Program Overview
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Location: Candelaria 1265
Email: HSS@unco.edu
Website: www.unco.edu/hss/journalism-media-studies
Advising Information
Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.
To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.
This program consists of three parts:
- Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- University-Wide Credits
Program Description:
Gain critical skills and hands-on experience in reporting, writing, editing and producing news for print, broadcast and the Web. You'll graduate prepared to work in a wide variety of news organizations, including TV and radio stations, online news publications, newspapers and magazines.
Program Admission Requirements:
Academic Good Standing
Program Note:
Journalism majors may not also enroll in the Media Studies minor.
Degree Requirements — 120 Credits
1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 Credits
Written Communication — 6 credits
Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
See Written Communication courses
Mathematics — 3 credits
Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
See Mathematics courses
Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits
To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.
Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses
Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits
Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
See Natural & Physical Sciences courses
See Liberal Arts Curriculum
2. Required Major — 50 credits
Take all of the following courses (35 credits):
Complete 15 credits of Journalism electives (15 credits)
Take any additional courses with the JMS prefix to bring the total credit hours in the major to 50 credits.
(JMS 492 Internship is strongly recommended.)
3. University-Wide Credits — 39 credits
Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for this degree at UNC; for this degree that will typically be 39 credits.
Four Year Plan
This four-year plan is a recommended schedule to complete this bachelor's degree in 4 years. Courses are subject to availability. Students must consult with their major advisor to receive information on any additional graduation requirements and course sequence guidance.
Year 1 – 30 credits
Fall Semester
| ENG 122 | College CompositionLAW1 | 3 |
| JMS 100 | Introduction to Journalism and Media Studies | 3 |
| | Liberal Arts Curriculum | 3 |
| | Liberal Arts Curriculum | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| JMS 210 | Media Writing | 3 |
| JMS 212 | Visual Media | 3 |
| | Liberal Arts Curriculum | 3 |
| | Liberal Arts Curriculum | 3 |
| | JMS Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Year 2 – 32 credits
Fall Semester
| JMS 310 | News Reporting and Writing | 3 |
| JMS 342 | Video Production | 4 |
| | Liberal Arts Curriculum | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Spring Semester
| JMS 312 | Digital Storytelling | 3 |
| | Liberal Arts Curriculum | 4 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Year 3 – 30 credits
Fall Semester
| | Liberal Arts Curriculum | 3 |
| | Liberal Arts Curriculum | 3 |
| | JMS Elective | 3 |
| | JMS Elective | 3 |
| | JMS Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| JMS 350 | News Editing | 3 |
| JMS 485 | Media Ethics | 3 |
| | JMS Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Major Elective: JMS 492 Internship strongly recommended.
Year 4 – 28 credits
Fall Semester
| JMS 497 | Media Law | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| JMS 410 | Advanced News | 3 |
| JMS 450 | News Production | 4 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 13 |
Advising Notes –
- Some courses may be offered during only one semester during the academic year. If a course is offered in fall, it may not be offered the following spring. If offered in spring, it may not be offered the following fall.