Application Deadline: February 28 2014
The Knight Science Journalism Fellowship is a nine-month Knight Science Journalism Fellowship offers time for learning and enrichment, away from the pressure of deadlines and job demands. Since 1983, the program has helped hundreds of journalists move to the next level in their careers.
The basic premise of the fellowship is to lay aside the journalist’s normally narrow focus on getting “the story,” and instead to explore science more deeply and more broadly—to follow intellectual digressions, to learn the history of a field, to understand how scientists and engineers pursue their work.
Qualifications
Applicants must be full-time journalists, whether they are on staff or freelance. Part-time writers or producers are not eligible. Applicants must have at least three full years of experience covering science, technology, the environment, or medicine; or at least five years of other journalism experience and a desire to cover those areas in the future.
Journalism experience must be in the years immediately prior to applying.
Applicants may be reporters, writers, editors, producers, illustrators or photo-journalists. They may work for newspapers, magazines, television, radio or the Web.
There are no educational prerequisites, nor is there an age-limit.
Professionals working in public information, public relations, the trade press, government or academia are not eligible.
Proficiency in English is necessary for Fellows to make the most of their time at MIT.
Knight Fellowship programs and activities
In addition to their individually selected courses, Fellows are expected to attend the following programs:
Seminars: Fellows meet twice weekly for seminars with top researchers. Sometimes the presenter comes to us, and sometimes we visit them in the lab. A few seminars are devoted to the craft of science writing and issues involving interactions between science and society. See our seminar schedule.
Boot Camps: Knight Fellows also gain automatic admission to our highly competitive week-long Boot Camps, one per semester. See our upcoming boot camps.
Field Trips: Each fall, Fellows spend a few days in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, visiting the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory. Other field trips to local science centers may arise during the course of the year.
Digital Media Training: Due to the changing nature of journalism, we want our Fellows to return to the work-force with more skills than they had coming in. As of 2009, we now offer training in various technologies, including audio and video capture, and digital editing.
Knight Fellowship programs and activities
In addition to their individually selected courses, Fellows are expected to attend the following programs:
Seminars: Fellows meet twice weekly for seminars with top researchers. Sometimes the presenter comes to us, and sometimes we visit them in the lab. A few seminars are devoted to the craft of science writing and issues involving interactions between science and society. See our seminar schedule.
Boot Camps: Knight Fellows also gain automatic admission to our highly competitive week-long Boot Camps, one per semester. See our upcoming boot camps.
Field Trips: Each fall, Fellows spend a few days in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, visiting the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory. Other field trips to local science centers may arise during the course of the year.
Digital Media Training: Due to the changing nature of journalism, we want our Fellows to return to the work-force with more skills than they had coming in. As of 2009, we now offer training in various technologies, including audio and video capture, and digital editing.
Stipends & Benefits
Fellows receive a stipend of $65,000 divided into ten installments over the academic year. Our $65,000 stipend is awarded to all Fellows, regardless of nationality.
Additional Benefits
Health Insurance: Fellows who elect to participate in the MIT Affiliate Health Insurance program may have their own coverage paid by the Knight Science Journalism Fellowships. Fellows who wish for their spouses and children to join the same plan must arrange to pay the cost for their families.
Access to everything at MIT and Harvard: With few exceptions, all MIT and Harvard University courses are available for audit by Knight Fellows.
Stipulations
To be awarded our 9-month academic year Fellowship, selected applicants must agree to the following requirements:
- To reside full-time in the Boston/Cambridge area for the academic year: August 15 through May 15.
- To attend all boot camps, field trips, seminars, and new media training sessions arranged by the Knight Science Journalism Fellowships.
- To participate in at least one science course per semester.
- To refrain from professional work during the Fellowship, unless written permission has been granted by the Director.
- For international candidates: To obtain a J-1 visa from the U.S. State Department after being awarded the Fellowship.
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship