Photojournalism, Bachelor of Arts (750P, 750)
Department website: http://www.wku.edu/journalism
Program Coordinator
James H. Kenney, james.kenney@wku.edu, (270) 745-6307
With a tradition of highly successful graduates, state-of-the-art facilities, and award-winning faculty, WKU’s Photojournalism program is regarded as one of the nation’s finest. The program is an integral component of the School of Media and has been a significant contributor to the high quality of the university’s student publications. In the William Randolph Hearst Journalism Awards competition, often referred to as the Pulitzer Prizes of collegiate journalism, WKU’s Photojournalism program has won the Intercollegiate Photojournalism competition 27 out of 32 years, and the Intercollegiate Multimedia competition 8 out of 10 years.
The Photojournalism program emphasizes documentary photography, both still photography and video. Its comprehensive curriculum prepares students to enter the photojournalism profession at the highest level through the practice of producing content-driven stories for both online and traditional publications.
Admission Requirements
Students wishing to enter the major in Photojournalism initially are admitted as majors seeking admission (reference 750P). Prospective majors may take no more than 15 hours in the major before admission. Students must meet the following requirements before they can be admitted:
- Completion of a minimum of 24 hours of coursework applicable to a baccalaureate degree;
- A minimum overall grade point average of 2.5;
- Completion of ENG 100 with a grade of “C” or better and 9 additional hours in the Colonnade program;
- Completion of the following courses with a grade of "C" or better: SOM 101, SOM 102, PJ 131 , and PJ 330 or PJ 331.
Students not meeting the above admission requirements will not be admitted to the Photojournalism major and cannot register for any additional courses in the major.
Program Requirements (45 hours)
A baccalaureate degree requires a minimum of 120 unduplicated semester hours. More information can be found at www.wku.edu/registrar/degree_certification.php.
Students who began WKU in the Fall 2014 and thereafter should review the Colonnade requirements located at: https://www.wku.edu/colonnade/colonnaderequirements.php.
The major in photojournalism requires 45 semester hours and leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree. No course with a grade of “D” or below may be counted toward the major or fulfill prerequisite requirements for any major in the School. One half of the hours in the major must be at the 300- or 400- level. Students must take a minimum of 72 semester hours in courses outside of the School of Media unit, including the University's Colonnade program requirements.
In addition to meeting the Colonnade and major requirements for graduation, the Photojournalism major must have a minor or second major outside of the School of Media that is approved by a major faculty advisor. Students may not select a minor in Film Studies, or those offered within the School, unless taken as a second minor. One-half of the hours must be at the 300- or 400-level.
Specific objectives of the photojournalism program:
- To develop the artistic, technical and personal qualities of those who want to pursue a professional career in photojournalism and documentary video;
- To develop a background for understanding the role of storytelling through photojournalism and documentary video in shaping and reflecting contemporary society;
- To provide instruction in photographic theory, principles, ethics, and practice for students pursuing any area of scholarly activity;
- To provide a conceptual grounding in journalistic principles that will encourage advancement of the photojournalist in the profession.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SOM 101 | Understanding Media Content, Ethics and Technology | 3 |
| SOM 102 | Media Content, Collaboration and Community | 3 |
| PJ 131 | Fundamentals of Photography | 3 |
| JOUR 202 | Introduction to News Writing | 3 |
| PJ 330 | Short Form Documentary | 3 |
| PJ 331 | Photojournalism | 3 |
| PJ 333 | Lighting Technologies | 3 |
| JOUR 302 | Intermediate Reporting | 3 |
| PJ 430 | Advanced Short Form Documentary | 3 |
| PJ 431 | Advanced Photojournalism | 3 |
| PJ 436 | Photojournalism Projects | 3 |
| Select one of the following law classes: | 3 | |
| Press Law and Ethics | ||
| Mass Communication Law and Ethics | ||
| Diversity Elective | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| African American Experience | ||
| Art and Power | ||
| Contemporary Art | ||
| Art Theory and Criticism | ||
| Visual Anthropology | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Race, Class, and Crime | ||
| Gender, Crime, and Justice | ||
| Popular Culture and Gender: Signs & Narratives | ||
| Cultural Connections and Diversity | ||
| Introduction to Gender And Women's Studies | ||
| Communities of Struggle | ||
| Communities of Struggle | ||
| Minority Politics | ||
| Women and Politics | ||
| Sociology of Gender | ||
| Social Institutions: Race, Class, and Gender | ||
| Diversity in American Society | ||
| Topics in Spanish | ||
A diversity class approved by an academic advisor. | ||
| Restricted Electives | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Multiplatform News Presentation | ||
| Feature Writing | ||
| Picture Editing | ||
| Cultural History of Photography | ||
| Advanced Lighting and Contract Photography | ||
| Cinematography | ||
| Film Sound | ||
| Special Topics in Media--Study Abroad | ||
| First Amendment Research and Reporting | ||
| Total Hours | 45 | |
| 1 | Approved by departmental faculty advisor and taken during sophomore year. |
Finish in Four Plan
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| SOM 101 | 3 | PJ 331 | 3 |
| SOM 102 | 3 | PS 110* | 3 |
| ENG 100 | 3 | Colonnade: Arts & Humanities | 3 |
| PJ 131 | 3 | Colonnade: Quantitative Reasoning | 3 |
| COMM 145 | 3 | Minor Course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PJ 330 | 3 | PJ 333 | 3 |
| JOUR 202 | 3 | PJ Diversity Elective | 3 |
| HIST 101 or HIST 102 | 3 | Colonnade: Literary Studies | 3 |
| Colonnade: Natural & Physical Science w/lab | 3 | Colonnade: Natural & Physical Science | 3 |
| General University Elective or Foreign Language, if needed | 3 | Minor Course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| JOUR 301 or BCOM 301 | 3 | JOUR 302 | 3 |
| Colonnade: Connections (Social & Cultural) | 3 | Colonnade: Writing in the Disciplines | 3 |
| Minor Course | 3 | Colonnade: Connections (Local to Global) | 3 |
| Minor Course | 3 | Minor Course | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | PJ 431 | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PJ 430 | 3 | PJ 436 | 3 |
| PJ Elective | 3 | PJ Elective | 3 |
| Minor Course | 3 | Colonnade: Connections (Systems) | 3 |
| Minor Course | 3 | General University Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General University Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Hours 120 | |||
| * | PS 110 is the pre-requisite for BCOM 301 and JOUR 301. |