Journalism jobs exist today that didn’t exist even five years ago. And opportunities in the news industry will emerge in the next decade that can’t be imagined today. The Journalism major is designed to prepare students to not only seize opportunities, but also for them to create opportunities in an evolving field.
The major takes an immersive approach to helping students attain their career aspirations. From their first semester, Journalism majors will be enrolled in the News Collaboratory, where they will be working with and learning from students three and four years into their journalism program. From the first semester, students in News Collaboratory will write news stories on campus issues and events, help produce podcasts and newscasts and will assist juniors and seniors with in-depth reporting projects. Students will work a minimum of four semesters in News Collaboratory as preparation for multiple internships. (One approved internship is required.)
The Journalism major also requires students to build a specialty area of at least three courses, taking advantage of the media-specific expertise and facilities throughout the School of Communications. After completing their professional development course in their third semester, students will formally propose their specialty cluster as part of their portfolio review.
In addition to learning traditional reporting methods and the newest multimedia storytelling techniques, journalism majors will gain the affective skills essential for success in a constantly evolving field: professionalism, entrepreneurship and collaboration.
