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Undergraduate journalism majors plan to be newspaper or magazine reporters and editors, radio or television broadcasters, web content providers or developers, public relations writers or consultants, publication designers, or media researchers.
Why
Study Journalism at Iowa?
Iowa’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication offers a quality program, accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. You’ll be able to gain professional experience by working on the Daily Iowan, recognized as one of the top five campus newspapers in the country. You may also work on the award-winning DITV, a television news show airing six days a week. Iowa’s program allows you to develop expertise in a second area of study while you take your professional journalism courses.
Admission
Admission to this major is selective. Entering first-year students are designated as having an interest in the major for advising assignments and course selection. Students can apply to the major after taking two required courses, completing 45 semester hours (s.h.) of course work, and completing all required rhetoric courses. Presidential Scholars, Old Gold Scholars, Daily Iowan Scholars, and students in the University of Iowa Honors Program are eligible for major status upon enrollment. However, all must complete the two prerequisite courses before taking Journalistic Reporting and Writing.
Overall academic performance is the primary criterion for admission. Other factors include demonstrated writing ability, prior media experience, participation in School of Journalism and Mass Communication student organizations, and performance in journalism courses. Students submit a résumé and statement of interest with the application for admission.
The number of students accepted each semester depends on the number already in the program and available resources.
Faculty
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication includes faculty members who specialize in the areas of news reporting, magazines and freelancing, editing, law, health, books and publishing, online journalism, public relations, television, history, investigative journalism, international and global studies, web design, cultural studies, and narrative journalism.
Course
Work
To earn a BA or BS in journalism and mass communication, you must complete 33-40 s.h. of course work.
Second
Area of Concentration
In addition to completing the General Education Program
requirements, you will choose a second major or concentration area outside journalism and mass communication. This concentration requirement may be fulfilled by completing a second major or by choosing 24 s.h. of related course work in one or more departments.
Study in a second area will allow you to acquire expertise in another discipline and develop a companion set of skills to those in journalism and mass communication. For example, if you are interested in political reporting, you could select courses from political science or social sciences; for arts reporting, you could select from theatre arts, music, dance, and literature.
BA in
Journalism and
Mass Communication
In addition to fulfilling the required journalism courses, you may complete
the second area of concentration in one of two ways:
- Complete
a full BA major in
another department.
- Complete
a 24 s.h. concentration
of related courses in one or more
departments that offer BA degrees.
BS in Journalism
and
Mass Communication
In addition to fulfilling the required journalism courses, you may complete
the second area of concentration in one of two ways:
- Complete
a BS major in the natural, mathematical, or social sciences.
- Complete
a 24 s.h. concentration of related courses in social sciences and/or
natural and mathematical sciences; and complete all of the special
mathematics, research methods, statistics, computer science, and/or cognate
science requirements necessary for the BS degree in the department
in which the majority of your second-area work is done.
Minor in Mass Communication
To meet the requirements for a minor, students must complete at least 15 s.h. in mass communication with a grade-point average (GPA) of at least 2.00; 12 of the 15 s.h. must be taken in conceptual program courses.
The minor is not intended to be sufficient professional preparation for careers in journalism or mass communication. It should be regarded as an introduction to the field.
Honors
To graduate with honors in journalism and mass communication, a student must have a GPA of at least 3.50 in the major and be a member of the University of Iowa Honors Program, which requires that students maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.33. Students who are members of the honors program may take honors courses in journalism and mass communication and complete an honors project under the supervision of a faculty member.
Facilities
The department provides an array of facilities and resources for course work, research, and professional preparation. Students have access to photography, digital broadcast, electronic news writing, and desktop- and web-publishing laboratories. They also may participate in production of the Daily Iowan and DITV and benefit from the Iowa Center for Communication Study, which facilitates faculty and student research.
The 65,500-square-foot, three-story Adler Journalism and Mass Communication Building, which opened in spring 2005, features a student-centered design. It has computer labs, broadcast labs, advanced technology classrooms, study and meeting spaces, and a large resource center. In addition, a second-floor skywalk connects the building with the Becker Communication Studies Building.
Internships
The school’s internship and assessment coordinator helps students find learning opportunities in journalism and public relations. See the coordinator for more information. Student-operated media, including the Daily Iowan, DITV, and radio station KRUI-FM, offer other opportunities to gain experience.
Student
Activities
Several campus chapters of national organizations offer leadership experiences and career preparation. They include Kappa Tau Alpha, a national society honoring scholarship in journalism; the National Association of Black Journalists; the Public Relations Student Society of America; the Radio and TV News Directors Association; and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Careers
Recent graduates are working throughout the United States and around the globe in areas such as newspapers, magazines, radio, television, electronic communications, public relations, publication design, photojournalism, and media research.
Scholarships
Journalism majors may be eligible for more than $120,000 in scholarships each year. The school also has a modest fund to support student research projects. Scholarships available to upper-level students include the Laurence Fairall Endowment, offering $4,000 to School of Journalism and Mass Communication students born and educated in Iowa who plan careers in newspaper or magazine writing or editing.
Refer to the Office of Student Financial Aid for
a complete list of available scholarships.
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