College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Courses

Journalism and Mass Communication

Undergraduate Programs

Journalistic writing is the core of the undergraduate programs, and visual communication is an important focus. Students are required to take both professional and conceptual courses offered by the school; they develop professional skills while studying the historical, legal, cultural, and institutional roles of media in society. The programs also build upon the University's commitment to the liberal arts and sciences, requiring majors to complete extensive academic work outside the school.

Graduates find employment in a variety of areas such as newspapers, magazines, radio, television, online communications, public relations, publication design, photojournalism, and media research.

The school is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.

Selective Admission

Students may apply for admission to the major during the semester in which they will complete the following: 019:090 Social Scientific Foundations of Communication and 019:091 Cultural and Historical Foundations of Communication; all required rhetoric courses; and a total of at least 45 s.h. of course work. Students who qualify for the University of Iowa Honors Program after their first semester at the University may apply for admission to the major during the semester in which they will complete the premajor requirements and 30 s.h. of course work.

The primary criterion for admission to major status is overall academic performance. Statement of interest, demonstrated writing ability, résumé, prior journalistic experience, participation in journalism student organizations, and performance in journalism courses also are considered for applicants who have demonstrated a serious focus on journalism as a career. The number of students accepted each semester depends on the number of students already in the program and available resources. The school reviews applications with the goal of admitting the most qualified students.

For applications and deadline information, contact the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science

The undergraduate program's flexibility allows each major to develop an individual study plan in consultation with an assigned faculty advisor.

Common Requirements

PREMAJOR FOUNDATION

JOURNALISM PROFESSIONAL SKILLS COURSES

A number of crossover courses fulfill the advanced writing course requirement: 019:135 Public Relations Practice Workshop, 019:136 Editing, 019:174 Advanced Television News, 019:176 Visual Storytelling, 019:177 Convergence Journalism, and 019:178 Iowa Journalist.

CONCEPTUAL COURSES

ELECTIVES

ADDITIONAL ELECTIVES

LEARNING PORTFOLIO

Second Major or Concentration Area

Students who satisfy the requirement by completing a concentration area must choose 24 s.h. of related course work in one or more departments; at least 15 of the 24 s.h. must be earned in advanced courses (in most departments, advanced courses are numbered 100 or above). B.A. students who complete a minor in business administration are credited with meeting the second major or concentration area requirement. Course work in the concentration area must be arranged in consultation with the student's advisor; each student must have the advisor's written endorsement of the second major or concentration area before graduation.

SECOND MAJOR OR CONCENTRATION AREA FOR B.A. STUDENTS

Option 1: complete a B.A. major in another department

Option 2: complete a 24 s.h. concentration of related courses in one or more departments that offer B.A. degrees, or complete a minor in business administration

SECOND MAJOR OR CONCENTRATION AREA FOR B.S. STUDENTS

Option 1: complete a B.S. major in a natural, mathematical, or social science

Option 2: complete a 24 s.h. concentration of related courses in the social sciences (economics, geography, political science, psychology, or sociology) and/or the natural and mathematical sciences; and complete all the special math, research methods, statistics, computer science, and/or cognate science requirements required for the B.S. in the department in which the majority of concentration area courses are taken

Four-Year Graduation Plan

Note: With the exception of students admitted to the major directly upon their first enrollment in the University, students are admitted to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication on a competitive, selective basis. The Four-Year Graduation Plan agreement applies only to students who are admitted to major status by the first semester of their sophomore year. Also, each student must complete a second major or a concentration area consisting of at least 24 s.h., of which 15 s.h. must be earned in advanced courses. These checkpoints show only the minimum requirements for a second area, not the requirements for a second major.

Before the third semester begins: either 019:090 or 019:091 or both, and at least one-quarter of the semester hours required for graduation

Before the fifth semester begins: 019:098, an additional course in the major (e.g., 019:140), at least one second-area course, and at least one-half of the semester hours required for graduation

Before the seventh semester begins: two required professional skills courses; one advanced, conceptual, or elective course in the major; three additional second-area courses; and at least three-quarters of the semester hours required for graduation

Before the eighth semester begins: two additional required professional skills courses; one advanced, conceptual, or elective course in the major; and two more second-area courses

During the eighth semester: enrollment in all remaining course work in the major, all remaining General Education courses, all remaining courses in the second area, and a sufficient number of semester hours to graduate

Honors

To graduate with honors in journalism and mass communication, a student must have a g.p.a. of at least 3.50 in the major and must be a member of the University of Iowa Honors Program, which requires that students maintain a cumulative University of Iowa g.p.a. of at least 3.33 (contact the University of Iowa Honors Program for more information).

Honors students must complete 019:191 Honors Project (3 s.h.) under the supervision of a faculty member. The project may be a thesis or a professional project, typically completed during the last semester of the senior year. Honors students should plan to use their journalism elective to complete their honors project. Students are encouraged but not required to take 019:190 Honors Readings (1-3 s.h.) to prepare for the project.

All majors with an overall g.p.a. of at least 3.33 are encouraged to take any journalism and mass communication course for honors credit and to make use of other honors opportunities in the school. Visit the Journalism Honors Program on the school's web site or contact the school's honors advisor for details.

National Honor Society

Minor

The minor in mass communication requires a minimum of 15 s.h. in mass communication, including 12 s.h. earned in advanced courses (courses numbered 019:140-019:169 and above) at The University of Iowa. Students must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 2.00 in the minor. Courses for the minor may not be taken pass/nonpass. Students are encouraged to take one of the following courses.

019:090 Social Scientific Foundations of Communication

3 s.h.

019:091 Cultural and Historical Foundations of Communication

3 s.h.

019:095 Media and Consumers

3 s.h.

Transfer Students

The school may accept up to 7 s.h. of transfer credit in journalism toward the major in journalism and mass communication, or up to 3 s.h. toward the minor in mass communication; transfer courses must have been completed at a school accredited by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Some journalism course work taken at another school may be used to satisfy the requirement for journalism electives and/or the second major or concentration area requirements. Transfer credit intended to meet School of Journalism and Mass Communication requirements must be approved by the head of undergraduate studies.

Graduate Programs

Master of Arts

The M.A. program admits students for fall entry.

Professional Journalism Emphasis

In consultation with an academic advisor, each student creates an individual program of courses chosen from inside and outside the school. Examples of areas inside the school are narrative writing, investigative reporting, publication design, and broadcast news. Some areas outside the school are the arts, law, political science, business, medicine, science, the environment, book arts, and race, gender, and sexuality studies.

Students who have a journalism background might develop a focus in an outside area for some of their electives. Those new to journalism and media communication may wish to focus their study on areas inside the school.

Building on conceptual and advanced skills courses, students complete the program with a master's project in a professional area, such as an in-depth reporting series; a design, multimedia, video, or documentary photography project; or applied research in mass communication.

All courses are chosen in consultation with the student's academic advisor.

The following courses are required.

019:225 Contemporary Problems in Journalism

3 s.h.

019:226 Master's Advanced Reporting and Writing

3 s.h.

019:229 Master's Media Project

3 s.h.

One conceptual course from 019:140-019:169, or 019:250 and above

3 s.h.

Two advanced writing or workshop courses from the

019:120, 019:130, 019:170, and 019:220 series

6-8 s.h.

*Three electives in journalism and mass communication

or an outside focus area

9-12 s.h.

019:299 Master's Research (professional project)

3 s.h.

*Students who have not taken a recent U.S. media law class must enroll in 019:140 Legal and Ethical Issues in Communication or an alternative media law course, with the instructor's consent and the advisor's approval.

Media Communication Emphasis

Students in the media communication emphasis take foundation courses in common with beginning Ph.D. students. Because of the program's interdisciplinary nature, students are expected to take courses outside the school, as determined in consultation with their advisors. The course work should provide students with sufficient theoretical and methodological preparation to complete the thesis.

The following courses are required.

019:231 Media Communication Theory I

3 s.h.

019:232 Media Communication Theory II

3 s.h.

019:235 Media Communication Research Methods I

3 s.h.

019:236 Media Communication Research Methods II

3 s.h.

019:220 Master's Seminar (1 s.h. for 2 semesters)

2 s.h.

Advanced methods courses

3 s.h.

Electives (at least 6 s.h. in journalism and mass communication)

12 s.h.

019:299 Master's Research (thesis)

3 s.h.

Doctor of Philosophy

The program emphasizes interdisciplinary inquiry into media communication phenomena from cultural, historical, and social perspectives. It is defined by the scholarly interests of its faculty, which include historical, legal, critical, cultural, social, feminist, and international aspects of media communication, both verbal and visual; comparative communication; convergence; new media; health communication; popular culture; and globalization. Faculty members use qualitative or quantitative methods in their research and teaching.

The program is highly individualized. In consultation with his or her advisor, each student draws on courses offered by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication as well as other academic units to develop a course of study that reflects his or her academic background, experience, professional goals, and intellectual interests.

Students may count up to 30 s.h. of master's degree credit toward the 80 s.h. required for the Ph.D., with the graduate committee's approval, as long as the credit was earned in courses relevant to the Ph.D. study plan. The Graduate College does not accept transfer credit for professional skills courses. Students who have earned professional master's degrees must take additional Ph.D. course work.

The Ph.D. program admits students for fall entry.

The following courses are required.

019:231 Media Communication Theory I

3 s.h.

019:232 Media Communication Theory II

3 s.h.

019:235 Media Communication Research Methods I

3 s.h.

019:236 Media Communication Research Methods II

3 s.h.

019:265 Approaches to Teaching

3 s.h.

019:320 Ph.D. Seminar (taken four semesters for 1 s.h.)

4 s.h.

Advanced research methods courses

3 s.h.

Advanced theory courses

3 s.h.

Journalism and mass communication electives

6 s.h.

Outside concentration courses

9 s.h.

Credit from master's degree and/or additional Ph.D. courses

30 s.h.

019:399 Dissertation

10 s.h.

For a more detailed description of the Ph.D. program, see the Graduate Studies Handbook or contact the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Joint M.A./J.D. and Ph.D./J.D.

Students in the joint program may count some J.D. credit toward the M.A. or Ph.D., and some M.A. or Ph.D. credit toward the J.D. This enables them to earn both degrees in less time than they would need to earn each degree separately.

Admission

Admission for School of Journalism and Mass Communication graduate programs is for fall entry.

Facilities

Iowa Center for Communication Study

Financial Support

The school offers research and teaching assistantships for graduate students; preference is given to Ph.D. students. Journalism and mass communication students have been successful in winning competitive fellowships open to all graduate students; applicants must be nominated by the graduate committee.

The school has a program of modest financial support for undergraduate and graduate student research projects.

Professional Enrichment

Internships

Undergraduate students may earn up to 3 s.h. of internship credit, registering with appropriate faculty sponsorship for 019:099 Journalism Internship (1-3 s.h.). Internships do not fulfill requirements for the major, but internship credit counts toward the maximum 40 s.h. of journalism and mass communication credit that may be applied toward the bachelor's degree. Students may take internships for no credit through 409:019 Internship in Journalism. M.A. students in the professional journalism emphasis may work with the internship and assessment coordinator to find internship opportunities.

In addition to internships, students may find opportunities for journalism experience on campus through student-operated media, including The Daily Iowan, DITV, and KRUI-FM radio.

Job Placement

Activities

Courses