While the University of Michigan does not currently offer a degree program in journalism, there are a wide variety of resources available within the English Department and across campus for Michigan students interested in reality-based narrative and documentary forms, including journalistic writing, creative nonfiction, and the many types of storymaking that fall somewhere in between.
Opportunities offered by the Department of English include:
English Summer Journalism Internships for English majors and minors
Minor in Creative Writing (with an optional track in creative nonfiction)
- Great Lakes Writers Corps: This new program offers aspiring writers with an interest in regional issues a structured three-part sequence of hands-on training opportunities including introduction to literary journalism, a funded summer research placement, and a production course resulting in the creation of a potentially publishable long-form story or podcast.
- Individual course offerings, such as:
- English 229 - Professional Writing
- English 244 - Introduction to Literary Journalism: Great Lakes Writing Corps I
- English 292 - Headlines, Pitching, and How to Build a Skill Set for a Career in Journalism
- English 322 - Community Journalism: The Art and Practice of Narrative Nonfiction (profiled here and here)
- English 325 - Art of the Essay
- English 326 - Community Writing and Public Culture
- English 344 - Public Writing: Longform Storytelling and the Podcast
- English 344 - The Art of the Interview [offered Fall 2024!]
- English 345 - The New Essay
- English 425 - Immersion Writing: Truth, Fact, and Art
Other departments and programs offering relevant courses include:
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Additional campus resources for aspiring public writers and journalists include:
Wallace House: a campus hub for journalistic research and outreach that sponsors a regular lecture series featuring high-profile journalists from around the globe
Michigan Daily: a prize-winning student publication offering hands-on training opportunities