Journalism Degree Requirements

Degree requirements for the Journalism Program are listed below.

Major Requirements | Minor Requirements | Honors Program | Courses

General Program B.A.

The requirements for a Journalism major will be fulfilled by a minimum of 30 credits in A JRL courses, plus 6 credits in another department or program, as approved by the Director of the Journalism Program or the student's Journalism advisor. Normally, these 6 credits will be in major-oriented courses offered by a program related to the student's area of concentration. Beyond this 6-credit requirement, courses in other departments or programs will not be accepted as part of the Journalism Major except as approved by the Director of the Journalism Program or the student's Journalism advisor.

Of the required 30 credits in A JRL courses: 9 credits are required at the 100-200 level: A JRL 100, A JRL 200Z, and A JRL 270; and 3 credits of electives chosen from A JRL 220, A ENG 202Z, A ENG 216, A COM 238, or A SOC 255.

At the 300-400 level, 18 credits are required: 9 credits in a student's chosen concentration from the four offered by the Journalism Program, 3 credits in a non-workshop A JRL course, and 6 credits of A JRL electives. At least 6 credits must be at the 400 level.

For students in the General Journalism concentration, 9 credits are required: A JRL 308Z or A JRL 366Z, A JRL 350, and A JRL 460Z; 3 credits from A JRL 355Z, A JRL 385, or A JRL 490Z; 3 credits from non-workshop A JRL courses; and 3 credits of electives from A JRL courses.

For students in the Public Affairs Journalism concentration, 9 credits are required: A JRL 480Z; 6 credits from A JRL 350, A JRL 366Z, A JRL 460Z, A JRL 475, or A JRL 465Z; 3 credits in a non-workshop A JRL course at the 300 or 400 level, and 6 credits of electives in A JRL courses.

For students in the STEM (Science-Technology-Environment- Medicine) concentration, 9 credits are required: A JRL 370Z, A JRL 470Z; 3 credits from A JRL 350, A JRL 366Z, A JRL 465, or A JRL 480Z; 3 credits from a non-workshop A JRL course; and 6 credits of electives from A JRL courses.

For students in the Visual & Digital Media concentration, 12 credits are required: A JRL 220, A JRL 390Z or A JRL 392Z, A JRL 380, and A JRL 490Z; 3 credits from non-workshop A JRL courses; and 3 credits of electives from A JRL courses.

Minor Requirements

A minimum of 18 graduation credits is required for a minor in Journalism, including 9 required credits: A JRL 200Z, A JRL 270X, and A JRL 308Z. The remaining 9 elective credits can be drawn from A JRL courses at the 200 level (no more than 3 credits), 300 and 400 levels. Courses from outside the A JRL curriculum can be counted only with permission of the Director of the Journalism Program. Minors are not eligible for the Journalism Honors Program.

Honors Program

The Journalism Honors Program supports highly qualified Journalism majors who want to increase their expertise in contemporary journalism practices and analysis. A student who successfully completes all the Honors Program requirements graduates "with honors in journalism" and is recognized individually at commencement. Honors students get priority scheduling for Journalism courses and receive master's degree-level privileges at the University Library.

Selection and Evaluation: In order to be considered for the Journalism Honors Program, a student must: (a) be a declared Journalism major; (b) have completed 12 credits in JRL courses; (c) have a minimum 3.25 overall GPA and a minimum 3.50 Journalism GPA; and (d) submit an application essay. Transfers can apply after they have completed one semester at the University. Coursework taken elsewhere can be submitted as part of the application but may not qualify for admission.

Curriculum: In addition to the 36 credits of required courses for the major and for individual concentrations, honors students must take A JRL 499, Senior Honors Project in Journalism, making a total of 39 credits required for the major.

Graduating with Honors: In order to graduate with honors, a student must maintain a minimum 3.25 overall GPA and a minimum 3.50 Journalism GPA in each semester of enrollment. Honors students may be put on a probationary status, and may not be allowed to finish the Honors program, if they fall below either one of the minimum GPAs, or get a C+ or below in any of the required Honors courses, or do not complete the Senior Project by the end of the semester in which they are graduating.