In addition to meeting  General Education requirements and other degree requirements, all journalism majors must complete the following:

I. Introductory Courses: 6 credits

These two introductory courses are the only journalism courses open to freshmen.

  • JOU 1500/Introduction to Media: 3 credits
  • JOU 2150/History of Journalism: 3 credits

II. Central Courses: 22 credits

  • JOU 2515/Journalism I: 4 credits*
  • JOU 2915/Journalism II: 4 credits*
  • JOU 3080/Freedom and the Media: 4 credits
  • JOU 3880/Junior Seminar in Journalism: 2 credits
  • SPJ 4990/Senior Project I: 4 credits
  • SPJ 4991/Senior Project II: 4 credits

*Students must earn a minimum grade of C+ in JOU 2515 and 2915, which must be taken initially and in sequence.

III. Journalism Electives: 10–12 credits

Three journalism electives, chosen from the list below. For students who begin the major from fall 2020 onward, at least one of the three electives must be a practical course in visual journalism (denoted by an asterisk).

Please note: New courses may be added to this list. Students should check with their faculty advisor to determine if a new course is an appropriate elective.

COM 3375/Podcasting and Audio Storytelling
JOU 1120/Journalism and Film
JOU 3040/Race, Gender, and the Media
JOU 3100/Photojournalism*
JOU 3120/First-Person Reporting
JOU 3130/Documentaries and Journalism
JOU 3160/Broadcast News I*
JOU 3170/Broadcast News II
JOU 3200/Feature Writing
JOU 3220/The Art of Sports writing
JOU 3230/The Beat of Music Journalism
JOU 3350/Community Reporting
JOU 3360/Narrative and Nonfiction Podcasting
JOU 3374/The Literature of Journalism
JOU 3500/Video Journalism I*
JOU 3600/News Editing
JOU 3700/The Beat, Magazine Production
JOU 3780/Criticism/Reviewing Workshop
JOU 4010/Covering the Arts
JOU 4020/International Issues Reporting
JOU 4150/Investigative Reporting
JOU 4320/Broadcast Writing
LIT 3635/Reviewing the Contemporary Novel
PHI 3085/Objectivity
PSW3120/Writer and the Documentary

IV. Other Studies

Five electives in one area of study within the liberal arts and sciences, chosen in consultation with the faculty advisor. (Many students will find it appropriate to earn a minor.) The per-course credits vary, but the credit total is typically 18 to 20. A minimum of 9 credits must be upper-level.