Journalism
The Department of Journalism consistently ranks among the best journalism programs in the country. It is housed in a college professionally accredited by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. The department's mission is to teach the art and craft of journalism and to foster an appreciation for accuracy, fairness, truth and diversity.
About This Major
- College: Journalism and Communications
- Degree: Bachelor of Science in Journalism
- Hours for the Degree: 124
- Minor: No
- Website: www.jou.ufl.edu/academic/jou/
Overview
The courses allow students to develop their storytelling talent - in words or pictures - and prepare them for careers as writers, photographers, editors or designers. The flexible curriculum allows students to work in magazines, newspapers and online publications. Excellent writing skills are essential. Graduates of the program work with major organizations in the field and have won prolific honors, including the Pulitzer Prize.
In this curriculum, core courses offer students basic preparation and professional electives allow students to develop strengths in one or more areas.
Core Courses (all journalism majors)
| JOU 1100 Introduction to Journalism | 1 |
| JOU 3101 Reporting | 3 |
| JOU 3110 Applied Fact Finding | 3 |
| JOU 4201 Newspaper Editing | 3 |
| JOU 4700 Problems and Ethics of Journalism in Society | 3 |
| MMC 2100 Writing for Mass Communication | 3 |
| MMC 4200 Law of Mass Communication | 3 |
At the beginning of the junior year, journalism majors meet with their assigned faculty adviser to plot the last two years of courses. Students select a capstone course from one of these areas: editing, design, magazines, online media, photojournalism and reporting. The capstone course is taken in the last semester. With the faculty adviser, the student maps a two-year program leading toward the capstone course.
Capstone Courses, by Areas of Emphasis
- Editing: JOU 4202 Advanced Editing and Design
- Design: JOU 4412 Advanced Design
- Magazines: JOU 4445C Applied Magazine Publishing or
JOU 4311 Advanced Magazine Writing - Online Media: JOU 4946 Applied Electronic Publishing
- Photojournalism: JOU 4605 Advanced Photojournalism 2
- Reporting: JOU 4946 Applied Journalism or
JOU 4181 Public Affairs Reporting
One of the requirements of the capstone course will be submission of a professional portfolio.
Selecting an area of emphasis does not preclude students from taking courses in other areas. Students are able to create personalized degree plans in collaboration with a faculty adviser.
A minimum grade of C is required in all journalism courses.
To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college and major requirements.
Critical Tracking and Recommended Semester Plan
Equivalent critical tracking courses as determined by the State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites may be used for transfer students
Semester 1
- 2.8 GPA on all work at all institutions
Semester 2
- 3.0 GPA on all work at all institutions for semesters 2-4
- 2.0 GPA required for all critical-tracking coursework for semesters 2-4
- Complete 2 of 6 critical-tracking courses: AMH 2010, AMH 2020, an approved English elective, MMC 2100, POS 2041 and one of the following: CPO 2001, INR 2001 or POS 2112
Semester 3
- Complete 2 additional courses
Semester 4
- Complete 2 additional courses
To remain on track, students must complete the appropriate critical-tracking courses, which appear in bold.
Recommended semester plan
| Semester 1 | Credits |
| AMH 2010 United States to 1877 (GE-H) | 3 |
| ENC 1101 Expository and Argumentative Writing (GE-C) * | 3 |
| JOU 1100 Introduction to Journalism * | 1 |
| INR 2001 Introduction to International Relations or CPO 2001 Comparative Politics | 3 |
| Physical or Biological Science (GE-P or B) | 3 |
| Mathematics (GE-M) * | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
| Semester 2 | Credits |
| AMH 2020 United States Since 1877 (GE-H) | 3 |
| POS 2041 American Federal Government (GE-S) | 3 |
| English elective * | 3 |
| Foreign language * or quantitative option ** | 3-5 |
| Mathematics (GE-M) * | 3 |
| Total | 15-17 |
| Semester 3 | Credits |
| English elective * | 3 |
| MMC 2100 Writing for Mass Communication * | 3 |
| Elective outside college | 3 |
| Foreign language * or quantitative option ** | 3-5 |
| Physical or Biological Science (GE-P or B) | 3 |
| Total | 15-17 |
| Semester 4 | Credits |
| ECO 2013 Principles of Macroeconomics or ECO 2023 Principles of Microeconomics (both GE-S) | 4 |
| JOU 3101 Reporting * | 3 |
| JOU 3110 Applied Fact Finding * | 3 |
| SPC 2608 Introduction to Public Speaking or ORI 2000 Oral Performance of Literature 1 * | 3 |
| Elective outside college | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
| Semester 5 | Credits |
| JOU 4201 Newspaper Editing * | 3 |
| JOU course * | 3 |
| Elective outside college | 3 |
| Outside concentration | 6 |
| Total | 15 |
| Semester 6 | Credits |
| JOU courses * | 6 |
| Electives outside college | 5 |
| Outside concentration | 6 |
| Total | 17 |
For semesters 7-8, students must complete two professional courses.
| Semester 7 | Credits |
| JOU 4700 Problems and Ethics of Journalism in Society * | 3 |
| JOU courses * | 6 |
| Elective outside college | 3 |
| Outside concentration | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| Semester 8 | Credits |
| JOU course * | 3 |
| JOU capstone course * | 3 |
| MMC 4200 Law of Mass Communication | 3 |
| Elective outside college | 3 |
| Outside concentration | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
* C or better required in these courses
** Students may need additional hours of electives to meet the 124 hours to graduate.
Only three hours of professional internship credit can count toward graduation, regardless of the department granting the credit.
Equipment Requirement
All students admitted Summer B 2010 and after who major in journalism are required to own a Mac laptop computer (outfitted with the appropriate software), a digital audio recorder and a digital camera. Equipment requirement details.
Journalism for Teachers
Special training and supervised research are available for journalism teachers and others interested in working at the high school level. Students seeking state certification in journalism should contact the Department of Journalism or the Office of Student Services, College of Education.
The state headquarters of the Florida Scholastic Press Association is located in the College of Journalism and Communications. A summer institute for high school teachers and journalism students is conducted in cooperation with the Division of Continuing Education.
Students take core courses, an area in methods of teaching journalism, 26 hours of education courses and a minor in English or speech. Students seeking state certification in language arts should contact the Department of Journalism.