The Bachelor of Science degree in Multimedia Journalism is designed to ensure that students are receiving the education, skills and experiences needed to be successful journalists in the 21st Century. Like real world journalism, this program requires that students learn to write and edit for traditional journalism media as well as for digital, online media. There is focus as well on the use of social media and other new technologies for reporting the news. In addition, like real world journalism, the program requires that students learn how to record and edit audio and video material for use across all the media platforms journalists are now using on the job.
As important as classroom instruction is, students need practical, hands-on experiences in as real world a setting as possible. They get that experience through the Digital Newsroom, an on-campus, student-staffed and faculty-supervised news bureau. Students develop or are assigned news stories, investigate those stories, write the stories and prepare multimedia packages that can be used across the various media platforms.
Finally, because the world is interconnected in ways never dreamed possible in earlier decades, the major in Multimedia Journalism has an important global focus. That focus has two directions. First, students learn about reporting on what is happening in different parts of the world in ways that recognize the diversity of the world’s nations. At least as important, students also learn how journalists in other nations view the United States and about how that is reflected in their reporting.
Goals
The following are the broad educational goals for the major in Multimedia Journalism:
- to increase the numbers of highly trained professional journalists, especially from among minorities and urban dwellers,
- to provide students with a knowledge of journalism history and traditions and its role in democratic societies,
- to provide students with global perspectives about journalism and journalistic practices in nations other than the United States,
- to provide students with an understanding of journalistic ethics and with basic media law, and
- to provide students with an understanding of, and with hands-on experiences with, field reporting and editing.
Learning Outcomes
The following are the learning outcomes expected for students in the Multimedia Journalism major.
- Students will be able, under deadline, to craft compelling, accurate and ethical news stories that adhere to styles appropriate to the media for which they are writing.
- Students will be able to communicate news in multiple formats, including through mobile devices, social media and other new technologies.
- Students will be able to demonstrate proficiency in information gathering techniques, including the wide range of digital sources that are available.
- Students will be able to demonstrate proficiency in the various techniques of presenting news stories including, but not limited to, audio/video recording and editing, print and digital media.
Requirements for the Major in Multimedia Journalism
The Bachelor of Science degree in Multimedia Journalism requires students to complete 48 credits in the major. These include 24 credits of core courses required of all students in the SGJC along with 12 credits of required courses in the major and 12 credits of major elective courses. In addition, students must complete all General Education and University Requirements. To ensure that all Multimedia Journalism students have the opportunity to gain a genuine global perspective, six credits of the same foreign language or courses focused on global culture are required. Finally, students must also complete 24 credits of free electives from outside the School of Global Journalism and Communication. This is a requirement for accreditation by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. It is strongly recommended, but not required, that those free electives be concentrated in a single discipline.
Requirements for the B.S. Degree in Multimedia Journalism
A minimum of 120 credit hours are required to graduate with a B.S. in Multimedia Journalism. These credits are distributed as follows:
General Education and University Requirements 42
Foreign Language/Global Culture Requirements 6
School of Global Journalism Core Requirements 24
Required Courses for the Multimedia Journalism Major 24
Out of Unit Free Electives 24
Total Credits 120