Degree Requirements - 126 credits
Students can earn a Bachelor of Arts degree or a Bachelor of Science degree with this major
Journalism Major Requirements: 13 courses, 52 credits
Core Requirements (10 courses, 40 credits)
Note: All students should take CJN-101 and CJN-152 during their first year.
Students in the Honors Program have the option of completing the Honors version of a course.
Electives (3 courses, 12 credits)
Choose at least three of the following courses. One course must be 400-level. If you are interested in Print/Web, take CJN 443 and two other electives. If you are interested in Broadcast, take CJN 353, CJN 483, and another elective.
| CJN-218 | Photojournalism | 4 |
| CJN-220 | Review and Opinion Writing | 4 |
| CJN-301 | Documentary Film and the Image of Conflict in the Middle East | 4 |
| CJN-H301 | Honors Documentary Film and the Image of Conflict in the Middle East | 4 |
| CJN-302 | Sports Journalism | 4 |
| CJN-317 | Copy Editing | 4 |
| CJN-322 | Data Journalism | 4 |
| CJN-353 | TV News Reporting | 4 |
| CJN-356 | TV Studio Production | 4 |
| CJN-363 | Digital Nonfiction Storytelling | 4 |
| CJN-380 | Investigative Journalism and Documentary | 4 |
| CJN-443 | Advanced Reporting and Feature Writing | 4 |
| CJN-483 | Suffolk TV News | 4 |
| CJN-505 | CJN Internship | 1-12 |
Note: CJN-505 must be taken for a minimum of 4 credits to count as a major elective. It may be taken for 1-3 credits as a general elective.
Residency Requirement Policy: In the College of Arts and Sciences, a two-course (8 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for completion of a minor and a four-course (16 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for the completion of a major.
About the Journalism Major
Learn more about the experiences and opportunities available within this major.
View the Program Page
Journalism Major Learning Goals and Objectives
Learning goals and objectives reflect the educational outcomes achieved by students through the completion of this program. These transferable skills prepare Suffolk students for success in the workplace, in graduate school, and in their local and global communities.
| Learning Goals |
Learning Objectives |
| Students will... |
Students will be able to... |
| Understand the nature of current news events and the forces that shape news judgment |
- Identify news elements in news stories
- Demonstrate awareness of current events both locally and globally
- Demonstrate an awareness for the perspectives of diverse communities in news judgment |
| Understand the importance of ethical consideration in news reporting, the law of governing mass communication in the United States, and the central role of journalism in democratic societies |
- Master reporting skills using ethical principles in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness, and diversity
- Demonstrate critical, creative and independent thought processes to report a story
- Cite and apply specific aspects of the law |
| Know and understand the nature of news gathering, news writing, and aspects of producing an electronic news package in different settings |
- Conduct research using a variety of reporting tools, such as stored sources, field reporting and interviews
- Critically evaluate information
- Write correctly and clearly in a variety of formats, such as print and broadcast
- Write news stories using the correct broadcast style and appropriate focus on writing for visuals
|
| Understand and prepare for the demands required by a journalism career |
- Demonstrate hands-on creation in reporting, writing, electronic news gathering and editing though practicum, workshops or internships
- Create career goals through meetings with advisors and professional journalists
- Create a portfolio with samples of reporting and production work, in preparation for seeking employment in journalism
-Increase awareness of skills for working in a diverse and changing media environment
|
About the Journalism Major
Learn more about the experiences and opportunities available within this major.
View the Program Page
Honors in the Major
To become a candidate for honors in the major, a student must:
- Have an overall GPA of 3.3
- Have a GPA in the major of 3.5
- Be invited to apply
- Apply at end of sophomore year or first semester of junior year
- Applications must include:
- A short paragraph explaining why the student wants to earn honors in the major.
- The name of one faculty member in the student’s major who will serve as a reference regarding the student’s ability to achieve the honors requirements.
- A one-paragraph proposal in which the student shares one of their ideas for an honors project in their respective area of study. The paragraph should identify a specific communication problem that the student is interested in studying (in the area of communication, journalism, or media), and an explanation for how they would approach this topic in an honors capstone project. [Note: this is not considered a commitment to the proposed topic]
- A three-person committee, made up of faculty representing each of the three majors in the department (global and cultural communication, journalism, and media), will review applications and consult the applicants’ references. The committee will determine which students are accepted into the honors program based on their assessment of each applicant.
To complete requirements for honors in the major, a candidate must:
- Have an overall GPA of 3.3
- Have a Major GPA of 3.5
- Pass CAS H322, the interdisciplinary honors course in their junior year
- Receive a grade of B or higher in CJN-321, Research Methods in Communication
- Complete an honors thesis, or non-fiction project (see below)* in their senior year, earning a B+ or higher on the project
- Present an honors thesis or non-fiction project to department faculty in their senior year
- Present an honors thesis or non-fiction project at the CAS Honors Symposium in the senior year
*The CJN honors thesis or non-fiction project requirement: complete an honors thesis, relying on primary and secondary sources, that examines scholarship focusing on a significant issue, controversy or research tradition related to communication, journalism or media or complete a non-fiction project, for example a documentary or series of interrelated news stories, that demonstrates an ability to produce creative and informative content that examines a significant issue or controversy
About the Journalism Major
Learn more about the experiences and opportunities available within this major.
View the Program Page
Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's in Communication
Degree Requirements
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Students admitted to this dual degree program must meet all the requirements of an undergraduate major offered by the department of Advertising, Public Relations, & Social Media or the department of Communication, Journalism, & Media.
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Students must also meet all requirements for the Master’s degree in Communication offered by the department of Advertising, Public Relations, & Social Media.
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Students will take two Communication graduate courses during their senior year, one during the fall semester and one during the spring semester. The two graduate courses taken during the senior year will count toward BOTH the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. Credit hours will be awarded based on the graduate course description.
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The graduate courses taken during the senior year will be determined by the Communication graduate program director.
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Students are subject to the usual standards for academic standing, i.e., undergraduate standards for undergraduate courses and graduate standards for graduate courses.
Upon successful completion of all of the degree requirements, a student will receive a dual Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. The exact degree will be awarded based on the specific undergraduate program the student completes. A student may permanently exit the dual degree program and opt to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree if all the requirements for a Bachelor’s degree have been met. In this case, the graduate courses taken in the senior year will be counted as 4-credit courses applied toward the undergraduate degree requirements.
About the Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's in Communication
Learn more about the experiences and opportunities available within this accelerated bachelor's/master's degree.
View the Program Page