The study of journalism, mass communication, and specialized media combines high-level professional training with a broad foundation in the liberal arts. All students complete a common 21-credit core, including writing, multimedia, and conceptual courses, as well as a capstone course and an internship. Students work closely with a faculty advisor to select an additional 19 credits in a focus area crafted to match their career interests. Practical experience can be gained on the staffs of the daily Rocky Mountain Collegian, the award-winning campus television station Collegian TV, College Avenue magazine, and KCSU-FM Radio. Graduating seniors present professional portfolios for assessment by panels of faculty and communication professionals from Denver and elsewhere in Colorado. Because successful communicators require broad knowledge, this flexible program encourages development of a background in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and in-depth study in an area of interest outside journalism. The addition of a minor or double major in disciplines such as political science, information technology, history, economics, business, communication studies, psychology, the arts, or natural or applied sciences is possible.
The Department of Journalism and Media Communication is one of a relatively small number of departments formally recognized by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Participation in volunteer activities, cooperative education opportunities, or communication-related part time jobs is highly recommended to enhance practical training and development.
Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate:
- Competence in writing, editing, and producing media messages as well as in planning, designing, and evaluating effective public information programs.
- Knowledge and use of communication theory and research principles to guide the selection of communication audiences, message content and format, and media channels to enhance communication impact.
- Understanding of the ethics, laws, and values associated with professional communication activity.
Potential Occupations
The Journalism and Media Communication program emphasizes the role of mass and specialized media in society and prepares students for entry-level work in private business, government, and education. Depending upon the focus of study, students may find career opportunities in a wide variety of professional communication venues. Specific career opportunities may include: advertising copywriter, designer, or producer; agriculture writer, reporter, or editor; attorney specializing in communication law; blogger, columnist, or editorial cartoonist; college professor; communications manager or director; company spokesperson; corporate media specialist; e-mail and direct mail strategist; environmental media specialist; freelance writer, editor, or photographer; health writer, editor, or producer; marketing coordinator; media relations director or strategist; multimedia producer; non-profit communications director; novelist or non-fiction author; reporter or photojournalist for the web, magazines, newspapers, or television; owner of public relations agency or production company; professional speaker; public affairs officer for government agency; public relations agency account executive; publication designer for magazines or newspapers; radio disc jockey, reporter, or music director; reality television producer, writer, photographer, or on-camera talent; science writer or editor; social media specialist; sports writer, photographer, or producer; technical writer or editor; teacher for any level of K-12 education upon completion of appropriate licensing (see the Center for Educator Preparation); television news anchor or program host; television or radio news program producer or director; television documentary producer; travel writer, photographer, or program host; video editor for news, corporate, or entertainment television; website designer and manager.
Effective Fall 2018
All majors in the department must earn a minimum grade of C (a grade of C- is not acceptable) in each course that carries the JTC subject code.
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Accreditation Requirements
Majors in Journalism and Media Communication must take a minimum of 40 credits of JTC courses and a minimum of 72 credits outside of JTC.
Of the 72 credits outside of JTC, 21 must meet one of the following Second Field criteria with approval of advisor:1
- a Minor;
- an Interdisciplinary Minor;
- 21 credits in one subject code;
- 9 credits from one subject code and 12 credits from a second subject code;
- a selection of 21 credits comprising a Second Field developed by the student and the advisor.
Courses taken outside of the department may include All-University Core Curriculum (AUCC) courses, Minor or Second Field courses, or any other out-of-department (non-JTC) courses used to complete the major as approved by advisor.
The 40 JTC required credits include 21 credits specified in the curriculum below plus 19 credits of directed electives to create an individualized focus area from the following 4 categories (Writing, Production, Internship/Practicum, Additional credits).
Directed Electives for Individualized Focus Area
Over the sophomore, junior, and senior years, students must complete a minimum of 19 credits in an individually designed focus area. Students must select those 19 credits from among the following categories and courses in consultation with advisor, as follows:
Code | Title | AUCC | Credits |
---|---|---|---|
Writing | |||
Select at least six credits (two courses) from the following: | 6 | ||
Copy Editing | |||
Reporting: General News | |||
Reporting: Sports | |||
Reporting: Business | |||
Reporting: Government and Political | |||
Reporting: Health and Medicine | |||
Reporting: Technology and Innovation | |||
Reporting: Education | |||
Reporting: Special Topics | |||
Feature Writing | |||
TV News Writing, Reporting and Producing | |||
Writing for Specialized Electronic Media | |||
Publicity and Media Relations | |||
Advertising | |||
Advertising Creativity and Copywriting | |||
Writing for Specialized Magazines | |||
Data Journalism | |||
Trends in Digital Communication | 4A | ||
Advanced Reporting | 4A,4C | ||
Entrepreneurial Journalism | |||
Writing About Science, Health, and Environment | |||
Technical Communication | |||
Specialized and Technical Editing | 4A,4C | ||
Production | |||
Select at least six credits (two courses) from the following: | 6 | ||
Digital Photography | |||
Digital Video Editing | |||
Advanced Television News Production | |||
Electronic Field Production | |||
Audio Production and Editing | |||
Communications Campaigns | |||
Advertising Media Buying and Selling | |||
Web Programming for Media Producers | |||
Publications Design and Production | |||
Advanced Web Design and Management | |||
Digital Promotion Management | |||
Social Media Management | |||
Information Graphics | |||
Advanced Digital Documentary Photography | |||
Advanced Video Editing | |||
Documentary Video Production | |||
Advanced Electronic Media Production | 4A,4C | ||
Public Relations Cases | |||
Convergence and Hypermedia | 4C | ||
Transmedia Storytelling | |||
Internship/Practicum 2 | 1-4 | ||
Select a minimum of 1 credit (a maximum of 4 credits) from the following: | |||
Internship | |||
Practicum: CTV | |||
Practicum: KCSU | |||
Practicum: Collegian | |||
Practicum: College Avenue | |||
Practicum: Arts Production | |||
Additional Credits 3 | 6 | ||
Select six additional credits from the courses listed above under Writing, Production, Internship/Practicum, and Concept Courses and/or from the courses listed below. Students may select no more than a total of 4 credits of Internship/Practicum, and no more than a total of 7 credits of reserved number (-80 to -99) courses to satisfy this requirement. | |||
Mobile Media Technology and Communication | |||
Public Relations | |||
Persuasion in Advertising | |||
Strategic Multicultural Communication | |||
Supervised College Teaching | |||
Workshop | |||
Independent Study: Electronic Reporting | |||
Independent Study: Editing | |||
Independent Study: Photojournalism | |||
Independent Study: Public Relations | |||
Independent Study: Readings | |||
Independent Study: Reporting | |||
Independent Study: Technical Communication | |||
Group Study | |||
Program Total Credits: | 19-22 |
Freshman | |||
---|---|---|---|
AUCC | Credits | ||
CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | 1A | 3 |
JTC 100 | Media in Society (GT-SS3) | 3C | 3 |
JTC 210 | Newswriting | 3 | |
Arts and Humanities | 3B | 6 | |
Biological and Physical Sciences | 3A | 7 | |
Historical Perspectives | 3D | 3 | |
Quantitative Reasoning | 1B | 3 | |
Elective | 2 | ||
Total Credits | 30 | ||
Sophomore | |||
JTC 211 | Visual Communication | 3 | |
Individualized Focus Area and/or Second Field courses4 | 15 | ||
Statistics5 | 3 | ||
Advanced Writing 6 | 2 | 3 | |
Diversity and Global Awareness | 3E | 3 | |
Social and Behavioral Sciences7 | 3C | 3 | |
Total Credits | 30 | ||
Junior | |||
Select one course from the following to fulfill the Concept Course requirement: | 3 | ||
History of Media | |||
Multiculturalism and the Media | |||
Media Ethics and Issues | 4A,4B | ||
International Mass Communication | |||
New Media Trends and Society | 4A,4B | ||
Media Effects | |||
Communications Law | 4A,4B | ||
Journalism, Peace, and War | |||
Food and Natural Resources Communication | |||
Media, Business, and Economics | |||
Documentary Film as a Liberal Art | |||
Research for Public Communicators | |||
Communication in Human-Computer Interaction | |||
JTC 326 | Online Storytelling and Audience Engagement | 3 | |
Individualized Focus Area and/or Second Field courses4 | 15 | ||
Out-of-department courses8 | 9 | ||
Total Credits | 30 | ||
Senior | |||
Select one of the following: | 3 | ||
Media Ethics and Issues | 4A,4B | ||
Communications Law | 4A,4B | ||
JTC 460 | Senior Capstone | 4C | 3 |
Individualized Focus Area and/or Second Field courses4 | 10 | ||
Out-of-department courses8 | 14 | ||
Total Credits | 30 | ||
Program Total Credits: | 120 |
1 | Of the 21 credits required for the Second Field, 12 must be upper-division (300- to 400-level) and none may be from JTC. |
2 | With approval of the department and advisor, students may substitute a 400-level Journalism and Media Communication study abroad course for 1 credit of the Internship/Practicum requirement and up to 3 credits of the Additional Credits requirement, for a maximum total of 4 credits for study abroad. |
3 | High-achieving students, with approval of advisor, may select JTC 544 to satisfy 3 credits of the Additional Credit requirement. |
4 | Select a minimum of 19 credits of Focus Area courses and 21 credits of Second Field courses over the sophomore, junior, and senior years, in consultation with advisor. |
5 | Select a three-credit statistics course offered by any department, with approval of advisor. |
6 | Select 3 credits other than JTC 300 from the list of courses in category 2 of the All-University Core Curriculum (AUCC). |
7 | Select 3 credits other than JTC 100 from the list of courses in category 3C of the AUCC. Students in this major must take 3 credits of Social and Behavioral Sciences other than JTC 100, which is required in the freshman year. |
8 | Of the 23 credits required for out-of-department courses in the junior and senior years, a minimum of 5 credits must be upper-division (300- to 400-level). |
9 | If either JTC 411 or JTC 415 was taken as a Concept Course in the junior year, students may take any different concept course here. High-achieving students, with approval of advisor, may select JTC 535 as an alternative here, providing they have completed or will complete the AUCC category 4B requirement with another course. |
Freshman | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Semester 1 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | 1A | 3 | ||
JTC 100 | Media in Society (GT-SS3) | 3C | 3 | ||
Arts and Humanities | 3B | 3 | |||
Biological and Physical Sciences | 3A | 4 | |||
Elective | 2 | ||||
Total Credits | 15 | ||||
Semester 2 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
JTC 210 | Newswriting | X | 3 | ||
Arts and Humanities | 3B | 3 | |||
Biological and Physical Sciences | 3A | 3 | |||
Historical Perspectives | 3D | 3 | |||
Quantitative Reasoning | X | 1B | 3 | ||
CO 150 must be completed by the end of Semester 2. | X | ||||
Total Credits | 15 | ||||
Sophomore | |||||
Semester 3 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
JTC 211 | Visual Communication | X | 3 | ||
STAT *** | 3 | ||||
Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3C | 3 | |||
Individualized Focus Area and/or Second Field courses (See List on Requirements Tab) | 6 | ||||
Total Credits | 15 | ||||
Semester 4 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
Advanced Writing | 2 | 3 | |||
Diversity and Global Awareness | 3E | 3 | |||
Individualized Focus Area and/or Second Field courses (See List on Requirements Tab) | 9 | ||||
Total Credits | 15 | ||||
Junior | |||||
Semester 5 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||||
History of Media | |||||
Multiculturalism and the Media | |||||
Media Ethics and Issues | 4A,4B | ||||
International Mass Communication | |||||
New Media Trends and Society | 4A,4B | ||||
Media Effects | |||||
Communications Law | 4A,4B | ||||
Journalism, Peace, and War | |||||
Food and Natural Resources Communication | |||||
Media, Business, and Economics | |||||
Communication in Human-Computer Interaction | |||||
Documentary Film as a Liberal Art | |||||
Research for Public Communicators | |||||
Individualized Focus Area and/or Second Field courses (See List on Requirements Tab) | 9 | ||||
Out-of-Department Course | 3 | ||||
Total Credits | 15 | ||||
Semester 6 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
JTC 326 | Online Storytelling and Audience Engagement | X | 3 | ||
Individualized Focus Area and/or Second Field courses (See List on Requirements Tab) | 6 | ||||
Out-of-Department Courses | 6 | ||||
Total Credits | 15 | ||||
Senior | |||||
Semester 7 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
Select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
Media Ethics and Issues | 4A,4B | ||||
Communications Law | 4A,4B | ||||
Individualized Focus Area and/or Second Field courses (See List on Requirements Tab) | 5 | ||||
Out-of-Department Courses | 7 | ||||
30 Credits of JTC and JTC 326 must be completed by the end of Semester 7. | X | ||||
Total Credits | 15 | ||||
Semester 8 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
JTC 460 | Senior Capstone | X | 4C | 3 | |
Individualized Focus Area and/or Second Field courses (See List on Requirements Tab) | X | 5 | |||
Out-of-Department Courses | X | 7 | |||
The benchmark courses for the 8th semester are the remaining courses in the entire program of study. | X | ||||
Total Credits | 15 | ||||
Program Total Credits: | 120 |