COURSE CURRICULUM

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in communication with a journalism and media production emphasis at Wichita State University is a 120-credit-hour program designed to prepare students for professional careers in journalism, broadcasting, digital media production, and other news-related industries by combining classroom learning with intensive hands-on experience. Students must maintain a minimum 2.500 GPA overall and within the major while completing at least 42 credit hours in communication, including 12 credit hours in the communication core and at least 24 credit hours in the journalism and media production emphasis. The core courses—COMM 205 Visual Technologies, COMM 206 Introduction to Multimedia, COMM 301 Writing for the Mass Audience, and COMM 350 Communication Strategy for the Mass Audience—build essential skills in media production, writing for audiences, and strategic communication planning across platforms. The emphasis area focuses on developing strong professional abilities in reporting, storytelling, production, and media law through courses such as COMM 410 Principles of Journalism, COMM 412 Principles of Media Production, COMM 630 Communication Law and Responsibility, COMM 631 Historical and Theoretical Issues in Communication, and a capstone experience in COMM 655 Capstone Media Project. Students further strengthen their skills through 15 credit hours of electives chosen from applied journalism and media production courses, including photojournalism, television news, podcasting, video storytelling, editing, and sports media production, allowing them to build a versatile portfolio across print, broadcast, and digital platforms. The program also includes general education and LAS competency requirements through the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which develop critical thinking, writing, and analytical abilities essential for journalism. Open electives provide additional flexibility to reach the 120-credit total and allow students to explore related areas such as communication technology or media design. Applied learning is central to the program, with opportunities for internships, cooperative education, and production-based coursework that simulate real newsroom and media environments. Graduates leave with strong storytelling, technical production, and ethical reporting skills, making them well prepared for careers in news organizations, television and radio stations, digital media outlets, and other communication-driven fields where fast, accurate, and engaging content creation is essential.