“Challenging and fascinating”: why students and journalists from all over the world choose Mundus Journalism programme
Since applications just opened, we asked Mundusians why they chose to apply to Mundus Journalism and what made this programme stand out among others - let’s hear their stories!
November is a special month for the Mundus Journalism programme; it’s when we start thinking about new applicants and feeling the thrill of creating a class of very talented strangers who will sit in the same room and bring different cultural perspectives to the table; November is the month during which we open our doors to let future students in and we prepare ourselves to be challenged by their enthusiasm, hunger and ambition.
Spoiler: Those strangers will turn into classmates and then, (very) often, into lifelong friends.
No need to say 2020 was a testing year, especially for a highly international master’s programme which normally welcome up to 90 people traveling from more than 30 countries to Denmark; however, despite travel restrictions and quarantine rules, more than 50 Mundus Journalism students arrived ready for course start in Aarhus in September and others arrived in the following weeks. Some might ask why our students are so committed and even start researching about our programme years before they can apply - Anna-Lena, from Germany, told us she discovered Mundus Journalism during a late-night internet search when she was 15. Eight years later, she was walking on campus as a Mundus student; to answer that question, we are writing this article.
Started in 2005 with the first cohort of international students and journalists, the Mundus Journalism programme evolutioned with the years, following the trends and development of the fast-paced and multilayered fields of research that are journalism and media studies. After 15 years, the Mundus Consortium, formed by professors and advisors from the universities involved in the programme, decided to offer an even stronger and refreshed curriculum, gaining new partnerships across the world and developing new theoretical and practical courses; when doing so, the focus was put on the needs of the students, who are the most important and valuable asset of Mundus Journalism. For this reason, we asked some of them why they chose this master’s degree as a key step for their education and professional development - better to hear it from them than anyone else, right?
Ayee, from the Philippines, defined it as “an open door to more international and diplomatic reporting”. She’s a seasoned journalist with more than 10 years of experience and always eager to dive into discussions about geopolitics, women’s rights and the role the media play in democracies. Lisa, from Germany, is the one who we quoted in the title: for her, Mundus programme “looked like the most challenging programme out there” and she thinks “the amount of people from different nationalities is sheer fascinating”.
The presence of different cultural perspectives not only academically speaking but also as a big part of the overall experience is one of the reasons that bring students to Mundus; Asif, from Bangladesh, chose it thinking of the programme as an opportunity to “begin to function as a citizen of the world”, a space where “easy answers are challenged by other cultures”. These thoughts were shared also by Ricardo, from Spain, who chose Mundus Journalism for its “global perspective and open-mindness”, ideas that he would love to build his professional career on.
Being an international journalism programme built across different universities and study cultures, Mundus Journalism bridges theory with practice in all stages of the programme, starting from the courses at the Danish School of Media and Journalism and Aarhus University to the three different specialization tracks at University of Amsterdam, Charles University in Prague and City University of London.
“The fact that I get to do this [studying journalism] in two different European countries is an added bonus for a travel buff like me” said Aarti from India. Mundus Journalism is openness, cultural diversity, challenges, possibilities and analytical knowledge, that’s why our students chose it; in Aarti’s words, “it was time to unlearn whatever I learned about journalism.”
Curious to hear more about our students’ perspectives and experiences prior and during the programme? Check out the latest Bluebooks, the yearbooks where students share all about Mundus and themselves in their unique and creative way!
Interested in joining the next cohort of Mundusians? Applications are open until 10th January, 2021 at 12:00 CET.