Spurred by technological advances and changes in consumer behavior, journalists now must be equipped to produce content for a variety of platforms.
As a BA student in Journalism Studies you will be empowered to develop sound news judgement. You will be prepared to enter the field with the creativity, versatility and storytelling skills necessary to produce stories for both traditional and digital media. You will receive training in ethical and legal decision-making as well as writing, editing, video/audio production and digital design.
Your Journalism Studies degree will equip you to join a field with a wide range of potential career opportunities — from news anchor and international correspondent to technical writer and book or magazine publisher. By adding a minor area of study outside of journalism you will develop a unique specialization that can also increase employment opportunities. Additionally, you will gain practical work experience and a professional network before you graduate by completing an internship with an off-campus media outlet.
What Sets Us Apart
An emphasis on multicultural and global communication and a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion and social justice
Internationally recognized professors, dedicated to student success, who bring a wealth of expertise in corporate, nonprofit, health and political communication
Small classes that balance theoretical concepts with experiential learning and give you the personal attention and support you need to learn and thrive
An outstanding internship program and an extensive professional network of business, nonprofit and government partners in Colorado and beyond
Multiple opportunities for engagement beyond the classroom including exciting internships; the student-run podcast, PioCast; the student-run newspaper, The Clarion; and Project DU F.I.L.M., a partnership between students, faculty and alumni
The ability to double major and design your own path based on your unique passions and career goals
Degree Requirements
- To major in Journalism Studies, students will need to complete 40 credit hours. These include four credits in an internship and 40 credits across foundational courses, culture, history and politics, core journalism, law and ethics, writing and editing, and visual or digital journalism.
- For distinction in the Journalism Studies major, a student will need to have a 3.75 cumulative GPA and a 3.8 GPA in the major.
See the DU Undergraduate Bulletin for full course requirements.
Featured Courses
MFJS 2240
Online & Visual Journalism
About this Course
An introduction to web-based, print, video, and audio news in a rolling deadline format. It also includes a project-based cross-cultural component to highlight internationalization of the news industries and to build upon the internationalization focus of the University.
MFJS 3170
Data Journalism
About this Course
We swim in a world of data - from election results, budgets and census reports, to Facebook updates and image uploads. Journalists need to know how to find stories in data and shape them in compelling ways. This hands-on course teaches reporters and editors to gather, analyze, and visualize interactive data-driven stories. This emerging discipline touches on information and interactivity design, mapping, graphing, animation tools, and data analysis. You are expected to think like a journalist by evaluating data critically and applying what you learn to news stories, information graphics or web applications. Familiarity with HTML/CSS is helpful, but not required. This is not a course in coding, but programmers of all skill levels are welcome.
MFJS 3506
Audio Documentaries
About this Course
In the past decade, an explosion in the production and accessibility of audio documentary work has created an unprecedented interest and expansion of the documentary form in nearly all sectors of public life. Building on this trend, this course teaches the skills of ethnographically informed audio documentary work that can record and interpret culture and lived experience. We focus on learning the techniques of non-fiction storytelling used in established public radio programs like This American Life, Radio Lab, or Snap Judgement, as well as newer podcasts like Reply All, Invisibilia, or Embedded. The course will prepare students to tell complex stories using strong character-driven narrative. Sound documentation and representation will not be done along journalistic principles, but instead through rigorous ethnography that relies on participant-observation and immersion. Through practical application and the exploration of ethnography and documentary approaches to communication, the course explores questions that surround the interpretation and representation of socio-cultural experience via a sonic medium. To understand the basic mechanics of sound and its narrative form, participants will learn to digitally record and edit audio. Storytelling will then become more complex as students learn to conduct ethnography, interviews, and develop a script for radio. Students will ultimately analyze and create audio documentaries in an effort to understand a significant form of digital storytelling. There are three central learning objectives that will guide us through the course: (1) we will practice ethnographic and documentary methodology, (2) learn to write for radio, and (3) learn the workflow of audio editing to produce an audio documentary. Prerequisites: MFJS 3215 OR MFJS 2140. Enrollment restricted to MFJS students.
Learn the skills to produce varied, polished content across platforms.
Develop a rock-solid journalistic foundation with skills to take you in any postgraduate direction.
