This is an exciting time to be a Journalism and Media Studies major! Journalism is evolving and taking new digital and mobile forms, each with its own reporting, editing, and presentation challenges. Meanwhile, a variety of media—from social media to video games—are playing ever-larger roles in our lives.
Hands-on courses in journalism and creative media practice can help you develop professional skills, while conceptual courses help you understand how different media work.
Success in journalism and other media fields often comes down to the answer to one question: Can you gather, curate, and share information truthfully and effectively? As a JMS graduate, you will have the skills to answer “Yes!” Our graduates launch careers in television news, digital news, public relations, marketing, business, publishing and politics. With a JMS major, you gain practical skills for producing information in:
As a JMS major, you will take courses that faculty members have carefully crafted and continuously refined to help you build understanding and skills that will be useful while on campus and in your careers. These offerings will provide a foundation in your exploration of areas such as:
Once you’ve declared your major, you become eligible for a range of JMS Scholarships and Awards. You can use your talents, interests, background and accomplishments to land support for your education and your career.
"When I was in Puerto Rico, I worked with this cinematographer named Christian Querétaro who referred to [hurricane] Maria as 'our teacher.' He would say a lot, 'She was a really, really strict teacher.' It was this idea that the storm carried all these lessons, most of them incredibly painful. … [T]here’s the corporate utopia of the 'blank slate'… and this other utopia that is being imagined at the grassroots level that is about what have we protected, what seeds have we protected that can grow here."
Naomi Klein, Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture and Feminist Studies
The JMS major admits undergraduates after they’ve completed at least 15 credits at Rutgers. One of those courses must be 04:189:102 Introduction to Media and another must be Expository Writing.
Beyond the Classroom
Learn new skills in a new culture on a short-term trip to Italy, Spain, Ireland, Guatemala, the UK or France with faculty from the Department of Journalism and Media Studies. Or take an entire semester abroad and at another university. You’ll find more information about study abroad options here:
Within the active New Brunswick campus, you’ll find many opportunities to get involved, practice leadership and tell your story. JMS Handbook (downloadable pdf) has details of special interest to JMS majors, and you might want to look into these organizations:
The Department of Journalism and Media Studies makes every effort to make sure our students gain the professional and educational experiences that will give them a leg up on their post-graduation careers. The faculty and staff are dedicated to assisting you reach your career goals and dreams by providing both on-campus networking opportunities and connection to our vast network of alumni. For more information, please contact JMS Director Steven Miller.
Rutgers University and SC&I are also committed to assisting you with making connections between your academic experience and career paths. Check out SC&I’s internship and career resources and career services at SC&I. Locate SC&I job listings via the Rutgers–New Brunswick Handshake platform. For additional information, contact Student Services.
To break into any media field, you’ll need an impressive portfolio, to showcase your writing, photography, video stories, graphic designs, data visualizations and other relevant work. Each fall, JMS publishes a database of campus and professional publications interested in publishing your work, along with the contact details of key editors.
Start by applying to the Rutgers School of Communication and Information.
