Syllabus for the Advanced Program in Sports Media, B/R’s sportswriting course

Bleacher Report has two paid educational programs, the Advanced Program in Sports Media, which focuses on sportswriting in digital media, and the Advanced Program in Editing and Content Management, which focuses on editing.

We’ve been visiting college journalism programs lately talking about these programs. They’re targeted at advanced journalism students, those reaching the end of their education, as well as early-career professionals. Bleacher Report hires a fair number of writers and editors out of the programs, though there are no guarantees, and the skills developed in the programs should benefit students at any digital media operation.

One piece of feedback I’ve gotten from students and professors is that they’re having a hard time understanding what actually happens in the programs on a daily basis. What’s the curriculum?

So we’ve taken the first step in answering that question by posting the syllabus of the Advanced Program in Sports Media. We’re making some changes in the syllabus of the Advanced Program in Editing and Content Management. We’ll post that one soon.

Both the APSM and the APECM are paid, part-time programs that students can participate in from anywhere. There’s a lot of one-on-one attention from editors and instructors, which happens over the phone, email, G-chat, Skype or whatever else works for the student. The average time investment is about 12 hours a week for the 12 weeks. Students get paid upon completion of each week’s lesson and assignments.

The APSM doesn’t require students to move to San Francisco or New York and doesn’t take so much time in their week that they can’t do other jobs or internships at the same time. But don’t be fooled: It’s serious business. Walk yourself through any week on that syllabus and you’ll get an idea of the rigor involved.

I get a lot of inquiries at this time of year from students looking for spring or summer internships. The APSM and APECM are year-round, with rolling admissions. That means you can apply any time and your 12 weeks can start any time. But if you’re looking for a good journalism educational experience—or know of someone who is—have a look.

The Bleacher Report Blog will go on hiatus for the two holiday weeks and return Jan. 5.