Admission to the Major

To become a Journalism and Media Studies major, you must be first be admitted to the School of Communication and Information (SC&I). In order to apply to the major you must:

1. Have completed Expository Writing or an equivalent course or placement with a grade of C or better,
2. Have completed at least 15 credits at Rutgers, or at least 15 transfer credits to Rutgers, with at least a 2.0 Grade Point Average, and
3. Have completed with a grade of C or better, 04:189:102 - Introduction to Media Systems and Processes.

If you do not earn a grade of C or better, you are allowed to re-take 189:102 one time.

SC&I accepts applications to majors in the fall, spring, and summer terms.

Details about deadlines and application forms are available on this website; use the link to the right or go directly to http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/apply.

Degree Requirements

Journalism and Media Studies majors are required to take a minimum of 30 credits within the department. In addition, SC&I has an interdiscipinary requirement of 3 credits for all of the school's majors. All SC&I and Journalism and Media Studies credits must be completed with a grade of C or better to count towards graduation.

A second major is viewed as highly advantageous for students preparing for a career in the mass media. We strongly encourage you to pursue a double major, or at least a minor. Students are not allowed to double major in either Communication or Information Technology and Informatics, the two other SC&I undergraduate majors. JMS majors are allowed to minor in the SC&I minor, Digital Communication, Information, and Media.

The major demands that students carefully formulate their program of coursework. Students should consult an adviser for guidance at least once a year.

ATTENTION TRANSFER STUDENTS: No more than six (6) transfer credits (2 courses) will be accepted toward the major; maximum one course each from the skills and conceptual areas.

SC&I Interdisciplinary Requirement

JMS majors must complete either 04:189:101 Introduction to Communication and Information
or 04:189:103 Information Technology and Informatics to fulfill the 3 credit interdisciplinary requirement of the school. The course must be taken before the senior year. These credits are not part of the major, but are a requirement of the school for all majors. You must earn a C or better to meet the requirement.

Core Requirements of the Major

All student majors are required to complete the courses listed below with a grade of “C” or better in each course. The core curriculum consists of the following 9 credits:

1. 04:567:324 News Writing and Reporting
2. 04:567:310 Broadcast News Writing
   or
   04:567:325 Writing for Print Media
3. Complete the core requirements with 04:567:480 Media Ethics and Law

Conceptual Requirements

Students must take at least two conceptual courses, for a total of six credits. See the list of courses below to review which courses meet this requirement.

Elective Requirements

The other 15 credits for the JMS major may include any journalism (567) courses you wish to take.

Overview of Courses for the Major

To view descriptions of each course, go to http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/component/option,com_courses/task,listing/sch,04/cur,567/Itemid,54/

Conceptual Courses

04:567:274 Consumer Media Culture
04:567:278 News Media and Government in America
04:567:330 Exploring New Media
04:567:334 Gender, Race, and Class in the Media
04:567:335 Mass Communication and the American Image
04:567:350 Development of Mass Media
04:567:365 Islam, Media and the American Imagination
04:567:370 Journalism in American Film
04:567:379 Media and Politics
04:567:410 Media Criticism
04:567:420 Global News
04:567:423 Communication Law
04:567:434 Critical Issues in Sports Media
04:567:458 Media, Government and Politics
04:567:459 Media, Democracy, and the Public
04:567:460 News, Film, and Politics
04:567:464 Mass Media Management
04:567:470 Critical Analyses of the News
04:567:471 Contemporary Issues in Media Studies I
04:567:472 Contemporary Issues in Media Studies II
04:567:473 Contemporary Issues in Media Studies III
04:567:474 Contemporary Issues in Media Studies IV
04:567:475 International Media
04:567:480 Media Ethics and Law *

Practical, Skills Courses

04:567:310 Broadcast News Writing
04:567:314 Photojournalism
04:567:320 Editing and Design
04:567:324 News Reporting and Writing
04:567:325 Writing for the Print Media
04:567:326 Multimedia Reporting
04:567:327 Public Information and Public Relations
04:567:340 Science and Health Journalism
04:567:345 Media Publishing and Design
04:567:347 Information Design for Web Journalists
04:567:375 Television Reporting
04:567:376 Advanced Television Reporting
04:567:410 Magazine Writing
04:567:430 Sports Writing and Reporting
04:567:432 Multimedia Sports Reporting
04:567:451 Topics in Journalism Practice I
04:567:452 Topics in Journalism Practice II
04:567:453 Topics in Journalism Practice III
04:567:454 Topics In Journalism Practice IV
04:567:465 TV Programming Strategies
04:567:495 Investigative and In-Depth Reporting

Elective Courses

04:567:388 Independent Study in Journalism and Media Studies
04:567:389 Independent Study in Journalism and Media Studies
04:567:394 Internship in Journalism and Media Studies
04:567:489 Independent Study in Journalism and Media Studies
04 567:490 Honors Thesis/Project

* Required course, but doesn't count towards 2 course conceptual requirement needed for graduation.