Journalism, B.A.

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Requirements for the liberal arts major in journalism, B.A. program

The journalism major builds on the liberal arts education by teaching students skills and theory necessary to produce meaningful content for news, public relations and advertising organizations. The curriculum is designed to endow students with a solid practical and technical knowledge base as well as an understanding of the legal, ethical and theoretical aspects of journalism and its critical role in a democracy. Students learn the dual concepts of press freedom and press responsibility. Due to the broad nature of the journalism curriculum, students can either generalize or develop a special emphasis within the major by taking a series of courses in print journalism (including media design), broadcast and online journalism, public relations or advertising. Students in the program are encouraged to develop expertise in different disciplines through minors or a double major. All journalism majors must complete an internship and produce a senior portfolio.

To earn the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in journalism, students must complete a minimum of 40 credits in journalism courses distributed as follows:

1. Core courses - 20 credits

JRN 200 - Newswriting (4)
JRN 300 - Media Editing (4)
JRN 402 - Ethical Issues in the Media (4)
JRN 403 - Media Law (4)
JRN 404 - Journalism Internship (4)

2. Visual journalism requirement - 4 credits selected from

JRN 331 - Digital Photojournalism (4)
JRN 411 - Convergence Journalism (4)
JRN 440 - Media Design (4)
JRN 445 - Visual Journalism (4)

3. At least 16 elective credits in journalism courses

4. Senior portfolio

The portfolio is a required exhibit of a journalism major’s learned skills and experience. It must be posted online and include an introduction, resume and samples of published or broadcast work and /or pertinent scholarly research or projects. The internship often is the best source for portfolio content. Majors should contact the director during their junior year to discuss requirements. Deadlines for portfolio submission are: March 1 for students completing degree requirements in April, May 1 for students completing degree requirements in June or August, and November 1 for students completing degree requirements in December.