Journalism [BS]

Location(s): In-person/hybrid

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Revised Program [Fall 2024]

As a student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Journalism, you will study the practice, theory, ethics, and impact of covering news events. The focus is on traditional skills as well as the use of new technologies.

Learn

With courses in theory, writing, reporting, editing, history, law, and ethics, journalism students learn to be professional news reporters and editors. They master journalism basic skills—researching, reporting, writing, and copy editing—while working with new technologies, including digital means of disseminating news. While students gain the practical information they need to work in traditional and emerging journalism jobs, they also become lifelong critical consumers of news and information.

Opportunities

Journalism students are encouraged to work for our independent campus newspaper, The Echo, or campus broadcasting stations to gain practical experience and network with other journalists. Many students also complete internships at news organizations, including print and online newspapers, television stations, and blogs.
After earning the Journalism degree, graduates pursue careers in the news (newspapers, online news sites, broadcasting), public relations, business, and other fields. Many professions value the critical thinking, research, and interviewing skills developed by studying journalism. Some students attend graduate school in fields as diverse as law, communication, accounting, and business.

School Information

Communication, Media & Theatre Arts 124 Judy Sturgis Hill, 734.487.6846

Lee Stille, PhD., Director

Advisor Information

You Li, PhD, 121 Judy Sturgis Hill, 734.487.4199

General Education Requirements:

For specific requirements, see General Education or view the General Education Worksheet [PDF] .

Major Requirements: 34 hours

Required Courses: 25 hours

CTAA 264 News Production 1 hr
JRNL 213 Introduction to Journalism [GEKS] 3 hrs
JRNL 215 News Writing and Reporting 3 hrs
JRNL 306W Feature Writing [GEWI] 3 hrs
JRNL 307 Copy Editing 3 hrs
JRNL 310 Digital Journalism 3 hrs
JRNL 453 Advanced Reporting 3 hrs
JRNL 455 Journalism Law and Ethics 3 hrs
Choose one course from the following:
JRNL 313 History of American Journalism 3 hrs
JRNL 315 Data Journalism 3 hrs

Restricted Elective Courses: 9 hours

Choose nine credit hours from the following.

Minor Requirement:

This major requires a minor. See available minors for a list of options, or contact your advisor.

Program Total:

Students must earn a minimum total of 120 credits at the 100-level or above.

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling the requirements (or their equivalents) of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

Minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University

Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
- Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
- At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s major.
Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details).
Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
- Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
- Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
- Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements - EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.