, and all other numerical questions.

Important: Incomplete applications will, unfortunately, not be considered. Please declare all amounts over $10.00 USD. If you have no funds in a category, please indicate $0.00 (zero). Be prepared to provide documentation, if requested, to verify the numbers that you submit.

For Berkeley Journalism, we require two letters of recommendation. Ideally, these letters should come from academic or professional supervisors that know you well.

You may also add an optional third recommender to help ensure we receive at least two letters by your intended Round deadline (Round 1 or Round 2). Please keep in mind that the admissions committee is only required to review two letters of recommendation, in whatever order you list them on your application.

Important: Your recommender will receive an email indicating that their letter of recommendation is due by our final, Round 2 deadline regardless of your actual intended Round deadline, given the system automatically populates the program’s final admissions deadline. We, therefore, recommend that you communicate your intended deadline to your recommenders to avoid having an incomplete application.

For Berkeley Journalism, we require a minimum of two and a maximum of three work samples in total. 

It’s strongly encouraged that as many of these samples be journalistic, preferably published work, but alternative forms will be considered.

One sample must be written (non-fiction), such as published or unpublished reporting, academic papers, or another kind of non-fiction writing. While academic papers are accepted, journalistic writing is preferred.

All writing samples should be a maximum of five pages. If the sample is longer than five pages, please submit the full paper and highlight the up to five pages the admissions committee should review that best demonstrates your journalistic skill set. 

In addition to your non-fiction writing sample, we require one, but up to two additional samples in any medium. This can include audio pieces, photo essays, multimedia pieces, online projects like data-driven stories, in-depth interactive graphics or interactive documentaries; or other abstract new media forms, such as VR, apps, or similar projects.

The school has a strong preference for journalistic work, but it is not mandatory. Ideally, work samples will highlight a student’s ability as a writer and/or storyteller. Work samples can be published or unpublished.

All work samples must be in English or include captions or transcripts that are in English. Please ensure that any English translations are also grammatically accurate. You may also provide a link to the original article, but please make sure your submission is either in English or includes an English translation for the admissions committee.

For Berkeley Journalism, we require applicants to hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. Applicants must submit transcripts for ALL college-level course work. Please submit separate transcripts for community college courses and study abroad courses, ensuring that grades for all courses are clearly visible.

You can submit unofficial copies of transcripts, but in order to be complete, they must show degree date conferral (or if expected in the future), the institution’s name, and the applicant’s full name.

Transcripts must be uploaded into the online application as PDFs and must be legible. Official, hard copies will be required if admission is offered.

Instructions for Calculating Your GPA

Important: Berkeley Journalism does not require you to calculate the “Major Field GPA” or “Intended Field of Study GPA.” Only complete the "Advanced GPA" calculation if it applies to you if you completed your bachelor's degree within the United States, regardless of whether you identify as a domestic or international applicant.

If you completed your Bachelor's Degree within the U.S.:

You must calculate your "Advanced GPA" in the application. To do this:

• Use any online GPA calculator tool.
• Include all courses taken AFTER your first two years of college-level study.
• Exclude:
  • Physical Education (PE) courses
  • Courses without a letter grade (e.g. Pass/Fail)
  • Courses that did not transfer or are not counted toward your GPA
• Upload a GPA Calculation Worksheet such as this one, or create your own, so we can verify your calculation.

If you completed your Bachelor's Degree outside the U.S.:

You do not need to calculate any GPA unless your Cumulative GPA is not listed on your transcript. In that case, you would need to calculate this and include the GPA scale in the "Academic History" section of the application when you add your institutions.

For Berkeley Journalism, we require an upload of your current resume as a PDF (maximum of 1–2 pages for conciseness).

You’re welcome to include links to showcase additional work.

For Berkeley Journalism, we’d love to hear directly from you—your voice, your story, and your passion for journalism. Since this serves in place of an interview, we encourage you to use this part of the application to showcase your personality, and your genuine, authentic self.

In a video of at least one minute in length and up to a maximum of 4 minutes in length, please respond to the following prompt:

Why do you want to be a journalist?
In your video, tell us about your professional background, your areas of interest, and why you're drawn to Berkeley Journalism. What do you hope to gain from the program, and what impact do you hope to make in the field after graduation?

You're welcome to record your video in any style or format that feels natural to you so long as we are able to see you.

Please upload your video file in the "Audio/Visual Uploads" section of the application, and label it as:
[Your Full Name] – Personal Video

For Berkeley Journalism,

• We do not require the GRE in order to keep the application process accessible, recognizing that everyone’s circumstances are different.
• For international student applicants who have completed their bachelor's degree equivalent in a country where the official language is NOT English, we recommend a minimum iBT score of 105 for TOEFL and minimum overall band score of 7.5 for IELTS. Testing must be taken after June 1, 2024 to be valid for Fall 2026 graduate admission. 

  However, please note that we review all completed applications, even if your scores fall below these recommended benchmarks.

For more details, please check the Application Requirements on the Graduate Admissions website.

For Berkeley Journalism, a small number of applicants may be invited to a virtual interview, though this is rare and decided on a case-by-case basis.

Please note that being offered—or not offered—an interview is not an indication of your admission status.

Our admissions office cannot share updates on individual application status. Final decisions will be emailed in early March.

Application Fee

The application fee is:

• $135 for domestic applicants and
• $155 for international applicants

Requesting an Application Fee Waiver

We understand that application fees can be a barrier, and aim to support applicants for whom this cost presents a hardship. There are two possible ways to request a fee waiver:

1. UC Berkeley Graduate Division Fee Waiver (Recommended): If you are an undocumented or a domestic applicant (U.S. citizen or permanent resident), please begin by reviewing your eligibility for a fee waiver through the Graduate Division Fee Waiver Eligibility page. Graduate Division offers unlimited fee waivers for those who qualify, making this the best first step. (*Please note: This option is  not available to international applicants.)
2. Berkeley Journalism Departmental Fee Waiver: If you do not meet the Graduate Division criteria but have financial need, you are welcome to put in a formal request with our Berkeley Journalism admissions office for departmental review at journalism_admissions@berkeley.edu.