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 and Classical Studies (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 advisor 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
advisor. 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 2007-2008 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
advisor. General electives should be
chosen with the goal of enhancing the
student's overall education.
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