Journalism B.A. – News-Editorial Emphasis
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Contact: Thomas G. Endres, Ph.D., Director
Location: Candelaria 1265
Telephone: 970.351.2726
Website: www.unco.edu/jmc
Advising Information:
Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.
Assigned advisor is available through the Ursa login; ursa.unco.edu; under Student tab Academic Profile channel and is term specific. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.
The program consists of four parts:
- Liberal Arts Core (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- Required Minor Credits
- University-Wide Credits
Program Description:
The news-editorial emphasis is designed to provide a professional learning experience in reporting, writing and editing. Under the guidance of experienced news people, students perform news-oriented tasks of progressively greater complexity and scope. Students receive individualized assessments of their work on a regular basis.
Graduates of the news-editorial emphasis are qualified for employment in a wide variety of news organizations. These include, but are not limited to, weekly and daily newspapers, radio, TV and cable outlets and magazines. For some students, the news-editorial emphasis is a preparation for careers in related professions, such as law and government.
Program Admission Requirements:
- To become a Journalism major, you first become a pre-Journalism major. This is done by filling out a “Change of Major/Minor” form, available from the School of Communication. The pre-major should be declared in the freshman or sophomore year.
- Application for admission to full JMC-major status should take place during the sophomore year. It is important to note that the JMC major is a two-year program beyond the time at which a pre-major is admitted with full Journalism major status. Whether admitted as a sophomore, junior or senior, the newly admitted Journalism major will often need two full academic years to complete the major course requirements. In particular, seniors and transfer students who are considering applying to become Journalism majors are advised that it is not usually possible to complete the process of application to the major and all the required coursework in fewer than four regular semesters.
- To apply to become a Journalism major, students must meet all of the following requirements:
- Completed 30 credits of undergraduate semester credit:
- Received a “C” or better in ENG 122;
- Received a “C” or better in JMC 100.
- Complete and submit an “Application for Admission to Journalism Major” form, available from the School of Communication three weeks before each deadline.
- Your application must reach the school office by the deadlines indicated below:
- Fall semester admission: February 15
- Spring semester admission: October 15
- No admission decisions are made during the summer.
- Submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended other than UNC, if any, with the form noted above. The application process will include submitting an essay written in accordance with specifications and procedures articulated each semester by the JMC faculty and communicated to applicants when the application form is obtained by the applicant. Essays will be judged on the quality of content and mechanics. Students who fail the essay will not be admitted.
- Mail or deliver the materials noted above to the School of Communication, Box 114 University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO 80639.
- Should the number of qualified applicants exceed space available in required courses, the school will admit only those students ranking highest in cumulative grade point averages.
Program Requirements:
- Students majoring in Journalism are not permitted to apply more than 40 credits with a JMC prefix toward meeting the required of 120 semester credits for graduation.
- Students taking more than 40 credits in Journalism will need 80 credits outside of Journalism in order to graduate, making the total number of credits needed for graduation in excess of 120. Journalism majors are also required to take 65 credits of the total 120 needed for graduation in liberal arts courses outside the Journalism program.
- To graduate with a B.A. in Journalism, all students must receive a “C” or higher in all courses in the major.
- Journalism majors may not take the Media Studies minor. Students cannot declare a minor until they have been admitted to the major.
- Journalism majors must complete courses for only one Journalism emphasis, and changing from one emphasis to another after admission to the major may be prohibited by the program.
Degree Requirements — 120 Credits
Degree Requirements
1. Required LAC — 40 credits
2. Required Major — 36 credits
Take all of the following courses:
| JMC 100 | Introduction to Journalism and Mass Communications | 3 |
| JMC 210 | Newswriting | 3 |
| JMC 350 | News Editing and Layout | 3 |
| JMC 352 | Reporting Contemporary Issues | 3 |
| JMC 390 | Impact of Mass Communications on Society | 3 |
| JMC 397 | History of Mass Communications | 3 |
| JMC 410 | Advanced News and Feature Writing | 3 |
| JMC 485 | Media Ethics | 3 |
| JMC 497 | Mass Communications Law | 3 |
Group A — News-Editorial
Choose one of the following courses: (3 credits)
(Internship strongly recommended)
Group B — Journalism and Mass Communications
Choose six additional credits in courses with a JMC prefix
3. Required Minor — 18 credits
4. University-Wide Credits — 26 credits
Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for this degree at UNC; for this degree, that will typically be 26 credits.