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:
Have completed Expository Writing or an equivalent course or placement with a grade of C or better,
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
Have completed with a grade of C or better, or be currently enrolled in, 04:189:102 - Introduction to Media Systems and Processes. (Beginning with applications submitted during Fall 2009, you will be required to have completed 04:189:102 before applying to SC&I.)
If you apply and are admitted to the JMS major while enrolled in 102, you must earn a grade of C or better in the course to remain in the major after the end of the semester. If you do not earn a grade of C or better, you are allowed to re-take the course one time. Students who earn a D or F in 102 and who were admitted to the major and pre-registered for the following term, will be de-registered from any courses that list 102 as a prerequisite.
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 30 credits within the department. In addition, SC&I has an interdiscipinary requirement of 3 credits for all of the school's majors.
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.
The 30-credit 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.
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:
- 04:567:324 News Writing and Reporting
- 04:567:310 Broadcast News Writing
or
04:567:325 Writing & Reporting for the Print Media - 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 Mass Media and Government
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: 567:370 Images of 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: 567:458 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: 567:473 Seminar in Journalism and Media Studies
04: 567:475 International Media
04: 567:480 Media Ethics and Law *
04: 567:490 Honors Seminar in Journalism/Media Studies
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 Advanced 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: 567:465 TV Programming Strategies
04: 567:473 Special Topics: Environmental Journalism** *
04: 567:495 Investigative and In-Depth Reporting
* Required course, but doesn't count towards 2 course prerequisite needed to graduate.
** Temporarily being taught under this course number.
