Pioneer in teaching a Master of Journalism in Spain, the School founded by the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) and the newspaper EL PAÍS in 1986 has opened in February the registration period of the 38th promotion (2023-2025). Students from both sides of the Atlantic learn in Madrid, in the facilities of the most widely read newspaper in Spanish, the keys to a fundamental trade in democratic societies, a master's degree focused on the training of journalists with a critical spirit, who carry out their work with ethics, rigor and honesty, who flee from information-spectacle and know how to differentiate news from rumors. Candidates from Spain and the rest of the European Union have until September 6 to submit their application, while for applicants from Latin America and countries outside the EU the registration period ends on May 31.
To access the Master it is necessary to be in possession of a bachelor's degree in any academic discipline. María Hernández is from the Canary Islands, is 23 years old and studied Journalism at the Complutense University of Madrid. He joined the School last October and his passion is radio. He says that when he finished his degree he understood that he still had a lot to learn and saw in the Master an opportunity to grow in the world of journalism. Julien Ownby is the first Canadian to embark on the Master. He is 28 years old, has a degree in Science and arrived in Madrid in October from Montreal. He dived into postgraduate courses in his country, the United States and Argentina and opted for the title of EL PAÍS because "he wanted to do something very practical" hand in hand "with the most reputable Spanish newspaper". After six months at the School, Ownby says he has evolved by leaps and bounds: "I feel like I'm a totally different, improved and confident journalist. I've grown a lot and I see that I'm going to keep growing."
The premise and promise of the School is, according to its director, Javier Moreno, that "one enters without being a journalist, even if he has studied Journalism, and leaves being a journalist." It is "a transformative and unique change that few schools or educational institutions are able to offer, everything is practical from the first moment". Moreno attests to this promise. He studied chemistry but wanted to be a journalist. He entered the School and a year later he was already publishing as an editor in EL PAÍS, head of which he was director in two different stages.
Since its birth, 1,372 students have passed through the classrooms of the School of Journalism, some of whom hold senior positions of responsibility in both Spanish and Latin American media. The reporter Jon Sistiaga, the news director of La Sexta, Cesar González Antón, and the cultural manager Manuela Villa are some of the students who have passed through their classrooms. A large majority (81%) of the students are Spanish, 13% come from Latin America and the remaining 6% have joined from other European States and countries such as Canada, the United States or Morocco. The School will open the classrooms to the new promotion on October 16 and the students will conclude the first phase of training at the end of July 2024. On September 1, they will begin the paid internship period, which will last until August 31, 2025.
During almost four decades of uninterrupted activity, the Master keeps intact its objective: to train journalists with integrity who contribute to exercising the profession from ethics, credibility, rigor and honesty. It is conceived as a multimedia newsroom, offering teachings in all branches of journalism. It is, according to Moreno, a 360-degree training. "The School has been evolving. At first it was more written journalism but we have been adding techniques to correctly exercise the trade: audio, radio, podcasts, video, data journalism. We have been expanding and the students leave as journalists with the ability to work in multiple fields."
Students of the 37th promotion of the Master of Journalism UAM-ELPAÍSAlberto Ferreras
Students learn to write a news story, prepare a radio bulletin or record an audiovisual report and exercise in the use of informative tools to produce podcasts, design infographics or track social networks. All acquired knowledge is put into practice for one year.
The Master is a postgraduate course, UAM's own degree, with a duration of 22 months. Of these, the last 12 are dedicated to internships in the media of the PRISA group, such as EL PAÍS, the economic newspaper Cinco Días, the sports As or Cadena SER. Before joining the newsrooms of these newspapers, students receive training at the School of Journalism, where they work in small newsrooms. The teaching staff is made up mostly of active journalists from El PAÍS and Cadena SER, which encourages the transmission of the trade.
A large majority of the students who have passed through this professional training center are Spanish, but more and more students from Latin America are coming from Latin America. In the promotion 37, which began classes last October, almost half are from outside Spain. Mexico and Colombia are the countries from which a greater number of students come, although there are also from Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil and Canada.
A high percentage have completed higher education in Journalism or Social Communication and others have degrees in Law, Anthropology, History, Medicine, Nursing or Chemistry. To submit their application, they must complete the form published on the School's website with their personal data and write a letter of motivation. After this first phase, applicants must pass several tests: a questionnaire and a current writing, an English exam and an interview with those responsible for the Master.
Each promotion offers a maximum of 40 places and has the support of CaixaBank. This bank has been collaborating with the School for several years and its contribution has been fundamental for many students who, otherwise, could not realize their dream of being a journalist. The Carolina Foundation also offers scholarships for candidates from Latin America.