COURSE CURRICULUM

The News Media major is a comprehensive journalism-focused program that prepares students for careers in modern media by combining strong communication skills with technical and analytical abilities, and students must complete a total of 120 credit hours for graduation, including 43 hours specifically within the major, where they begin with core courses like JCM 102 (Introduction to Media Content Creation) and JCM 103 (Mechanics of Media Writing) to build foundational writing and content creation skills, followed by 33 credits of specialized News Media coursework that covers key areas such as reporting, ethics, law, multimedia storytelling, and media analysis, including essential subjects like news writing, electronic reporting, mass communication law, and diversity in media, while also choosing skill-based courses such as advanced writing, sports reporting, or broadcast journalism, and concept-based courses like media effects, global media systems, or race and gender in media to develop critical thinking and industry awareness, and students must further specialize by selecting 6 credits in a focused area such as visual journalism, public affairs reporting, digital news, or management and entrepreneurship, allowing them to tailor their degree toward specific career paths, along with 6 additional elective credits usually taken from advanced (300–400 level) media courses to deepen expertise, and the program strongly encourages internships, participation in campus media, and real-world experience to enhance employability, while also requiring students to complete a minor or second major outside the journalism department to broaden their academic profile, and for those interested in sports journalism, an optional Sports Media concentration is available, which includes targeted courses like sports writing, digital sports coverage, or sports announcing along with research and ethics in sports media, ensuring graduates are equipped with versatile skills in writing, editing, storytelling, multimedia production, and ethical reporting, making them suitable not only for journalism careers but also for roles in business, law, marketing, and digital communication industries where strong information handling and communication skills are highly valued.