USA Career Guide - Reporters and Journalists

Education and Training Requirement of a Reporter in USA
Bachelor’s degree in any field, though some may prefer bachelor’s degree in journalism or media.
Many programs require students to take liberal arts classes, such as English, history, economics, and political science, so that they are prepared to cover stories on a wide range of subjects.

Tests: Most universities require the completion of standardized test scores like the ACT and SAT. High school students interested in studying news reporting in college should prepare by taking upper-level English, grammar and communications courses.
 
A high school diploma is usually required to gain enrollment in a bachelor's degree program that covers news reporting.

TOEFL is necessary for non-English speaking students.

Work Experience: Work experience is not essential but internship or a year’s work experience is desirable.

Related Programs

• Agricultural Communication/Journalism
• Broadcast Journalism
• Communication, General
• International and Intercultural Communication
• Journalism
• Mass Communication/Media Studies
• Photojournalism
• Political Communication
• Sports Communication

Industry Overview

Employment of broadcast news analysts is expected to grow by 10 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

The projection by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor is a good indication of the rising graph of this profession. However, there is a word of caution for you! With the merger of many news organizations and decline in readership, there will be a decline of 8 per cent of employment of reporters and correspondents from 2010 to 2020. So, pull up your sleeves and move from the traditional role of reporting to news analysis which would see a surge in employment in the next 8 to 10 years.

Pay of a Reporter in the US             Median annual wages, May 2010 Broadcast News Analysts: $54,140 Reporters, Correspondents, and Broadcast News Analysts: $36,000 Reporters and Correspondents: $34,530 (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics)

Job Prospects of a Reporter

As a reporter or correspondent you can work in:

• Television
• Radio
• Newspapers
• News Magazines
• Online Newspapers
• News Agencies
• News Portals
• Journals

You can even work as freelance journalists and get your stories published in magazines, online news papers and journals.