US Embassy announces 2021-2023 GIPA Master's Degree Program in journalism

The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce that the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA) is soliciting applications from Azerbaijani citizens for a Master's Degree program in journalism and media management offered by the Caucasus School of Journalism and Media Management and taught by instructors from the United States, Georgia, and European Union member states, Report informs, citing the embassy.

The U.S. Department of State funds the program. The overall goal of the program is to strengthen the media in the emerging democratic societies of the South Caucasus.

Five Azerbaijani journalists will be selected for the program, which will be offered over the course of four semesters from September 2021 to June 2023. The students will study in Tbilisi, Georgia, from September 2021-December 2022 and work on their diploma portfolio in Azerbaijan from January-June 2023. Students will be expected to return to Georgia to defend a thesis/final project in July 2023. While studying at GIPA, students will have access to computers, audio and video equipment, the Internet, and a journalism library. The program will produce multimedia stories for the student media web page and produce Radio GIPA FM reports. The program curriculum provides a hands-on, experiential approach to learning the latest fact-based, professional reporting and writing techniques for print, online, and broadcast media. Coursework also includes management techniques and key knowledge fields, such as economics and the judiciary. Strong English language skills, as demonstrated at an oral interview, are required. The U.S. Embassy in Baku provides tuition support and financial assistance for their studies in Georgia to students who demonstrate financial need. The selection process includes an English-language interview with a joint Azerbaijani-American admissions committee in Baku.

The deadline for applications is May 10, 2021. For more information, please contact Mehdi Huseynguliyev, recruitment coordinator, at [email protected] [email protected] Or: Caucasus School of Journalism and Media Management at Georgian Institute of Public Affairs Address: 2 Brosse Street, Tbilisi, Georgia Tel: cell: +995 591 656505 Levan Kurtskhalia Email: [email protected] or [email protected] web: www.gipa.ge Please send your documents to Mehdi Huseynguliyev's email addresses or deliver them to the U.S. Embassy (111 Azadliq Avenue). List of documents to be presented for GIPA program application: 1. Application Form 2. Reference Letters 3. Statement of Purpose 4. Copies of Degrees 5. Transcripts 6.

Copy of ID Card or Passport Additional Information: The Georgian Institute of Public Affairs was established in 1994 as a non-governmental, non-profit educational institution, raising a cadre of highly trained public servants and journalists to support democratic and market reforms in the Caucasus. Caucasus School of Journalism and Media Management (CSJMM) was established in 2001 to support independent media development in the Caucasus using educational and training programs in journalism, communication, and media management. The school's philosophy is that journalists -- well-grounded in skills to report fairly and accurately -- will raise the level of journalism where they practice and serve the public by providing truthful information and upholding the profession's highest ethical standards. Since its opening in January 2002, CSJMM's English-language regional program graduated more than 200 students with master's degrees in journalism and media management. In Azerbaijan, CSJMM has graduates who hold leading positions in the professional media. The overall employment rate is 87%. Today's graduates are well-established journalists committed to the principles of fairness, independence, honesty, and accuracy in their work for newspapers, television, and radio. The biggest employers of Azerbaijani graduates are Turan, APA, 1News and Report News agencies, Caspian Business News, BBC Monitoring, VOA, Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty's Azerbaijani and Russian Services.