A UM Journalism student kneels with a camera and takes photos of a controlled burn in the University of Montana's Lubrecht Experimental Forest near Missoula, MT.

Journalism

Writing, Reporting and Editing Track

If you've ever wanted to ask the question nobody else was asking, or tell the story nobody else had the access — or the nerve — to tell, this is the track built for that instinct. Writing students at the School of Journalism don't wait until senior year to start reporting. You'll be covering real beats within your first year, publishing in front of real audiences, and graduating with a portfolio that already proves you can do the job — not just describe it in a cover letter.

You'll also leave with skills that travel well past a newsroom: how to find the story buried in a pile of documents, how to ask the question that actually gets answered, how to write clean and fast on deadline. Those are the same skills that get our graduates hired as speechwriters, communications directors and policy staffers — not only as reporters and editors.

Jobs and Career Options

Woman with notebook in her hand laughs with man in group of people.Graduates of the writing and editing track become reporters and editors who uncover the truth and hold the powerful to account. Just as many take the same training into public relations, communications, politics and the private sector — as copywriters, speechwriters, grant writers and web editors.

Erin Billings, MA '95, worked as a reporter and editor before moving into public relations and is now senior vice president of communications and public affairs for the Global Strategy Group in Washington, D.C. She says:

"Writing is one of the most important skills for any professional, no matter what path they choose. The J-School taught me how to write well, write thoughtfully, with precision and accuracy. The J-School also taught me to be curious, ask the right questions, and arrive at smart solutions. I use these skills every day, both professionally and personally."

Just some of the jobs this track will prepare you for include:

  • Reporter
  • Editor
  • Copy editor
  • Magazine writer
  • Freelance writer
  • Sports writer
  • Feature writer
  • Author
  • Copywriter
  • Speechwriter

The student experience

Claire Bernard and Maddy McCuddy competing at the 2026 Hearst Journalism Championships.
Claire Bernard and Maddy McCuddy competing at the 2026 Hearst Journalism Championships. Photo by Jeremy Lurgio

As a writing or editing student, you'll start writing early — and by graduation, you'll have a full portfolio of professional clips to build a career on. In the classroom, you'll report, write and edit for capstone projects like Byline Magazine, published every fall, and the Native News Honors Project, which sends student teams into Montana's tribal nations each spring to report stories that rarely get told elsewhere.

Some classroom work goes further than the classroom. A single Feature Writing assignment grew into The Obit Project, a podcast now distributed nationally on NPR member stations and Apple Podcasts — proof that the writing you do here can reach a national audience before you've even graduated.

UM writers also compete on the national stage while still students. Claire Bernard placed second nationally in the Hearst Journalism Awards' National Writing Championship — often called the "Pulitzers of college journalism" — and is headed to a writing internship with Bloomberg News in Washington, D.C. Her take:

"If you would have told me when I was graduating high school that at the end of college, I'd be going to write for a massive publication in D.C., I would've said, 'No way.' But then I think back to the incredible support I've received from the University of Montana. I've had so many people supporting me along the way."

Recent Alumni

Michael Wright, reporter, Spokesman-Review

Nate Schweber, writer, New York Times, and author 

Ryan Divish, Mariners beat writer, Seattle Times

Luella Brien, founder, editor and publisher of Four Points Press

Jacob Baynham, freelancer magazine writer

Allison Bye, publication designer

Kellyn Brown, founding editor-in-chief, Flathead Beacon

Danny Davis, sports writer, Austin American-Statesman

Seaborn Larson, chief of the Montana State News Bureau, Lee Montana Newspapers

Courses

Writing, reporting and editing students start with the "core four" journalism classes in media history, writing, reporting and visual journalism. From there, students can then tackle covering cops and courts or city politics or the environment, etc. in beat reporting or take on big investigations in investigative reporting or try out creative long-form journalism in feature writing. Students are also required to participate in a capstone course, like Native News or International Reporting or Legislative reporting, all in which students publish their work professionally. 

Here is a suggested course plan:

Lower-Division Required Coursed in Major

  • JRNL 100H - Journalism and American Society
  • JRNL 170 - Writing the News
  • JRNL 257 - Beginning Video and Photojournalism
  • JRNL 270 - Reporting the News

Lower-Division Elective Suggested

  • JRNL 105X - Global Current Events / Honors
  • JRNL 201 - Diversity in Media

Upper-Division Required Courses in the Major

  • JRNL 300 - First Amendment and Journalism Law
  • JRNL 400 - Ethics and Trends in News Media
  • JRNL 498 - Supervised Internship

Upper Division Writing Requirement Suggestion

  • JRNL 362 - Feature Writing
  • JRNL 370 - Beat Reporting

Five Upper-Division Elective Requirement Suggestions

  • JRNL 330 - News Editing
  • JRNL 414 - Investigations
  • JRNL 430 - Print & Web Editing & Design
  • JRNL 472 - Opinion Writing
  • JRNL 494 - Pollner Seminar

Capstone Requirement Suggestions

  • JRNL 411 - Reporting Native News
  • JRNL 412 - Magazine Production and Design
  • JRNL 470 - Campaign Coverage
  • JRNL 473 - International Reporting

Extra-Curricular Suggestions

  • Kaimin - Work for the Montana Kaimin as a reporter