Tailyr Irvine
Documentary
Documentary photographer, 2023 National
Geographic Explorer
You learn
journalism by doing
it, starting
your
first semester.
Montana's only journalism school, and a top-10 Hearst program.
Students cover the legislature, tribal nations and public radio
as
undergraduates, and graduate with published work, not just a
diploma.
10th Hearst Awards 2025-26
1 of 104 accredited programs
Fall 2026 applications open
Tell us where to start
Why journalism here
Start here. Thrive
anywhere.
- 10th
- Hearst Awards
-
Overall in the 2025-26 Hearst Journalism Awards,
among 104 accredited programs. - 94%
- Placement
-
Of graduates are working in the field within a
year of leaving Missoula. - $426K
- Scholarships
-
Awarded to current students every year,
funded by alumni and donors. - 1914
- Founded
-
More than a century of training reporters
who publish before they graduate.
01 The cost question
In-state tuition, and a
newsroom twenty
minutes from home.
Montana residents pay resident rates and still report statewide. The legislature in Helena, the reservations, the river towns. You do not have to leave the state to file work that matters, and you do not have to pay out-of-state prices to do it.
See in-state costsWatch
See what a semester actually
looks like
02 What students are doing
"I really have this curiosity with people.
Maddie McCuddy, national champion, Hearst television journalism 2026
Having a camera lets me talk to them and
ask questions in a very candid way."
Two of our students finished
at the top of the country
this
year.
1st
Maddie McCuddy
National champion, Hearst television journalism, 2026
2nd
Claire Bernard
Hearst national writing championship, 2026. Bloomberg
News intern, Washington D.C.
Students publish hereMontana KaiminKBGAMontana Public RadioMontana PBSNative NewsUM Legislative News Service
90 seconds, no email required
90 seconds • No email required
See where you'd likely start.
Question 1 of 2
03 Five tracks
Pick one track,
or do all of it.
Combine tracks, switch lanes, or build your own mix as your interests
change.
Nobody is asked to decide for good at seventeen.
01
Audio and Podcasting
Your match
Anchor on KBGA, intern at Montana Public Radio, produce a
podcast that ships. Students
are on air before they graduate, not after.
02
Writing, Reporting and Editing
Your match
Explore writing, reporting and editing. Ask a student about this track →
03
Photo and Visual Journalism
Your match
Explore photo and visual journalism. Ask a student about this track →
04
TV and Film
Your match
Explore TV and film. Ask a student about this track →
05
Social Media, Marketing and PR
Your match
Explore social media, marketing and PR. Ask a student about this track →
Not sure which track is yours?
Sit in on one class in each track. Faculty will walk you through
what a semester actually looks
like, and nobody will ask you to commit at the end of it.
04 Every fall, on campus
A four-day intensive,
and you don't have to
leave Missoula
for it.
The Montana Photo Workshop brings early-career photojournalists from across the country to shoot real assignments under working professionals. Alumni come back to teach it. Bronté Wittpenn, now at the San Francisco Chronicle, has instructed, and UM students work the assignments alongside everyone else.
"Connections lead you to connections
Riley Hudson, former student
that lead you to further opportunities
down the road."
05 A century of graduates
Where this degree
actually goes.
Nathan Rott
Audio
Correspondent, NPR's Science Desk
Ryan Dovish
Writing
Seattle Mariners Beat Writer, Seattle Times
Claire Bernard
Writing
2026 Hearst Winner, Bloomberg News
06 Every answer comes from a person
Three ways to reach a
person today.
Ask a student
A person answers, not a bot
Pick what you are focused on and ask anything. A student in that track writes back, usually the same week.
Transfer students
Advisor transcript review
Schedule a free transcript review. We'll let you know which credits transfer in.
- Turnaround
- Two business days
- Bring
- An unofficial transcript
Visit campus
Book a time and come see it
Sit in on a class, tour the newsroom in Don Anderson Hall, and meet the faculty who would teach you.
- Ask for
- Don Anderson Hall
- Best for
- Deciding for real
07 Before you ask
The questions we get most.
Do I need experience to get in?
No. Most students arrive with none. You will report and publish from your first semester, because that is how it is taught here.
Can I afford it?
The School awards more than $426,000 a year in donor-funded scholarships, on top of University aid and resident tuition rates.
Will my transfer credits count?
Most general-education credits transfer. An advisor can read your transcript on one phone call and tell you exactly where you land.
What if I don’t want to be a reporter?
Graduates work in documentary, communications, marketing and public radio. The skill you leave with is reporting, not a job title.
Applications for Fall 2026 are open
Four years from now you'll have
a body of work, not a
transcript.
Start your application conversation