Prospective Students - International

School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Set in one of the most competitive media markets in the country, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication gives you the skills necessary to excel in expanding local and national media markets. The school can provide you with the conceptual background to prepare you to shape the future of both new and traditional media. Committed to helping students meet their goals, the school also provides students with the skills and opportunities to win competitive national awards and internships.

• Students who intend to apply to the school complete their freshman year of undergraduate work in another college or school, typically in the College of Arts and Sciences as prejournalism and mass communication majors (see below for details). Once admitted, students pursue one of five majors: advertising, broadcast news, broadcast production, media studies, or news-editorial, and earn a bachelor of science in journalism.
  


• Because all societal voices need to be represented in the media, the school recruits and provides academic and professional advising for underrepresented minorities through its Office of Student Diversity.
  


• The school helps students locate quality local and national internships suited to specific career goals. Students complete internships at magazines and newspapers, advertising and public relations firms, businesses, and government and social service agencies. Others find broadcast and cable television internships and many students have cutting-edge experiences at online companies. In recent years students have served as interns at The New York Times; National Geographic, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Fox Sports, NBC, ABC, CNN, National Public Radio, Direct TV, U S West, and Sun Microsystems, to name a few. Students can also complete internships with the school's newspaper, campus cable television station, and student radio station.

A sampling of courses offered by the school includes:

Magazine and Feature Writing
Publication Design and Production
Electronic Information Strategies
Press Photography
Principles of Advertising
TV Documentary

Prejournalism and Mass Communication

Prospective freshman who are interested in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication should apply to the prejournalism and mass communication major in the College of Arts and Sciences. A small number of highly qualified prejournalism applicants are admitted directly to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Other prejournalism and mass communication students are enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences until they are eligible to transfer into the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, which normally occurs at the end of the freshman year. They must have completed or be working toward completing 30 semester hours with a grade point average of at least 2.25. These students must consult with advisors in the school.

Before they can apply for admission to the school, prejournalism and mass communication majors must make satisfactory progress in courses that meet the core areas of study requirements in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students must complete or have in progress two journalism classes (JOUR 1001 and JOUR 2403 or 2601) with a GPA of at least 2.50 before applying.

Students wishing to apply to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication must fill out an intrauniversity transfer (IUT) form and a letter of application by October 1 for spring admission or February 20 for fall admission. Students must indicate the major sequence in which they wish to enroll. Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee a student admission to the school.

Majors in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Advertising
Broadcast News
Broadcast Production
Media Studies
News-Editorial