By Alessandra Perez

Hofstra University’s School of Communication and Graduate School Admissions announced the opening of its Master of Arts in Journalism starting in Fall 2006 – the only on Long Island. The new program will allow graduate students to take business classes as well as other Liberal Arts classes through the University’s many departments, in addition to specialized writing and reporting skills classes in business, medical or science journalism, according to a University release.The new master’s degree has been advertised by the University in the past month by indicating the growing need in specialized business and medical journalism. The 36-credit master’s program will end with a capstone project in the student’s specialization area and an internship. The University’s new graduate program is expected to produce writers and analysts who will research and use the information tools necessary to play a role in a democratic industrial society, according to the release.”During an undergraduate career, students are encouraged to explore a variety of subjects in order to become familiar with the culture, history, science and wisdom of our society,” Barbara M. Kelly, chair of the Journalism, Media Studies and Public Relations Department, said. “At the graduate level, students begin to specialize in areas in which they are both interested and proficient, so that they can – in the case of journalism- not only practice the trade, but bring intellectual and informational insights to their work.”Specialized journalism is a growing industry that continues to need journalists with in-depth knowledge to develop complex and specific articles. Kelly also indicated that the rise of scientific knowledge has turned science and medical writing into a major field of enterprise. “Pharmaceutical companies, HMOs, hospitals and senior care centers all function as businesses as well as sources of health care,” Kelly, a faculty member of the new program, said. “Modern media recognize this shift and provide news coverage of the changes in the discovery of new medications, in the conduct of business and in breakthroughs in disease prevention and care. Individuals who specialize in business and/or medical/scientific journalism can better serve the wide audience for this type of information.”University students are being encouraged to apply to the program if interested in following a career path as a newspaper, magazine or online publications writer, or as a public information officer in a government or non-profit organization in these two areas.”The program’s focus in the growing industries of business and medical journalism would provide perspective and create a genuine interest in the student that perhaps was not familiar with them,” Kim Velez, a senior majoring in broadcast journalism, said. “It certainly would not be a bad idea for Hofstra’s undergraduate students to pursue a career in constantly changing and influential areas such as the business and medicine.”