Why you should join the Global Business Journalism Program at Tsinghua — or recommend it to a friend

Our 2014 graduating class

Our 2014 graduating class

To all of my journalism friends around the world: I invite you to spread the good word about the good work we are doing here at Tsinghua. We’re looking to recruit an exceptional class of graduate students for the upcoming school year and to prove to any skeptics that you can have a world-class journalism program in China. Here’s the pitch. Feel free to share. Comments and questions are welcome.

Are you interested in becoming an expert on the world’s fastest-growing economy?

Do you want to study Asia Pacific business development and report that to the world?

Do you want to have an amazing educational and personal experience in a dynamic country?

Do you want to learn how to share your stories with audiences via print, audio, video and digital media?

 

Please join in us in the Global Business Journalism Master’s Degree Program at Tsinghua University in China!

 

2015 Enrollment Instructions

for M.A. in Global Business Journalism

at the School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

 

  1. Introduction

With China playing a central role in the global economy, there is a soaring demand for trained professionals who can understand the exciting, complicated development of the world’s fastest-growing economy – and can explain it – clearly and in depth — to audiences in China and around the world.

 

Co-Director Hang Man with GBJ student

Co-Director Dr. Hang Min with GBJ student

Tsinghua University Master of Arts degree in Global Business Journalism is designed to meet that growing need. The program offers international students the opportunity to master the fine points of business, finance and economics in China. All courses are taught in English — the international language of business — by internationally renowned scholars and accomplished journalists with extensive global experience. The program’s facilities rival those of other leading journalism schools worldwide. The news lab has the largest number of Bloomberg terminals of any college in the world.

 

Business journalism is one of the fastest growing areas of employment opportunities in the industry today. News audiences are eager to learn about the world of business, while media departments expect PR professionals to understand and analyze the complexities of business issues.

 

Tsinghua’s Master of Global Business Journalism Program is designed to offer you the opportunity to meet these growing needs and, at the same time, master the fine points of economics, finance and business in China and the world. We welcome you to join in us!

 

The first English-language graduate business journalism program on the Chinese mainland, created in partnership with the International Center for Journalists, it has sent 171 graduates to news outlets in China and globally over its first seven years.

 

Launched in 2007, the GBJ program has already been recognized by students and recruiters alike as a world-class program. Academe, the world’s leading journal on higher education, featured a cluster of articles on the program in February 2008. Only the most talented applicants from around the world are accepted, and the student body is culturally and professionally diverse. The full-time program spans two years of intense, fast-paced, rewarding study. Those who complete it successfully emerge with valuable connections, a rich array of opportunities and the business and journalism skills to capitalize on them. It is a two-year experience that will last a lifetime.

Professor Dunham in the classroom at Tsinghua. (Photo by Zhang Sihan)

Professor Dunham in the classroom at Tsinghua. (Photo by Zhang Sihan)

 

The program aims to bring business journalism in China in line with top international reporting standards. The Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication has a long history of cooperation with major international media and financial-information organizations, and visiting scholars have come from outlets such as Bloomberg, Reuters, Business Week, The New York Times, Financial Times, The Washington Post and CNN.

 

GBJ offers an array of specialized courses that are at the forefront of global business journalism. Students can learn about international accounting standards, multimedia journalism, data mining, complex financial derivatives, journalism ethics, advanced feature writing techniques and the management of media organizations – knowledge that is transferable to other economies and other professions. At the same time, they gain a deeper knowledge of the Chinese language and economy.

 

The GBJ program benefits from other academic resources on the Tsinghua campus, including its prestigious School of Economics and Management, as well many Chinese and global media and technology companies in Beijing. Internships, field trips and recruiter visits are integral parts of the program.

 

GBJ students have opportunities to attend conferences on new media, economic development and other business topics. They benefit from meetings and discussions with guest speakers, including top editors and reporters from leading Chinese and Western news outlets and international business executives. The GBJ has a growing network of smart, sophisticated reporters, editors and public relations professionals who can enhance the world’s understanding of economic and corporate developments in China and globally.

 

  1. Program Courses

 

Basic Courses
Introduction to Mass Communications and Society in Contemporary China
Chinese Language
Intercultural communication
Media Research Methods

 

Core Courses
English Financial News Reporting and Writing
Multimedia Business Reporting
Global Business Journalism (advanced)
Economics and Accounting Basics for Journalists
Business Data Mining and Analysis

 

Elective Courses
Corporate Communication
Opinion and News Commentary
Hot topics in the Global Economy
Feature Writing
Corporate Strategies, Case Studies of Chinese and Global Companies
Personal Finance Reporting
Media Management
Workshop on Film and TV Production
Theory and Practice of Public Diplomacy
Data Journalism
Public Relations: An Introduction
Public Speaking

 

Other Requirements
Pro-Seminar for Master Candidates in Global Business Journalism
Literature Review and Thesis Proposal
Academic Activities
Internship

 

  1. Qualification of Applicants

Applicants should have a Bachelor’s degree in related fields and certificate for English proficiency.

 

  1. Application Documents

1)       The completed Foreigner’s Application Form for Admission to Graduate Programs of Tsinghua University with a 2-inch recent photo, signed by the applicant;

2)    Statement of Purpose and resume;

3)    The original or the notarial degree certificate or proof of education at an academic institution (you need to submit an original or notarial degree certificate after it was awarded) and an academic transcript. The degree certificate and academic transcript must be officially sealed.

4)      Two academic recommendation letters from scholars of associate professorship or higher. They must show referee’s phone number and email address on the letter.

5)      For non-English speaking students, please provide English level certificates. e.g. TOEFL, IELTS, etc.

6)      A copy of your passport page with personal information (personal and ordinary passport);

7)      The completed Application Form for Tsinghua University Scholarship (if applicable, original);

8)       A non-refundable application fee of RMB600.

The certificates provided should be the original documents in Chinese or in English, otherwise notarial translations in Chinese or English are required. None of the above application documents will be returned.

 

Some of the best students from China and around the world.

Some of the best students from China and around the world.

  1. Application Procedure

Step 1: Online Application

Complete Online Application on the website of the Foreign Student Affairs Office, Tsinghua University

(http://www.is.tsinghua.edu.cn/EN/online-application/instruction.html). Print and sign the Application Form produced by the system after the application status changes to “verified.”  

 

Step 2: Documents Submission

Submit the application documents listed above to the address indicated below by post mail or in person.

 

Step 3:Application Fee Payment

There are two ways to pay application fee:

1 . Pay online using a credit card;

After your online application form is verified or the materials are received by Tsinghua University, the staff will make you the online payment draft, and at the same time, an email will be automatically sent out to remind you to pay the application fee via the online application system.

2 . Pay in cash at the Foreign Student Affairs Office (Room 120, Zijing Building 22) on the campus of Tsinghua University.

 

  1. Application Deadline

November 1, 2014 — March 20, 2015

Both the Online Application and a complete set of Application documents should be completed and the package should be received by March 20, 2015.

 

  1. Tuition and Scholarship

Tuition:Program tuition fee is RMB39000/year.

Accidental Injury and Hospitalization Insurance: RMB 600/year.

 

Please visit http://is.tsinghua.edu.cn  for more information about scholarships.

 

  1. Program Website:

For more information about the program, please visit the GBJ website at:

http://gbj.tsjc.tsinghua.edu.cn/publish/jcgbj/index.html

 

  1. Application Website:

For an application, please visit the Application Website at:

http://www.is.tsinghua.edu.cn/EN/online-application/instruction.html

We regularly host international scholars, lecturers from global businesses and exchange students.

We regularly host international scholars, lecturers from global businesses and exchange students.

 

10.Contact Information:

Ms. Olivia Xiaoyu Zhou

Room 302, Omnicom Building,

School of Journalism and Communication

Tsinghua University,

Beijing 100084, P. R. China

Tel: +86 10 6279 6842

Fax: +86 10 6277 1410

E-mail: tsjcws@tsinghua.edu.cn

 


Viewing the American media through fresh eyes

For at least a decade, I was a 24/7 news addict.

Then I went to China and went cold turkey. Surprisingly, there were no withdrawal pains. Indeed, I actually enjoyed life more and had a lot more time for useful pursuits without the pain of my addiction to CNN, MSNBC, Fox and Twitter.

So what happens when I return from Tsinghua University for winter break?

20140117-142522.jpg

A short relapse.

One day of CNN was enough to cure me permanently. Here are a few thoughts on the disastrous state of U.S. cable news and the rays of hope for the rest of the U.S. media:

  • There is almost no news on cable news. CNN seemed to be mostly “reporting” on stories broken by other news outlets (“CNN has confirmed”) or filing “turn of the screw” reports on developing stories. MSNBC featured lots of opinions on the news from experts and hosts. Fox was, well, it was Fox. Within an hour, I was watching the BBC. I can’t reclaim all the hours I wasted watching American cable news during my years as a reporter, but I can avoid the temptation in the future.
  • American newspapers, even though they have declined, are still a valuable information source. I know it’s been fashionable in Washington, D.C., to diss the Washington Post and lament its deterioration. Well, I have some news for you. It’s still a heck of a good newspaper with a lot more exclusive news and analysis in one issue than you get in a day of cable news. I can’t vouch for the quality of the regional press, but the print versions of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal can compete with the best papers in the world.
  • Newspaper web sites have become schizophrenic. There are two kinds of news web sites: (1) the good and (2) the bad and the ugly. The NY Times and the WaPo give you serious, substantive information with some very good interactive features. Most sites, like my former employer’s site, are desperately seeking clicks through crime, crashes, celebrities, boobs, animals, weirdness and weather. The quality gap between the good and the bad U.S. news sites is growing rapidly. Many papers have adopted a two-tiered system with quality content hidden behind a paywall. That may be a good business model — it remains to be seen — but it is a highly questionable journalistic model. After a semester of teaching multimedia journalism, I believe even more strongly that modern journalism is about community-building. Hiding behind paywalls keeps the community out and prevents non-subscribers from learning the quality journalism you may offer.
  • TV news is alienating its core audience while failing to win new viewers. None of my students — zero — watch TV news. Granted, for the Chinese students, that means state-run TV. But it’s a problem that U.S. television has, too. The younger generation wants information on demand. Social media is their favorite medium. Where does that leave television? Or newspapers? Ask my students. In my multimedia journalism course, we are re-inventing the future of multiplatform, multimedia news. Other than global leaders such as the New York Times and the Financial Times, I don’t see enough of that.
  • With all of its flaws, the U.S. media remains among the freest (and most freewheeling) in the world. We can be thankful for that.
  • Back to vacation. With the TV turned off.