Applications now open for the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Economics and Business Journalism Class of 2022-23.
The Knight-Bagehot Fellowship offers journalists the opportunity to enhance their understanding and knowledge of business, economics, finance and technology, as well as gain a strong understanding of the business of journalism itself.
Fellows spend two semesters at Columbia Journalism School and take most of their classes at Columbia Business School. The fellows meet weekly for off-the-record seminars and dinners with top journalists, entrepreneurs and corporate leaders.
In scope and depth, it is the most comprehensive and rigorous business journalism fellowship in the world. The fellowship is an academic program in which the fellows are enrolled in classes and receive grades for their work.
 Fellows meet together once a week for a seminar and dinner, and each fellow chooses their own particular set of business and journalism classes. Three academic tracks guide those choices. Two tracks lead to a Certificate in Business and Economics Journalism. The third leads to a Master of Arts in Journalism.
The fellowship runs during Columbia’s academic year from mid-August through May and accepts up to 10 fellows each year. Each fellow receives free tuition plus a stipend to offset living expenses in New York City and healthcare. For the 2021-2022 academic year, fellows received a living stipend of $60,000 and health insurance. They may apply for subsidized housing in a Columbia-affiliated facility.
The deadline to apply for the 2022-23 fellowship is January 31, 2022.
Requirements
The fellowship is open to full-time editorial employees of newspapers, magazines, wire services, digital media, television and radio news organizations, as well as to freelance journalists, from anywhere in the world. Applicants must have at least four years of business/economics/finance journalism experience and have received a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) from an accredited university. While a majority of the fellows typically come from the U.S., we specifically look for candidates who can help deliver better business journalism in all parts of the world.
The chief criterion for selection is demonstrated journalistic excellence. Essays and letters of recommendation are important parts of the application as are previous work samples and a plan of study. All materials, including letters of reference, college transcripts, essays and work samples should be compiled and submitted with the application form.
Applicants’ employers, except under unusual circumstances, should submit a letter supporting the application, but applicants are not required to obtain formal employer approval to apply for and get admitted to the program. Fellows are prohibited from working and/or freelancing during the fellowship year and must relocate to New York City. Fellows are encouraged to return to their employers at the end of their year at Columbia.
Fellowship selections will be announced in March 2022. The number of fellowships awarded each year, as well as the level of the living expenses stipend, is determined by the program’s financial resources.
