Frequently Asked Questions

Numerous data skills including: negotiating for and obtaining data, records and documents; cleaning data; building a data scraper; data analysis using Excel and SQL; mapping for analysis; building a data application; how to tell a story from data. See actual student projects that use these skills on our curriculum page.

All of our courses are inherently about reporting and storytelling. Students will become an experienced storyteller understanding when to use which multimedia platform to tell a story, as well as: gaining access to sources, building sources, beat reporting, refining story ideas, how to personalize a story, key investigative reporting techniques, telling national stories from a local angle, finding a unique angle to features and profiling an individual. Students learn to tell these stories via written form, audio, video and basic data visualization. See actual student projects that use these skills on our curriculum page.

By design, we aim to enroll between 14 and 18 students a year. Our students are not lost faces in a crowd: the beauty of our small size is students work closely with their professors and receive individualized attention to grow skill-sets.

One academic year, typically late-September through mid-June. Stanford runs on a quarter system, affording students the opportunity to take around 12-13 courses in a single academic year (spread over the fall, winter, and spring quarters).

Yes. We encourage students in the Journalism Program to take courses in statistics, coding and design thinking — or whatever matches your professional interests (subject to advisor approval).

Yes, it is a requirement for graduation. The project is a signature piece of journalism that involves deep reporting, long-form writing, and multimedia storytelling. We encourage projects that draw upon database reporting and data visualization tools and techniques, as well as those that experiment with non-traditional story forms. Students generally spend all of Spring Quarter working on the master’s project.

Yes. Almost every student completes a local or national internship, sometimes during the academic year, but often during the summer following graduation. Also, learn more about the Rowland and Pat Rebele Digital and Print Journalism Internship Program.

Most students prefer to live on campus. Stanford is a residential campus with very attractive housing options for graduate students.

No. Journalism students take a full load of courses, which doesn’t allow time for an assistantship (usually 20 hours a week).

Stanford University is located about 35 miles south of San Francisco and 20 miles north of San Jose, in the heart of Silicon Valley. Take a virtual tour of “The Farm.”