Newspapers and magazines are not the only media organization shutting their doors, journalism schools are also being hit hard by traditional media slumps. The University of Maryland’s Knight Center for Specialized Journalism will be closing at year’s end.

The Center offers free, intensive training to journalists, and seeks applications from reporters working for independent news organisations. It has been running for 22 years and has awarded over 2700 fellowships to journalists in that time. It provides in-depth, subject-specific training, as well as shorter seminars.

Its funding from philanthropic organisation the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation covers tuition and board for students. Its last grant was for $1.52 million and terminates on December 31, but the funding was not renewed for 2010, BusinessJournalism.org reports.