Bachelor of Journalism Degree:
Course Requirements

• Program Outline

First and Second Year Prerequisite Courses

The pre-journalism component consists of 60 credits of university-level work (i.e., two years of study), including the following.

• 9 credits of English and composition
• 3 credits of a lab science
• 6 credits in the humanities or social sciences
• 3 credits of math or business
• 3 credits of history or geography
• 3 credits in visual arts

Third and Fourth Year Journalism Program Courses

Journalism students normally take 42 credits of journalism courses and 18 liberal arts electives over a two-year period, with the journalism courses distributed as follows: (1) 15 core course credits, (2) a minimum of 6 credits in an area of specialization, (3) a minimum of 9 credits in critical issues and theory and (4) a minimum of 6 credits in publication production.

Core Courses

JOUR 320 Journalism Skills and Techniques
JOUR 311 Layout and Pagination
JOUR 331 Introduction to Writing and Editing
FINA 176 Introduction to Photography
JOUR 470 Media Law and Ethics

Area Specialization Courses

JOUR 315 Scientific and Environmental Issues
JOUR 420 Specialized Reporting
JOUR 430 Advanced Writing and Editing
JOUR 453 Corporate and Organizational Communications
JOUR 455 Media and Public Relations
FINA 451 Photojournalism

Courses in Critical Issues and Theory

JOUR 305 Introduction to Media and Journalism
JOUR 340 National and International Media
JOUR 350 The News Business
JOUR 360 Politics, Economics and Media Issues
JOUR 411 Issues in Journalism: Case Studies
JOUR 452 Research Methods
JOUR 456 Media and Audiences
JOUR 457 Media and Communication Theory
JOUR 458 Alternative Media
JOUR 459 Outlaw Journalists

Courses in Publication Production

JOUR 310 Newspaper Production Workshop
JOUR 410 Online Journalism
FINA 454 Magazine Writing and Production