Bilingual Journalism

Master of Arts

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Quick Facts

Credits Required: 33

Cost Per Credit: $650.00

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College of Social And Behavioral Sciences

Program Details

Are you interested in highlighting the stories of Latinx communities and connecting with them through quality journalism? The Master’s degree in Bilingual Journalism is a cutting-edge program that offers professional and academic training if you want to report about and/or for Latinx communities in the United States and abroad.

As one of the only fully bilingual programs in the country, this program goes beyond just teaching how to report on Latinx issues in two languages. The program also offers cultural competency courses about historical, social, cultural, geographic and political issues relevant to Latinx communities in Arizona, the US-Mexico borderlands and the Latin American countries where many US immigrants originate.

According to a 2017 report by Instituto Cervantes, the US has the second-highest concentration of Spanish speakers globally, after Mexico. By 2050, the US is expected to have 138 million Spanish speakers, making it the largest Spanish-speaking country globally. This means that through focused and engaged coursework, you will develop high-level skills to compete in local, national, and global markets where bilingual journalists are in high demand.

The program’s emphasis on innovation and discovery through the development of new models of journalism and storytelling in the digital age also sets it apart from other programs. You will explore emerging entrepreneurial models of journalism, such as crowd-funding and nonprofit or donor-based hyperlocal and translocal projects. You will also practice innovative ways of reporting and disseminating news for non-legacy media by incorporating the conversational style of the Internet, social media components, community engagement and advanced understanding of their audiences.

The School of Journalism offers the program in collaboration with the Center of Latin American Studies, the Department of Mexican American Studies, and the Department of Spanish & Portuguese.

View detailed program information

Students must be fluent in English and Spanish or English and Portuguese.

Students must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.

The Bilingual Journalism MA has a required internship component that can be completed online or in person.

*Residents of some U.S. Territories may not be eligible. Please see our Eligibility & State Authorization page for more information.

Courses

The curriculum for this program includes core courses, internships & projects, and electives from Studies of Global Media and Human Rights Practice MA programs. The following are a selection:

This course analyzes the history of Latinx people in the US. You will also examine the history of Latino-oriented, Spanish-language and bilingual news media, as well as news coverage of Latinos and Spanish-speaking communities in the US.

This course introduces the study of migrations, diasporic transnationalism and the media in Latin America. You will examine historical perspectives and contemporary trends on migration from Latin America to Europe, Asia and North America as well as migrations within Latin America.

You will focus on the practice of bilingual journalism in Latinx communities. As the first in a series of two skills courses, it emphasizes bilingual multimedia writing and audio production. Working in teams, you will conduct interviews, write audio scripts and produce podcasts or radio pieces in Spanish and English—and Portuguese, when applicable. This class includes lectures, readings and practical experience in the field. To the extent possible, the classroom will function as a newsroom.

Learn the practice of bilingual journalism in Latinx communities. As the second in a series of two skills classes, it emphasizes bilingual multimedia writing and video production. You will be encouraged to look for new models of producing high-quality journalism.

You may choose to (1) intern at a Latino-oriented or bilingual news organization in the US or abroad, supplemented with professional development, analysis of industry trends and best practices, or (2) prepare a bilingual journalistic project that could be a long-form feature story, series of investigative articles, video documentary or multimedia website.