American University (AU) is one of the top ten colleges in the U.S. for students to learn to practice broadcast journalism, according to the latest College Magazine rankings. The report cites the fact that AU students "master everything from TV and radio production writing. That way, they can figure out whether they prefer writing, anchoring, directing, editing or producing. Students write stories and create multimedia classes in reporting classes, and they get to work with zoom audio records and Canon video equipment in Digital Skills, Reporting and Digital Audio Production."

AU's Journalism and Public Affairs MA program, offered through the School of Communication (SOC), uses the nation's capital as its classroom, sending students into the nearby halls of Congress and leveraging long-standing relationships with the likes of NPR, NBC, Vox, Bloomberg BNA, The Washington Post, and USA Today.

Students in the program build their professional practice on top of strong foundations in basic digital skills, writing and reporting across audio, video and mobile platforms. Industry-leading faculty also teach courses from the heady to the hands-on, from advanced web design to Race, Ethnic and Community reporting.

American University’s Media Production Center features digital video and audio editing suites, a computer-based newsroom system featuring Associated Press’ ENPS, an HD-equipped television studio, and the Ed Bliss Broadcast Newsroom. The McKinley Building, home of the School of Communication, a second HD studio as part of its state-of-the-art Media Innovation Lab.

The MA in Journalism and Digital Storytelling and BA in Journalism also have access to the same cutting edge equipment and facilities, with an emphasis on real-world experience and opportunities for mentoring and networking to boost students professionally.

This is the second year in a row SOC programs have scored high marks from College Magazine, which ranked SOC's journalism programs ninth in the nation in 2016.

"Rankings such as this help raise our visibility, but the real measure of our success lies in the tremendous accomplishments of the students, faculty and alumni who are associated with SOC's journalism programs," said Dean Jeffrey Rutenbeck.