Undergraduate
Programs of Study
Journalism (JRN)
For
information, please contact
Maria Marron, Chairperson, 774-3196, 454 Moore Hall
College
of Communication and Fine Arts Website
Department
Website
Why Study Journalism?
Journalism at CMU
Admission, Retention, and Termination Standards
Journalism Major
Concentrations
Journalism Minor
Advertising Minor
Integrative Public
Relations Minor
Public Affairs Minor
Media Design, Production, and
Technology Minor
General Guidelines
The Faculty
JRN Course
Descriptions
Why
Study Journalism?
Journalism and mass communications transmit and interpret
culture and bind society together, making them among the
most vital forces in the maintenance of any society and
fundamental to democratic nation and a free society. The
mission of journalism and mass communications is mainly to
communicate information and ideas that enable people to
fulfill their responsibilities as citizens in a diverse,
democratic government and a free society. Because freedom of
expression and freedom of the press are indispensable to a
free society, professional programs like ours encourage
dissent, inquiry and free expression as guaranteed by the
First Amendment.
Careers in the exciting and expanding field of mass
communications begin with journalism studies. CMU journalism
graduates find jobs in news reporting, magazine and feature
writing, photojournalism, public relations, and advertising.
Journalism education also benefits students going into law,
politics, consulting, health education, business, and
environmental and sports studies and many other fields that
require information gathering, precision writing and visual
communication skills.
Journalism
at CMU
CMU’s journalism program is accredited by the Accrediting
Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications,
a distinction held by only one other Michigan university.
Our program balances classroom theory with service learning
and other structured hands-on experiences that help students
develop the skills required for entry-level positions in the
media.
Students may select one of four major concentrations: news
editorial, photojournalism, advertising or public relations.
However, all students enroll in a common set of courses that
emphasize information gathering, processing and writing,
visual communication skills and the philosophical framework
of the profession, including the role of mass communications
in contemporary society, the role of media in racial
diversity and the legal context in which the industry
operates.
In addition to the journalism major, the department offers
an interdepartmental Integrative Public Relations major with
the departments of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts and Speech
Communications and Dramatic Arts. We also offer a journalism
minor and two interdepartmental minors: Advertising with the
Department of Marketing and Hospitality Services
Administration and Public Affairs with the Department of
Political Science, and an interdisciplinary minor, Media
Design, Production, and Technology.
Students interested in one of these programs are advised to
contact a journalism department advisor as early as
possible, and meet with that advisor each semester before
registering for classes. Majors and minors are also expected
to be involved each semester in co-curricular activities: CMLife,
The Central Review, the Society of
Professional Journalists, the Public Relations Student
Society of America, the Central Press Photographers
Association, and the American Advertising Federation.
Employers expect journalism graduates to have had at least
one internship. It verifies that an applicant has the
attitude and skills necessary to be successful in the
workplace. The journalism department will help arrange
internships that match your career interests and allow you
to build a portfolio of your work products.
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Admission, Retention, and Termination Standards
Students
majoring in journalism must meet the criteria established by
the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass
Communications. That means that they must take 80 semester
credit hours of their degree work outside of the major, and
of those 80 hours, 65 must be in the liberal arts and
sciences. A grade of C or better is required in all courses
counted toward the major, and an overall grade point average
of 2.5 is required for all journalism courses counted toward
the major.
Integrative Public Relations Major (Interdisciplinary)
In order
to sign a major in Integrative Public Relations, a student
must first complete IPR 101 with a grade of C or higher.
Grade
Point Average: 1) IPR majors are required to earn a
minimum of a C in all required and elective courses in the
major. 2) A minimum 2.5 GPA in the major is required.
Internship Requirements: 1) To complete the program, IPR
majors must satisfactorily complete a 6-credit hour
internship with a grade of C or higher. 2) Any student
enrolling in internship hours must have completed all of the
required courses except for 500-level courses, earned a C or
higher in all courses taken in the major, including electives,
and be junior/senior status.
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Major
Journalism Major
B.A.,
B.S. degrees
A
journalism major requires 39 hours of journalism course
work. The last 18 hours of journalism course work leading to
a journalism major should be taken within the journalism
department of CMU. A grade of C or better is required in
each course counted toward the major and an overall grade
point average of 2.5 for all journalism courses counted
toward the major. A maximum of 44 journalism credits can be
applied to graduation. No more than three credits of
journalism internship can be applied toward the major. In
order to graduate as a major in the Department of
Journalism, a student must complete at least 80 semester
hours of course work in departments other than journalism.
Of those 80 semester hours, 65 must be in the liberal arts
and sciences, which are listed under the University Program
and area requirements for the B.A. and B.S. degrees. Each
journalism major must consult with a journalism faculty advisor
prior to registering for courses each semester to
ensure orderly progress toward meeting these requirements.
Requirements
Core Courses (24 hours):
JRN 101 (3) Mass Communications in Contemporary
Society
JRN 202 (3) Writing for the Mass Media
JRN 203 (3) Information Gathering for the Mass Media
JRN 220 (3) Basic Media Photography
JRN 302 (3) Introduction to Graphics and Visual
Communication
JRN 380 (3) Racial Diversity: Mass Media's Role
JRN 404 (3) Law of Mass Communication
JRN 500 (3) Current Issues in Mass Communication
A
planned program (15 hours) in a specified concentration of
journalism, approved by the major advisor.
Total:
39 semester hours
Concentrations
Advertising
(15 hours):
Required (12 hours):
JRN 350 (3) Public Relations Principles and Practices
JRN 360 (3) Advertising Principles
JRN 365 (3) Advertising Media
JRN 465 (3) Advertising Copy and Design
An additional Journalism course (3), as approved by the advisor.
News
Editorial (15 hours):
Required (12 hours):
JRN 312 (3) Reporting
JRN 315 (3) Editing
JRN 430 (3) Magazine and Feature Writing
JRN 516 (3) Public Affairs Reporting
An additional Journalism course (3), as approved by the advisor.
Photojournalism
(15 hours):
Required (12 hours):
JRN 320 (3) Photo Editing
JRN 420 (3) Photography Studio Techniques
JRN 422 (3) The Photographic Process
JRN 520 (3) Independent Study in Photography
OR JRN 521 (3) Seminar in News Photography
An additional Journalism course (3), as approved by the advisor.
Public
Relations (15 hours):
Required (12 Hours):
JRN 350 (3) Public Relations Principles and Practices
JRN 450 (3) Public Relations Writing
JRN 551 (3) Case Studies in Public Relations
JRN 556 (3) Public Relations Seminar
An additional Journalism course (3), as approved by the advisor.
Total:
39 semester hours
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Minors
Journalism Minor
B.A.,
B.A.A., B.F.A., B.S., B.S. in B.A. degrees
A
journalism minor requires at least 21 hours of journalism
course work. A grade of C or better is required in each
course counted toward the minor.
Requirements:
Core Courses (15 hours):
JRN 101 (3) Mass Communications in Contemporary
Society
JRN 202 (3) Writing for the Mass Media
JRN 302 (3) Introduction to Graphics and Visual
Communication
JRN 312 (3) Reporting
JRN 315 (3) Editing
Additional Journalism Courses (6 hours): An advanced
journalism writing course (numbered 300 or above) as
approved by the minor advisor OR JRN 220, Basic Media
Photography. A journalism course in theory or principles as
approved by the minor advisor.
Total:
21 semester hours
Integrative
Public Relations Major
This is an interdisciplinary major. Please check the
Interdepartmental and Interdisciplinary Majors and Minors
section.
Advertising
Minor
This is an interdepartmental minor. Please check the
Interdepartmental and Interdisciplinary Majors and Minors
section.
Public
Affairs Minor
This is an interdepartmental minor. Please check the
Interdepartmental and Interdisciplinary Majors and Minors
section.
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Media Design, Production, and
Technology Minor
This is an interdisciplinary minor. Please check the
Interdepartmental and Interdisciplinary Majors and Minors
section.
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General
Guidelines
Courses are numbered by related areas within the field of
journalism. The second and third digits indicate the area
relationship. These are: General Courses—(00); News
Editorial- —(10); Photojournalism—(20); Magazines—(30);
Teaching— (40); Public Relations—(50); Advertising—(60);
Open—(70); Advanced Graduate Courses—(80); and Special
Studies—(90).
The
faculty: Tim Boudreau, Carole Eberly, John K. Hartman, Teresa Hernandez,
Edward Hutchison, Dennis W. Jeffers, David London, Maria Marron, Ronald
Marmarelli, John A. Palen, Elliott S. Parker, Mark T.
Ranzenberger,
Alice A. Tait, David Weinstock, James Wojcik, Jaifei Yin
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