Looking for a job after graduation is a process that can begin long before the big day. For broadcast journalism students at TROY, the opportunity to produce, direct, report and anchor for three live television news productions daily prepares them for a career in the field. Hall School of Journalism and Communication (HSJC) students often have a job before they even graduate, which is a testament to the school’s near-perfect job placement rate.

Dr. Robbyn Taylor, Director of the HSJC, says that the job placement rate reflects the hands-on experience and education that students receive in the award-winning broadcast journalism program.

“All of our teachers who are journalism instructors have professional experience in the field, whether it was working for newspapers, television stations or public relations,” she said. “Not only are the students getting that hands-on opportunity by working at TrojanVision or Troy Public Radio, but they’re also hearing stories about historical events that were covered by their teachers in the department, so they’re learning beyond theory.”

TROY also has strong relationships with news organizations in Alabama, which helps students find internships that also lead to jobs. Emma Ellis, a reporter at WSFA 12 News in Montgomery, completed two paid internships while at TROY including a fellowship with Gray Television at WBRC 6 News in Birmingham.

“The Hall School of Journalism and Communication prepared me for my career in so many ways,” Ellis said. “Because of my time spent in class and TrojanVision, I already knew the foundational skills needed for my job as a multimedia journalist/reporter. I was able to spend less time training and jump into reporting more quickly. On top of that, the connections I made through the HSJC allowed me to secure two paid internships, which helped me to create a portfolio and improve my technical skills. I would like to think I took advantage of every opportunity the HSJC offered me, and because of that, I was able to secure my dream job and work as an MMJ/reporter before I even graduated college!”

Other successful HSJC alumni include Emmy award-winning CNN correspondent Tom Foreman, the NFL Network’s Patrick Claybon and the Baltimore Orioles’s radio and television play-by-play broadcaster, Melanie Newman. Graduates can also apply their skills to jobs in advertising, public relations, marketing and similar industries.

You can learn more about TROY’s broadcast journalism program here.