Post job

Radio news writer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a radio news writer. Radio news writers usually study communication, journalism, or political science. 69% of radio news writers hold a bachelor's degree, and 17% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 77 real radio news writer resumes to see exactly what radio news writer education sections show.

The most common colleges for radio news writers are the The University of Tennessee - Knoxville and the The University of Tennessee - Knoxville.

There are also many online radio news writer courses to help get the education required to be a radio news writer.

What education do you need to become a radio news writer?

What degree do you need to be a radio news writer?

The most common degree for radio news writers is bachelor's degree, with 69% of radio news writers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 17% and master's degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 69%
  • Master's, 17%
  • Associate, 7%
  • Diploma, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a radio news writer?

You should major in communication to become a radio news writer. 29% of radio news writers major in communication. Other common majors for a radio news writer include journalism and political science.

Most common colleges for radio news writers

Radio news writers often get their degrees at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville, California State University - San Bernardino, and The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Here are the most common colleges for radio news writers in the US based on their resumes.
Radio news writer common collegePercentages
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville8.70%
California State University - San Bernardino8.70%
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh8.70%
Sarah Lawrence College4.35%
New York University4.35%

Best majors for radio news writers

RankMajorPercentages
1Communication29.2%
2Journalism18.8%
3Political Science6.3%
4English6.3%
5Agricultural Public Services4.2%

Best colleges for radio news writers

The best colleges for radio news writers are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Northeastern University.

A radio news writer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for radio news writers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become radio news writers.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

5. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

7. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,306

Enrollment

6,975

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

20 best online courses for radio news writers

Advertising disclosure

1. Become a Journalist: Report the News!

coursera

This Specialization will develop and enhance your understanding of the global field of journalism. You'll learn best practices and ethical standards for newsgathering processes and compiling a news report through hands-on projects, peer-to-peer feedback, and issue exploration. You will also study journalism's impact on societal issues and trends, plus explore career opportunities in newspapers, magazine, social media, Internet multimedia, television, radio, corporate and community journalism...

2. Detect Fake News in Python with Tensorflow

coursera

"Fake News" is a word used to mean different things to different people. At its heart, we define "fake news" as any news stories which are false: the article itself is fabricated without verifiable evidence, citations or quotations. Often these stories may be lies and propaganda that is deliberately intended to confuse the viewer, or may be characterized as "click-bait" written for monetary incentives (the writer profits on the number of people who click on the story). In recent years, fake...

3. RF Basic Concepts & Components Radio Frequency- Entry Level

udemy
4.4
(3,077)

RAHRF101 is a quick start to the basic RF topic and the prerequisite for Rahsoft RF Certificate...

4. Simply Good News

udemy
4.7
(460)

Embrace the concept of 'good news' as it was understood in the 1st Century New Testament world in order to live in it!...

5. New Models of Business in Society

coursera

In this course, developed at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and taught by top-ranked faculty, we will be discussing the emergence of a new story about business. This new story locates business within a societal framework. Almost every business creates or destroys value for customers, suppliers, employees, communities and society, in addition to shareholders and other financiers. A number of new models of business can be built on this idea such as corporate...

6. Assimilating into Your New Job

coursera

In this 40 minute project-based course, you will learn how to be able to 1. Create a thank you note for the Hiring Manager/Recruiter and Contacts 2. Prepare a strategic plan for success BEFORE starting your new job 3. Develop a 30-60-90 Day Plan for your new job Assimilating into a new job is one of the most important steps of completing your job search. It requires a understanding of the company culture; build strong team member relationships and maintaining good communications with your...

7. Learn API Technical Writing: JSON and XML for Writers

udemy
4.5
(10,540)

API Documentation 1: Teaches technical writers how to document structured data. No programming experience required...

8. Modulation in Communication System for RF Engineers RAHRF152

udemy
4.4
(456)

Analog and Digital Modulation simplified for Radio Frequency experts This course concentrates more on ideology than math...

9. SDR for Ethical Hackers and Security Researchers

udemy
4.3
(574)

Software Defined Radio Master Series: Learn How SDR can be used in Finding Vulnerabilities in Wireless Devices...

10. Learn API Technical Writing 2: REST for Writers

udemy
4.6
(2,877)

API Documentation 2: Teaches technical writers how to document REST. No programming experience required...

11. SQL Server 2019: What's New - New and Enhanced Features

udemy
4.5
(313)

Learn what's new and enhanced in SQL Server 2019 such as Intelligent Query Processing and much more...

12. Introduction to RF Design Theory and Principles - RAHRF201

udemy
4.3
(478)

Preparing for Apple, Broadcom, Qualcomm , Skyworks and other RF interviews...

13. Complete Salesforce Classic and Mobile New User Training

udemy
4.3
(662)

Salesforce Marketing, Sales and Service Cloud New User Training. Also includes Reports, Dashboards & Salesforce1 mobile!...

14. Communications for New Managers

udemy
4.5
(2,809)

Learn from an Emmy-Award Winner and a #1 Linked In Instructor on developing effective leadership communications skills...

15. RF Microwave & Transmission Line Theory - RAHRF200

udemy
4.5
(578)

RF Microwave and transmission line theory with practical examples by calculation and Keysight ADS software-rahsoft...

16. 5G Architecture, Design, Protocols, Evolution, & Deployment

udemy
4.5
(338)

5G end to end : Architecture, New Radio, Tx, Core NW: Design, Protocols, Call flow, Cloud, MIMO, Beamforming, deployment...

17. Leadership: New Manager Training for Technical Professionals

udemy
4.2
(766)

Learn to establish yourself as a manager and lead your technical team to success. We are PDU Accredited...

18. 5G RF Planning

udemy
4.5
(3,704)

A better Understanding of 5G RF Planning process...

19. Google Apps Script Complete Course New IDE 100+ Examples

udemy
4.6
(450)

Google Apps Script New Version Create custom functions within G Suite Docs Sheets GMail Drive Calendar and more...

20. Tech Writers Master Class

udemy
4.4
(1,421)

Learn professional writing skills that will help you advance in your career...

Top 10 most affordable universities for radio news writers

The most affordable schools for radio news writers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for radio news writers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for radio news writers.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

6. USF St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,821

Cost of attendance

19,849

7. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

8. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

9. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

10. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for radio news writers

The hardest universities for radio news writers to get into are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Northeastern University.

Some great schools for radio news writers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for radio news writers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

3. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

6. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

51%

SAT average

1,395

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,545

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

10. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,449

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for radio news writers

The easiest schools for radio news writers to get into are University of the Incarnate Word, notre dame de namur university, and rochester university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a radio news writer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for radio news writers.

1. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Rochester University

Rochester Hills, MI • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,002

4. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

5. Centenary University

Hackettstown, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

67%

SAT average

987

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

10. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

Average radio news writer salary by education level

According to our data, radio news writers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $61,824 annually. Radio news writers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $59,549.
Radio news writer education levelRadio news writer salary
Master's Degree$61,824
Bachelor's Degree$59,549

Radio news writer education FAQs

Search for radio news writer jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs