Bachelor of Science in Journalism Degree
Learning
Outcomes
Upon
completion of the baccalaureate degree, students in
journalism will be expected to:
-
Exhibit strong journalistic writing, including command
of grammar and technical skills, in articles about
topics that include the social sciences, the humanities
and the natural sciences;
-
Gather
information through interviewing sources and research
using libraries, archives, documents, databases
and electronic resources;
-
Critically
assess, organize and present information for a variety
of audiences in at least two media formats and in
both written and visual forms;
-
Perform
within professional expectations with regard to
deadlines and accuracy and in keeping with media
law and ethics;
-
Critically
analyze the development and social impact of the
media within diverse domestic and global communities.
A
candidate for the degree of bachelor of science in journalism
must meet the following requirements in addition to
those listed in the Academic
Policies section of this catalog.
- Complete
approximately 58 semester hours of degree requirements,
including completion of the BG Perspective program
and three to eight hours of English composition; demonstration
of proficiency in a foreign language; three hours
of cultural diversity; six hours of natural science
including a laboratory course; 18 hours of social
science courses including history, political science
and economics; 12 hours of humanities and arts courses
including A&S
250 (Great Ideas), English literature and philosophy;
six hours of computation and mathematics including
computer science and a course in either college mathematics,
statistics or accounting; and a three-hour course
in speaking and listening. Courses fulfilling the
degree requirements are listed in the Department of
Journalism requirements sheet provided to all incoming
first-year and transfer students and available from
the departmental office in 302 West Hall.
Foreign
language requirement
Each student is required to demonstrate a proficiency
in a language by one of the options listed below:
- Graduating
from a high school where all instruction was
conducted in a language other than English;
- Passing
a proficiency examination in the language
on the 202 course level;
- Having
completed four years of one language in high
school (student must have completed the fourth
full year, for example, Spanish IV, and received
credit for these courses);
- Having
completed one of the departmental options
listed below (14 hours minimum in the same
language area or fewer by advanced placement).
Note:
Foreign language courses numbered 201, 202,
212 apply to Group II not Group V.
German,
Russian, East Asian languages (Chinese, Japanese)
-
Completion
of GERM
101 and 102 plus a minimum of six additional
hours from GERM
117, 118, 201, 202, 217, 218, 231, 331 and/or
GERM
260, 315, 316, 360, 415;
-
Completion
of CHIN
101, 102, 201, 202;
-
Completion
of JAPN
101, 102, 201, 202;
-
Completion
of RUSN
101 and 102 plus a minimum of six additional
hours from RUSN
201, 202, 215, 216, 312, 313, 415.
Romance
languages (French, Italian, Latin, Spanish)
A
student may transfer at any point from Option
I to Option II but not vice versa. Course 202
is required for admission to 300-level courses.
Credit toward a degree is not granted for foreign
language courses which duplicate more than two
units of high school study.
- Complete
32 or 33 semester hours of journalism/mass communication
courses, 14 or 15 of which are core journalism
courses, with the remainder from specific sequence
courses and electives. No more than 39 semester
hours of journalism/mass communication courses
may be counted toward a bachelor of science
in journalism degree. (Note: Courses taken in
departments and programs other than journalism,
such as telecommunications or visual communication
technology, may count as part of the 39 semester
hours allowed. However, students should not
enroll in mass communication courses in programs
and departments outside of the Department of
Journalism without permission from their adviser
or the chair of the Department of Journalism);
- Earn
a grade of "C" or better in all journalism
courses that count toward the 32 required hours
in the journalism major and maintain a 2.5 grade
point average in journalism courses (and a 2.5
in JOUR
100 or TCOM
103 and JOUR
200). All journalism/mass communication courses
must be taken for a grade. A student is allowed
to repeat a journalism/mass communication course
only once if a grade of "D" or lower
is received;
- Complete
a minor of at least 20 semester hours in a field
other than journalism/mass communication/telecommunications
or complete an interdepartmental minor of 20
hours that clusters courses in two or more fields
other than journalism/mass communication. Twelve
of the 20 hours required for a minor must be
in 300- or 400-level courses. Minors are declared
in consultation with the student's adviser.
All courses in the minor must be taken for a
letter grade (not "S/U");
- Earn
an overall grade point average of 2.25 in order
to graduate.
Note:
Resources may limit class enrollment in upper-division
journalism courses, beginning with JOUR
200. Total hours earned, declared sequence and
grade point average determine which journalism
students are given preference. Students not majoring
in journalism may find it difficult to gain admittance
into some upper-division journalism courses, including
JOUR
200. Although it may limit their admission to
other journalism skills courses, non-majors may
wish to consider enrolling in JOUR
201, Journalism Techniques for Non-majors.
Before
being admitted into JOUR
200, a student MUST:
-
Complete
at least 30 hours of coursework consisting of degree
requirements including ENG
112 and JOUR
100 (or TCOM
103);
- Earn
an overall grade point average of 2.7 in the above-mentioned
coursework. The coursework and GPA must be completed
before enrolling in JOUR
200;
- Earn
at least a "C" in JOUR
100 (or TCOM
103).
Note:
Non-journalism students seeking entry into JOUR
200 must meet all of the above-listed requirements. Pre-journalism
students have priority registration.
Core
courses in journalism required of all students
(23 hours minimum)
Specialization:
Broadcast Journalism, Print Journalism, and Public Relations
— click 
for 2006-2007 course requirements
In
addition to other requirements, each journalism major
chooses one of three areas of specialization.
Broadcast journalism develops competence in the electronic
media of radio and television. Print
journalism is generally associated with training for
reporting, writing and editing positions on weekly and
daily newspapers, wire services, magazines and other
publications. Public relations includes
inter-group communications and relating the interests
of business, industry, government, and public and private
institutions to each other and to society.
Students
officially enroll in the chosen specialization by declaring
a specialization near the completion of JOUR
200. Students must have an overall GPA of 2.5 before
their specialization will be approved by the department.
To remain in the journalism program, students must maintain
a 2.5 grade point average in all journalism courses
and earn a grade of "C" or better in every
journalism course that counts toward the 32 required
hours in the degree. An overall GPA of 2.25 must be
maintained for graduation.
If
transferring into the BGSU journalism program, students
must have a 2.5 grade point average in both journalism
and overall coursework if JOUR
200 transfer credit is approved. The normal requirements
for entry into JOUR
200 apply if a student does not receive transfer credit
for JOUR
200. No more than 12 semester hours of coursework in
journalism will be accepted for transfer from junior
colleges. No more than 15 semester hours of coursework
in journalism will be accepted for transfer from any
ACEJMC accredited journalism program.
Non-journalism
electives
After
completing approximately 58 hours of required
BG Perspective courses, 32-39 hours of required
journalism/mass communication courses and a 20-hour
required minor, most students will have approximately
5-15 semester hours remaining to complete the
122 semester hours required for graduation. Students
must use these hours as general electives, taking
courses outside the field of journalism/mass communication.
Students are encouraged to select these general
electives carefully in consultation with their
journalism adviser. General electives should be
chosen with the goal of enhancing the student's
overall education.
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