February 18th, 2019 | Updated on September 20th, 2021
News and journalism have a wide impact on the thought process of people. Naturally then they act as a profitable and likable career choice too.
However, the costing of such an expensive course can be a deterrent in your plans of being able to do so. To justify the expenditure you can look for an online journalism course which can show you how to handle the nuances of Journalism.
Here we are giving you a list of the 20 Best Online Journalism courses which we have chosen after careful analysis of their content. You can choose any of them and take your first step towards becoming an established reporter.
Not to forget that you gain insights which would help you make your path towards success quite easily.
1. English For Journalism
Welcome to English for Journalism, a course created by the University of Pennsylvania, and funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of English Language Programs.
This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are interested in developing the skills needed for a career in modern journalism. In this course, you will explore print and digital media through authentic readings and video lectures, while expanding your vocabulary and increasing your ability to read, research, and develop local and global news stories.
Unit 1 will provide an introduction to the history and principles of journalism. In unit 2, you will learn how to research, pitch, and interview. The next unit in the course will focus on the language needed to write newspaper and magazine articles, while unit 4 will cover the basics of broadcasting the news.
In the final unit of the course, you will analyze the growth, impact, and challenges of digital news, while completing a reflection assignment that allows you to think about and discuss the recent changes to the field of journalism.
Unless otherwise noted, all course materials are available for re-use, repurposing and free distribution under a Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution license.
Supplemental reading materials were provided by Newsela, which publishes daily news articles at a level that’s just right for each English language learner.
2. Journalism Skills For Engaged Citizens
This is a course in basic journalism skills, designed for the many people who are now taking advantage of new media to publish news, views and information. For five hundred years, the privilege of being able to publish was enjoyed by very few people – those who had access to a printing press or a radio microphone or a television camera. Now, almost anyone can publish to the world within minutes of being able to do so. But is it journalism?
How does a citizen journalist find things out, so they can report facts and news – moving beyond merely braying opinion? And what are the legal and ethical pitfalls to publishing facts that some people might prefer remain secret?
Over six weeks, this course teaches the basics of news writing, how to interview people to gain crucial information, how to develop and manage your sources and how to use your legal rights to access public information – and stay on the right side of the law when you publish. We discuss the ethics behind journalism practice, and conduct a mock investigation into local government. This course aims to empower engaged citizens to better participate in the news ecology.
3. Become A Journalist: Report The News! Specialization
This Specialization will develop and enhance your understanding of the global field of journalism. You’ll learn best practices and ethical standards for newsgathering processes and compiling a news report through hands-on projects, peer-to-peer feedback, and issue exploration.
You will also study journalism’s impact on societal issues and trends, plus explore career opportunities in newspapers, magazine, social media, Internet multimedia, television, radio, corporate and community journalism. The final Capstone project will guide you through the journalistic portfolio process, where you will conceptualize, report and complete a professional-quality news report.
Take Courses
A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you’d like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.
Hands-on Project
Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You’ll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you’ll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.
Earn A Certificate
When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you’ll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.
4. Capstone: Create Your Own Professional Journalistic Portfolio
This is it! It is time for you to be the journalist, and practice and display the skills you have learned through this Specialization journey. You will create your own professional journalistic portfolio, culminating in the creation of your own news report from start to finish.
You will go through all the steps and skills used by professional journalists: conceptualizing a news report idea, reporting, interviewing, researching, and then compiling the information for an audience. Your learner community, along with the Michigan State Journalism team, will be with you every step of the way.
Having a professional portfolio will help you market yourself as a journalist, showing off your work product, as well as practice and hone your journalistic skill set. You will receive an exclusive premium “Journalism” badge for social media, to display your Capstone completion.
Syllabus – What You Will Learn From This Course :
- Capstone news report portfolio: the start!
- Capstone news report portfolio: Newsgathering
- Capstone news report portfolio: Interviewing sources
5. Sports Marketing
Today, there is demand for people skilled in Sports Marketing. Organizations want your expertise to strength and grow customer bases and teams want to enlarge their fan base, attract new sponsors to their sport, build strong programs with existing sponsors, and run their fan conventions and other events.
In addition, a wide range of companies recognize the value sports relationships have in positioning and building their brands.
In this Sports Marketing MOOC, You Will Learn:
- Ticket pricing strategies
- How a crisis might happen in sport
- How all types of companies are using sports to enhance and position their brands
- How to promote and market a sporting event
- How to develop sponsorships
- How to use social media to grow your team’s follower base and promote your sporting events, conferences and conventions
The Sports Marketing MOOC was created by Professor Candy Lee of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism and Integrated Marketing Communications. She is joined by experts in the many specialty topics important to Sports Marketing.
6. Brand & Content Marketing
Brand & Content Marketing is a IE University course for professionals who want learn how to produce memorable content through quality storytelling.
Students will go through a learning process that will start with understanding the term Branded Content and its main differences with traditional advertising and simultaneously creating an effective story-line though powerful values.
The course analyses the production of quality journalism and explores how to create memorable and long lasting connection with an audience in a world of constant content.
It concludes with a deeper insight into the term of Brand Entertainment, giving them the opportunity to amplify their knowledge in how to produce a good call to action and retain the audience’s attention.
Syllabus – What You Will Learn From This Course :
- Why is branded content better than traditional advertising?
- The rise of branded content: how to create quality journalism
- Connecting with the audience through unique, memorable stories
- We live in a brand entertainment world
7. The Story Of Fake News
Fake news is a real problem. From allegations of election fraud to Pizzagate, fake news saturates our newsfeeds– and our national discourse. Some say it has compromised the authority of journalism, others say writing fake news stories have brought them a fistful of money. What do we make of this phenomenon? Why is fake news so prevalent these days? And how should we respond?
In this 2-week course, we’ll pose these questions (and more) to scholars, working journalists, and media pundits in order to get a hold on this complicated issue. Join a vibrant community of critical thinkers who are interested in exploring these questions together. Share your experience and see how it compares to others around the world.
This course is part of a broader series from Davidson College, called Davidson Now. We seek to explore critical issues and engage in honest and courageous conversations.
Courses offered via edX.org are not eligible for academic credit from Davidson College. A passing score in a DavidsonX course(s) will only be eligible for a verified certificate generated by edX.org.
What You’ll Learn :
- What qualifies as ‘fake news’
- Who writes fake news and why do they do it
- How to tell news from fake news
- What’s at stake for the future of journalism
- What the media industry looks like today
8. Global Muckraking: Investigative Journalism And Global Media
Using examples of investigative and crusading journalism from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe, this course will help you understand how raising public awareness can create political and social change.
This course is a fast-paced introduction to global muckraking, past and present, and includes penetrating interviews with historians and investigative journalists.
Join us to discover the vital role that journalism has played in fighting injustice and wrongdoing over the last 100 years and delve into the current trends reshaping investigative reporting in the digital age.
What You’ll Learn :
- How journalists can act as a government and corporate watchdogs
- The hard and soft pressures on investigative journalism
- Stories of prominent reporters uncovering injustice from the late 19th century to today
- Trends in media innovation
9. Making Sense Of News
With social media and a 24/7 news cycle, how do we — as news consumers — make sense of what we hear and read? At a time when we are flooded with an abundance of information and disinformation, it is essential for each one of us to become a more discerning news consumer.
This five-week course will help you identify reliable information in news reports and become better informed about the world we live in. We will discuss journalism from the viewpoint of the news audience.
Together, We Will Examine The Following Topics:
- What makes news? The blurred lines between news, promotion and entertainment.
- Why does news matter? Social sharing and the dynamics of the news cycles.
- Who provides information? How to evaluate sources in news reports.
- Where is the evidence? The process of verification.
- When should we act? Recognizing our own biases.
- How do we know what we know? Becoming an active news audience.
10. University Of Massachusetts-Amherst
At UMass UWW you can finish your bachelor’s degree online with a focus in journalism studies and get the cutting-edge skills you need to advance in this rapidly evolving field.
Whether you are a seasoned journalist or new to the field, UMass UWW will provide you an outstanding journalism education to help prepare you for a host of important and dynamic professions in the field of journalism.
And best of all, our flexible journalism education program gives you the opportunity to bring in or earn up to 105 credits for your prior coursework, prior learning, and work & life experience. This accelerates your degree and saves you money.
- Award-winner Instructors. Journalism Studies Courses You Need: You will study with award-winning instructors and professional journalists at the top of their field through the nationally recognized UMass Amherst Journalism Department.
- A Great Journalism Education. Credit & Support You Deserve: The University Without Walls (UWW) is an academic major at the University of Massachusetts Amherst designed to help adults just like you complete your first bachelor’s degree online at a world-class public university.
- Time Tested, Custom-built For Adults Like You: For over 45 years, UMass UWW has been serving adult students like you. We understand the daily challenges you face balancing work, family and community responsibilities, and are committed to providing flexible options and outstanding one-on-one support from your first class through graduation.
11. Bachelor Of Science In Communication
The online Bachelor of Science in Communication degree program gives professionals the writing, critical thinking and communication skills their careers require.
The Bachelor of Science in Communication online degree from King University provides students the opportunity to learn useful writing, presentation, design, critical thinking and public speaking skills. This degree completion program caters to professionals who have already earned some credits and would like to finish their full bachelor’s degree.
Both small and large companies and corporations need effective internal and external communication. By earning an online communication degree, professionals gain the necessary knowledge and skills to communicate effectively within their organization and build their career. Our online courses are the same courses as those delivered on campus.
Course Highlights
- 49-semester hour major of 13 courses; 124 total semester hours required to receive bachelor’s degree
- Major coursework may be completed in as little as 16 months
- Collaboration of professional experiences among peers
- Create a portfolio to share with future employers
Fundamental Topic Areas
- Professional communication
- Media communication
- Interpersonal communication
- Leadership communication
- Advanced speech
- Visual Rhetoric
- Public relations
12. Journalism And Mass Communication
Considering a degree in journalism? Explore this exciting area, and document the world’s events, as media evolves from the printed page to the internet when you earn your Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication degree online from Ashford University.
With this bachelor’s degree, you can learn the rights and responsibilities of news media professionals in a changing social and political landscape. This degree can prepare you with the necessary skills in order to research, write, and edit information that can be distributed in print, online media, or even broadcast live.
13. Communication Studies Bgs
The online Communication Studies-BGS degree can be completed fully online with the same academic rigour you can expect on-campus. The majority of Communication Studies major courses are offered in the 8-week, minimester format.
Components Of The Communication Studies Major:
1. Prerequisite Knowledge (3 credit hours)
2. The breadth of Discipline: (choose 2 courses, 6 credit hours)
3. Communication Skills (2 courses, 6 credit hours)
4. Communication Skills (2 courses, 6 credit hours)
5. Communication Studies Capstone (3 credit hours)
A transfer credit evaluation will determine the requirements a student has left to complete the Communication Studies-BGS degree. Therefore it is important to submit your transcripts as soon as possible for evaluation. To determine how your transfer credit will apply, use our self-service Credit Transfer system.
14. B.A. In Communication Studies – Journalism
In the fast-paced world of converging media, there’s a need for voices like yours. Regent’s Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies—Journalism will prepare you to communicate powerful stories through broadcast, print, and digital media. You’ll also learn skills that will elevate your reporting and gain experience through internships and on-campus publications.
- Gain Hands-On Experience: Grow your technical proficiency with access to a converged media lab and a multi-million dollar equipped facility.
- Build On A Strong Foundation: Learn proven principles of contemporary journalism within a Christian framework.
- Learn From The Best: Be mentored by faculty in Virginia Beach who hold the highest degrees in their field.
15. Integrated Strategic Communication
WSU’s online bachelor of arts in Integrated Strategic Communication—offered by the nationally acclaimed Edward R. Murrow College of Communication—provides a broad-based curriculum that focuses on both digital and traditional media.
Students will learn applied principles of advertising and public relations and participate in an internship to solve real-world communication problems. Courses are developed and taught by Murrow College faculty who have rich industry experience and a commitment to student success.
Careers
Integrated Strategic Communication students acquire the skills they need to prepare for careers in corporate communications, social media, community and media relations, advertising and public relations. Jobs are available in public relations firms and advertising agencies as well as in virtually all industries and businesses that require the expertise of communication professionals.
Accreditation
Washington State University is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. More information on accreditation here.
Why WSU Global Campus?
WSU Global Campus fulfils WSU’s 1890 land-grant mission of expanding access to education. We use new technologies, but uphold old-school values, with courses taught by expert WSU faculty, academic advisors intent on your success, and a diploma backed by a long-established reputation for excellence.
Besides receiving an exceptional education, students enrolled in WSU Global Campus are invited to events coordinated by the online student government and the Global Connections program. These include face-to-face gatherings, online career fairs, live-stream cultural performances, keynote addresses and other events.
16. Online Bachelor Of Science In Communications
Do you enjoy writing? Media? Clarity and concision in the expression of ideas? If so then you may excel as a communication professional.
The communication field includes a very broad range of job positions. After all, every business and organization needs someone to convey information to other companies, to employees, and to clients on a daily basis.
As a professional in the field, you will assist organizations by writing and revising supporting documents, using various forms of media to improve user comprehension, creating and standardizing content across media platforms, verifying facts, and performing many other tasks.
Some Job Titles You Can Achieve With An Online Bachelor’s Degree In Communication Include:
- Editor
- Reporter
- Account Executive
- Media Associate
- Communications Director
- And More!
17. Online Bachelor Of Liberal Arts With A Concentration In Journalism
The Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree is highly customizable. You fulfill one specific course requirement (EXPO 25), and all other degree requirements have multiple choices. Simply select the courses that meet your learning goals.
- Concentrations and Fields of Study
- To focus your studies, you have two choices.
Concentrations
For maximum flexibility, choose a broad area of concentration. You can take degree courses from any of the subject areas within a concentration.
The Concentrations Are:
- Humanities (including creative writing, English, philosophy, religion, visual arts)
- Science (including biology, computer science, environmental studies, mathematics)
- Social sciences (including anthropology, business administration, economics, government, history, international relations, psychology)
- Fields of Study
Your second choice is to declare a specific field of study (similar to a major). You complete courses in one subject area. Top fields of study are business administration and management, computer science, economics, government, international relations, and psychology.
18. Online BFA In Emergent Media And Communication
Our Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in Emergent Media and Communication focuses on emergent media technologies, communication theories and processes, and mass media trends.
The program offers non-traditional and distance learners the opportunity to obtain an education in emergent media, replete with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the media and communication industries. The program is delivered fully online.
The Emergent Media and Communication (EMAC) major is designed to prepare you to be practitioners, entrepreneurs, and innovators in the digital, interactive, and evolving world of communication through carefully selected courses that balance theory and practice, creative design, and critical thinking in an interdisciplinary learning environment.
What You’ll Learn
As a major in the EMAC program you will:
- combine critical thinking with creative production to become engaged digital citizens.
- learn teamwork, problem-solving, planning and organization.
- develop skills in web design, digital aesthetics, writing and research, and social media.
- develop a superior team, leadership, project, and meeting management skills.
- work with deadlines.
- learn to identify trends and utilize emerging media in designing communication messages to target audiences.
19. Online BA In Communication Studies
Whether you’re interested in journalism, public relations, business, or online communication, you can build a firm base of knowledge while you earn a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies at University of Maryland University College.
You’ll learn to apply communication theories to both personal and professional situations, developing the “soft skills” and communication techniques that workplaces demand. In addition, you’ll learn to work with individuals and groups professionally and manage communications within ethical, legal, and financial parameters.
These program requirements are for students who enroll in the 2018–2019 academic year. For prior year academic requirements, visit the catalogue archive in the Current Students section.
Through Your Coursework, You Will Learn How To :
- Apply analytical skills in interpreting, using, and delivering information, particularly through mass media
- Create professional and appropriate written, oral, and visual communications for specific purposes and diverse audiences
- Design, create, and select multimedia components and integrate them into print, broadcast, and online formats
- Work with individuals and groups in ways that reflect an understanding of both communication theory and professional expectations
- Understand diverse and intercultural perspectives as they affect communication
- Design and employ specific research methods and tools to gather information
20. Online Bachelor Of Science In Telecommunication
The UF Online Bachelor of Science in Telecommunication: Media & Society prepares students who want a strong foundation in communication skills and are interested in studying traditional and digital media and their effect on society.
This online communications degree is ideal for students who want strong communication and analytical skills to prepare them for law school, graduate study or who aspire to careers in areas such as sports, health, environment, politics, international communication or the corporate world.
Students enrolling in this major may not necessarily aspire to a career focused on print or broadcast journalism, advertising or public relations. Graduates with a Telecommunications degree can consider jobs in international communications, marketing, research and media campaigning.
Telecommunications at the University of Florida is one of the country’s premiere programs in electronic mass media. Media and Society as a specialization focuses on the theories, methods and techniques used to play, produce and distribute audio and video programs and messages; personnel and facilities management; marketing and distribution; media regulations, law and policy; and principles of broadcast technology.
It prepares graduates to work in media organizations and those organizations that use electronic media, such as political campaigns, government, education and business.
Our program is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) and offers an excellent education in electronic mass media.
Career Tracks And Opportunities
- Advertising Broadcast Producer
- Broadcast News Analyst
- Content Strategist
- Copywriter
- Director of Communications and Digital Strategy
- Editorial Manager
- Journalist
- Multimedia Specialist
- Radio Producer
- Technical Communicator
Please visit the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or Career One Stop for additional suggestions on further career pathways and opportunities.
