The B.A. degree program in journalism is designed for students interested in pursuing careers in print, broadcast and online journalism, photojournalism, public relations and corporate communications. The program also will meet the needs of those who wish to teach journalism at the high school level or to pursue a postgraduate degree in journalism or mass communications.

Student Learning Goals

1. Prepare students to work as professional journalists and assume leadership positions in the profession.
2. Prepare students for admission to quality graduate programs or to pursue other media-related careers.
3. Master the skills essential for print, broadcast and online, specifically the ability to write, report, edit, design pages, photography and videography.
4. Provide students with the knowledge of the history of mass media, relevant laws, and the ethics of the profession.

Scholarships/Awards

Mike Spencer Scholarship

Admission Requirements

Complete 30 hours, including ENGL-W 131 Elementary Composition I, fundamental mathematics (MATH-M 110 Excursions in Mathematics suggested), JOUR-C 200 Introduction to Mass Communications, and JOUR-J 200 Reporting, Writing, and Editing I.

Degree Requirements

See “General Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees at IU Southeast” and “General Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree.”

Note: This is not a re-statement of the University's General Education Requirement but a list of specific General Education courses which are also requirements or pre-requisites for course work in the school/major.

Core Program

Thirty-one credit hours in journalism. The core components are: Introduction to Mass Communications (C200); Reporting, Writing & Editing I (J200); Visual Communication (J210); Newspaper Reporting (J341); Newspaper Editing (J351); Photojournalism Reporting (J344) or Photojournamlism Editing (J354); Senior Seminar in Journalism (J485); two semesters of Writing for Mass Media (C327) or two semesters of Television News (J385); either Communications Law (J300) or Principles of Creative Advertising (J320); and Media Career Planning (J307).

Capstone

Specific Requirements for Concentration/Track/Option

At least 15 and no more than 18 credit hours in a second concentration. The second concentration consists of courses in an academic discipline outside journalism.  The selection of courses for the second concentration must be approved by an academic adviser or faculty adviser.  Recommended second concentrations include political science, history, criminal justice, or business.

Specific Requirements for Honors Program

Admission to the Journalism Honors Program requires the following: 

The student must be a journalism major with junior standing; the student must have at least a 3.3 GPA in all courses and at least a 3.5 GPA in journalism courses; and the student must have completed 15 hours of journalism courses, including JOUR-C 200, JOUR-J 200 and one semester of JOUR-C 327.  Once admitted to the program, honors students will complete a double major in journalism honors and journalism.

Fifteen credit hours, consisting of: 

• JOUR-C 200 Introduction to Mass Communications
• JOUR-C 327 Writing for Mass Media (The Horizon)
• JOUR-J 200 Reporting, Writing and Editing I
• JOUR-J 210 Visual Communications
• JOUR-J 351 Newspaper Editing  OR  JOUR-J 341 Newspaper Reporting