Journalism, Bachelor of Arts (736P, 736)
Program Coordinator
Gordon D. McKerral, mac.mckerral@wku.edu, (270) 745-4144
The world of journalism is changing. However, the need for excellent journalists is not. The Journalism major grounds its curriculum in the skills that all employers within the news media and professional communications want: strong writing and editing skills; excellent storytelling skills; the ability to find and process complex information, and share it in a way that helps others understand it.
The core of the curriculum remains reporting, writing, and editing for print and the Web. That core is joined by a range of classes aimed at developing a foundation in multimedia storytelling: digital photojournalism, audio-visual gathering, and editing; and Web site development and content delivery. Ethical and professional standards, First Amendment principles, and media law concepts are incorporated throughout the curriculum to complete the program.
Specific objectives of the Journalism program:
- To prepare students for professional careers in journalism and media information;
- To instill in students a high degree of professionalism, which consists principally of practical competence and ethical understanding;
- To enhance the student’s understanding of the role of the press in a democratic society.
Program Admission Requirements
Students wishing to enter the major in journalism initially are admitted as majors seeking admission (reference 736P). 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 general education;
- Completion of the following courses with a grade of “C” or better: SMC 101, SMC 102, and JOUR 202.
Students not meeting the above admission requirements will not be admitted to the Journalism major and cannot register for any additional courses in the major.
Program Requirements (42 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 Journalism requires 42 semester hours. 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. In addition to meeting institutional requirements for graduation, the Journalism major must have a minor/certificate or second major.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SMC 101 | Understanding Media Content, Ethics and Technology | 3 |
| SMC 102 | Media Content, Collaboration and Community | 3 |
| ART 243 | Digital Media | 3 |
| JOUR 202 | Introduction to News Writing | 3 |
| JOUR 301 | Press Law and Ethics | 3 |
| or SMC 301 | Mass Communication Law and Ethics | |
| JOUR 302 | Intermediate Reporting | 3 |
| JOUR 323 | Multiplatform News Presentation | 3 |
| JOUR 325 | Feature Writing | 3 |
| VJP 261 | Mobile Media Storytelling | 3 |
| VJP 332 | Visual Media Editing and Design | 3 |
| BCOM 264 | Digital Video Production and Distribution | 3 |
| Diversity Elective | ||
| Select one from the following: | 3 | |
| Media Diversity | ||
| Visual Anthropology | ||
| Gender, Crime, and Justice | ||
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Cultural Connections and Diversity | ||
| Sociology of Gender | ||
| Social Institutions: Race, Class, and Gender | ||
| Diversity in American Society | ||
| Topics in Spanish | ||
Diversity class approved by an academic advisor. | ||
| Captone | 3 | |
| Advanced Reporting | ||
| Elective 1 | ||
| Select one of the following | 3 | |
| Survey of Electronic Media Writing | ||
| News Videography and Editing | ||
| Current Issues in Mass Communication | ||
| News / Editorial Internship Practicum | ||
| Problems in Mass Communication | ||
| Internship or Practicum | ||
| Creative Nonfiction Writing | ||
| Editing and Publishing | ||
| Writing Memoir and Autobiography | ||
| Folklore and the Media | ||
| First Amendment Research and Reporting | ||
| American News Media History | ||
| Total Hours | 42 | |
- 1
Some courses among these electives might have prerequisites. Please check the catalog.
Finish in Four Plan
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| JOUR 202 | 3 | Colonnade Human Communication COMM 145 (F-OC) | 3 |
| SMC 101 | 3 | PR 255 or other Colonnade Social and Behavioral (E-SB) | 3 |
| Colonnade College Composition (F-W1) | 3 | SMC 102 | 3 |
| Colonnade Quantitative Reasoning (F-QR) | 3 | Colonnade World History (F-SB) | 3 |
| World Language (if needed) or University Learning | 3 | VJP 261 | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BCOM 264 | 3 | SOM 310 or other Colonnade Socio-Cultural (K-SC) | 3 |
| ART 243 | 3 | Colonnade Natural & Physical Science w/Lab (E-NS, SL) | 3 |
| Colonnade Natural & Physical Science (E-NS) | 3 | 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor course | 3 |
| Colonnade Literary Studies (F-AH) | 3 | PS 220 or other Colonnade Systems (K-SY) | 3 |
| COMM 200 or other Colonnade Writing in the Disciplines (F-W2) | 3 | AD 240 or other Colonnade Local to Global (E-LG) | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| VJP 332 | 3 | JOUR 323 | 3 |
| JOUR 301 or SMC 301 | 3 | Major upper-division elective | 3 |
| JOUR 302 | 3 | 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor course | 3 |
| 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor course | 3 | 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor course | 3 |
| 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor course | 3 | 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| JOUR 325 | 3 | JOUR 426 | 3 |
| 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor course | 3 | 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor course | 3 |
| 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor course | 3 | 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor course | 3 |
| 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor course | 3 | 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor course | 3 |
| 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor course | 3 | 2nd Major/Certificate/Minor course | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Hours 120 | |||
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PS 110 is the pre-requisite for BCOM 301.