New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program (SHERP) is one of the oldest and most prestigious science journalism training programs in the country. (The program was known as 'SERP' until 2006, when the 'H' was added to acknowledge the program's longtime focus on health reporting.) Students completing the 16-month program receive a Master of Arts in Journalism and an Advanced Certificate in Science, Health and Environmental Reporting.
Since its founding in 1982, SHERP has produced more than 300 graduates who now hold leadership positions in print, television, radio and web journalism in the U.S. and more than 20 other countries. The program's alumni have diverse backgrounds and beliefs and work in many different types of media. What unites them is a deep conviction that science is far too important to be left only to scientists. Utilizing their SHERP training, they have dedicated their professional lives to covering science, health and environmental issues with precision, subtlety and passion. SHERP's current students are the newest links in a chain that stretches back a quarter-century. In 2007, SHERP celebrated its 25th anniversary with a celebration that included a symposium featuring geneticist J. Craig Venter and a gala dinner-dance. More than half of the program's close-knit alumni attended, flying in from as far away as New Zealand.
SHERP's rigorous curriculum is tailored specifically to the development of outstanding science journalists. It emphasizes intensive training in research, reporting and writing as well as immersion in a wide range of cutting-edge scientific issues, from genetics to global climate change. A key focus is on writing news and features for print media and for the web, but students also practice all forms of modern journalism, from web blogging and audio podcasting to newspaper editing and long-form magazine writing. Multimedia journalism is woven into the curriculum from the first semester, when every SHERP student learns to shoot and edit video. Later, the students build on those skills during an intensive multimedia workshop course during the summer term.
The stories SHERP students produce for their classes are of such high quality that every year some students are able to place them in professional publications. In addition, students gain invaluable experience by assigning, reporting, writing and editing stories for Scienceline, an award-winning webzine run entirely by SHERP students. Scienceline's mix of hard-hitting journalism, features, profiles, blogs, videos, podcasts and interactivity attracts more than a thousand visitors per day from around the world.
SHERP takes full advantage of its home base in the capital of science media in the United States: New York City. In addition to two full-time professors -- SHERP director Dan Fagin and Charles Seife -- the program's superb faculty includes adjunct professors who hold prominent editing positions with leading New York-based publications. The curriculum also draws heavily on a roster of powerhouse guest lecturers constituting a who's who of science journalism and of science research. In a typical year, anywhere from 60 to 100 journalists and scientists visit SHERP, and students also take field trips to science research centers and newsrooms in the New York area.
New York University is a world-class research institution, and SHERP draws on the vast resources of the university, including the NYU School of Medicine, to enrich our students' experiences. One new SHERP venture, for example, sends second-semester serpies into laboratories across the campus to cover cutting-edge research on hot topics such as embryonic stem cells, global warming and nanotechnology. Their stories are then published in Scienceline and other publications.
As you might expect, SHERP's internship program is exceptionally strong. All SHERP students are required to complete an internship, and many choose to do two. An internship coordinator who works exclusively with SHERP students helps to place them and then follows up to make sure they are getting the most from their internship experience. In recent years, serpies have interned at dozens of prestigious media outlets. Some select specialized publications such as Scientific American, Audubon Magazine or Space.com, while others cover science-related topics for general-interest outlets such as CNN, Newsday, the BBC and New York Times Television.
Job placement is also a proven strength of the program. Every year, several graduating serpies go to work full-time at the places where they interned. Many other job-seeking graduates tap the close-knit and extensive SHERP alumni network, which operates its own busy e-mail listserv. Over the years, editors have come to trust the SHERP "brand," so graduates tend to fare very well in the highly competitive New York job market.
SHERP's director emeritus, William E. Burrows, started the program soon after the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor accident in Pennsylvania in 1979 because he recognized the dire need for journalists who were both scientifically literate and good storytellers. A former New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal reporter, Burrows is the author of 11 books on space, the military and journalism. He was joined in 2005 by Associate Professor Dan Fagin, who then succeeded Burrows as director of SHERP. One of the country's best known journalists on environmental health topics, Fagin spent 18 years at Newsday, where he was twice a Pulitzer finalist and in 2003 won both of the best-known science journalism prizes in the United States. SHERP also draws on the talents of Associate Professor Charles Seife, a former writer for Science magazine and author of four books about energy, mathematics and cosmology. The program's excellent adjunct faculty includes top editors at Scientific American, Discover and The Scientist. Guest lecturers include leading science reporters and editors from The New York Times, NBC News, National Public Radio, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Newsday and many other major media outlets.
Just as Burrows did when he was director, Fagin emphasizes that students should think of SHERP not as a conventional M.A. program, but as an informal colloquium taught by outstanding faculty in an intensive yet friendly environment. SHERP students work hard but they love what they do. Thanks to the specialized curriculum and intimate atmosphere, "sherpies" form lifelong bonds during their 16 months in the program, including at least eight marriages so far!
Admission to SHERP is highly competitive, since just 15 students are in a typical yearly class. All SHERP students start in September and are expected to complete the program by December of the following year. We cannot accept part-time students.
Please note that the application deadline is very early — January 4 — for students who wish to begin SHERP the following September, so applicants should arrange to take the GRE and (if necessary) the TOEFL at least six weeks before the deadline. (For more information on the tests, see How to Apply). SHERP will consider late applications if space is available, however we strongly encourage prospective students to apply by January 4, especially those seeking financial aid, to improve their chances of admission.
No interview is required but prospective applicants are welcome to visit classes and meet the faculty and students. E-mail SHERP to arrange a visit or request additional information.
Click here for more information about applying to SHERP.
