Columbia University is now accepting Knight-Bagehot Fellowship applications for the 2017-2018 academic year. A Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Economics and Business Journalism at Columbia University provides the kind of sabbatical education that business journalists crave — and need. Administered by the Columbia Journalism School in New York, the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship is undoubtedly the most comprehensive business journalism fellowship.

It offers 10 qualified journalists an opportunity of a lifetime to enhance their knowledge of business, economics and finance in a year-long, full-time program administered by the Columbia Journalism school. During their year at Columbia, the Fellows are treated as any other fulltime graduate student and are expected to take — and pass — at least 30 credits.

During the program fellows may select any university course relating to business, economics or finance. In practice, Knight-Bagehot fellows take most of their courses at the Columbia Graduate School of Business, Law School and the School of International Affairs. The course work is supplemented by a full slate of off-the-record seminars and dinner meetings with corporate executives, economists and academics; they also participate in field trips to New York-based media companies and financial institutions.

The Faculty Committee of the Graduate School of Journalism usually picks one or two international journalists among the finalists. The number of international fellows finally boils down to the competition. Although there is a sprinkling of international journalists most of the positions go to journalists working in the US media.

"Most of us who are journalists became journalists because we had a deeply felt passion to tell people about other people; to explain the world; to shine light on dark corners; to join up the dots," Gillian Tett, Assistant Editor and Columnist, Financial Times, told the Knight-Bagehot 37th Anniversary Gala in New York.

"The Knight Bagehot helps do that by training journalists to tell people about other people in finance and business — to explain how finance works, how business works, and how money goes round the world and makes the world go round. Or, more accurately, how money sometimes stops going round the world — as in the 2008 financial crisis — and damages all of us," added Tett.
 

• Eligibility and Criteria
  The fellowship is open to full-time editorial employees of newspapers, magazines, wire services, and broadcast news organizations as well as to freelance journalists. Applicants must have at least four years of work experience. 
  
  The chief criterion for selection is demonstrated journalistic excellence. While essays and letters of recommendation are important parts of the application, the greatest weight is given to work samples.
   
• Value
  For the 2017­2018 academic year, fellows will receive free  tuition plus a stipend of $55,000 to offset living expenses in New York City. Housing is available in a Columbia affiliated facility.
   
• Duration
  The Knight-Bagehot Fellowship program runs for the full academic year which begins in mid-August and ends in late-May.
   
• Application Deadlines
  Columbia University is now accepting applications for the 2017­2018 academic year. The submission deadline for US and non-US applicants is February 15, 2017. To apply, you have to create an account through Columbia's online system in order to submit the application and required materials.

 
The Columbia University Journalism school only accepts online applications. Visit the site at https://journalism.columbia.edu/knight-bagehot-fellowship-economics-and-business-journalism to apply online for the 2017-2018 Knight-Bagehot Fellowships.

Tags: USA, Columbia University, Postgraduate, Journalism, Business Journalism, Fellowship, Scholarships, Knight-Bagehot Fellowships