What Does the News & Editorial Emphasis Offer?
Career Options
Journalism graduates from MSCD with a News & Editorial emphasis have many career options. They can become newspaper or magazine reporters, copy editors, or page designers. They can also work for online publications.
Graduates with this emphasis typically begin at a small weekly or daily newspaper to gain experience, then move to a larger paper. Those wanting to work for magazines usually start at a newspaper to get the reporting and writing experience before moving to a freelance position with a newspaper.
Graduates can begin work as copy editors. There’s a high demand for talented copy editors who also have some page design experience. The News & Editorial emphasis has a four-class editing/page design sequence: JRN 1200, JRN 2210, JRN 3200, and JRN 4210.
Scholarships are available for Journalism majors: the Gene Amole Memorial Scholarship, the Greg Pearson Memorial Scholarship, the Greg Lopez Memorial Scholarship, the Christopher Lee Anderson Memorial Scholarship, the Helen Verba Award, and the Colorado Scholars Award. See the Journalism Scholarships page for more information about scholarships.
Requirements
All majors and minors in the News & Editorial emphasis are required to take JRN 3980, Cooperative Education: News/Editorial, which is an internship.
Proficiency in standard written English is a prerequisite for all Journalism courses. Students are required to complete ENG 1010 before taking any Journalism courses beyond JRN 1010.
To make Journalism graduates more marketable in our multicultural society, Journalism majors have a 2-year foreign language requirement beginning with the Fall 2002 semester. Students who declared their majors before then do not have to meet this requirement, but it is highly suggested. Students who are proficient in another language may test out of the requirement through the Department of Modern Languages.
A minor is required for all Journalism majors. Students majoring in one of the three Journalism emphases may not minor in Journalism, Photojournalism, or Public Relations.
Students should select an advisor early in their course of study. The Journalism Program will provide students with a list of suggested General Studies courses to help them gain a broad base of knowledge necessary for working in news and information media. Contact the MSCD Journalism office for more information.
Listed below are requirements for the News & Editorial Emphasis. See the Course Descriptions page for details about each course.
Journalism Major, News & Editorial Emphasis
Required Courses (Semester Hours):
JRN1010 Introduction to Journalism and Mass Media (3)
JRN1100 Beginning Reporting (3)
JRN1200 Beginning Editing (3)
JRN2100 Intermediate Reporting (3)
JRN2210 Beginning Layout and Design (3)
JRN3200 Intermediate Editing (3)
JRN3981 Cooperative Education-News/Editorial (3)
(JRN3981 may be taken more than once with permission of a journalism adviser)
JRN4500 Ethical and Legal Issues in Journalism (3)
Subtotal: 24 Semester Hours
Elective Courses: Select at least 12 Semester Hours:
JRN1600 Survey of Photojournalism (3)
JRN1700 Survey of Public Relations (3)
JRN2600 Introduction to Photojournalism (3)
JRN3100 Publication Practicum (3)
JRN 3150 Contemporary Issues (3)
JRN 3400 Feature Article Writing for Newspapers (3)
JRN 350M Portfolio Presentation (1)
JRN 3600 Photojournalism I (3)
JRN 4100 Investigative Reporting (3)
JRN 4210 Advanced Layout and Design (3)
JRN 4400 Feature Article Writing for Magazines (3)
JRN 4600 Photojournalism II (3)
JRN 4890 Social Documentary (3)
Subtotal: 12 Semester Hours
Total Semester Hours Required for Journalism/News & Editorial Major: 36 Semester Hours
Journalism Minor
Required Courses (Semester Hours):
JRN1010 Introduction to Journalism and Mass Media (3)
JRN1100 Beginning Reporting (3)
JRN1200 Beginning Editing (3)
JRN2100 Intermediate Reporting (3)
JRN3981 Cooperative Education-News/Editorial (3)
JRN4500 Ethical and Legal Issues in Journalism (3)
JRN 4500 Ethical & Legal Issues in Journalism (3)
Total Semester Hours Required for Journalism Minor: 18 Semester Hours
Digital Media Minor
Visit the Digital Media Minor page to see requirements for this exciting new minor, which offers courses selected from the departments of Art, Communication Arts & Sciences, and Technical Communications. Four concentrations in this minor are offered: Still Media, Motion Media, Interactive Media, and Content Design.
The Still Media concentration emphasizes studies in photography, photojournalism, and computer imaging. Motion Media concentration minors focus their studies on television and corporate video production. Students who choose Interactive Media concentrate on computer graphics, interactive applications, and web-based media production. Content Design concentration minors study design of the message from the visual and written perspective.