TU Dortmund University Institute of Journalism

Degrees offered

The Institute of Journalism (Institut fur Journalistik) offers eight degree programs across four subject areas, each at Bachelor's and Master's level: Journalism Studies (Journalistik), Science Journalism (Wissenschaftsjournalismus), Economic-Political Journalism (Wirtschaftspolitischer Journalismus), and Music Journalism (Musikjournalismus, offered jointly with the Institute of Music and Musicology).

Programs and emphasis

Journalism Studies integrates practical newsroom training with academic coursework and a year-long traineeship (Volontariat) with partner media in the seventh and eighth semesters, so graduates earn both a degree and professional editor status. Students produce multimedia content for the online magazine KURT digital in the institute's training newsroom, named for founding professor Kurt Koszyk. The institute has eight professorships and, per its own description, receives more applications each year than it has places. It participates in the German-Austrian Digital Media Observatory (GADMO), a fact-checking and disinformation research collaboration with Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Agence France-Presse, Austria Presse Agentur, and Correctiv.

History

Germany's first journalism degree program launched in the 1976/77 winter semester under Professor Kurt Koszyk, then at the Ruhr University of Education (Padagogische Hochschule Ruhr), with support from Johannes Rau, North Rhine-Westphalia's science minister at the time. In 1984 the program was reorganized into the independent Institute of Journalism. The Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism was founded in 1991 and remains housed within the Institute of Journalism. The institute marked its 50th anniversary in March 2026 with an event at the German Football Museum attended by around 500 guests.

Key faculty and leadership

Susanne Fengler: Professor of International Journalism since 2008 and academic director of the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism.
Holger Wormer: Chair of Science Journalism since 2004.
Frank Lobigs: Professor of Media Economics since 2006.

Location and contact info

Website
https://en.journalistik-dortmund.de/