Journalism and Media Studies, Specialization in Journalism
Download as PDF
Program Requirements
Students must fulfill the Oakland University General Education Requirements, the General College of Arts and Sciences Requirements, the College of Arts & Sciences Exploratory Requirement, and the Major Requirements. Additionally, students must complete a sufficient number of free elective courses to meet the overall credit requirement for their degree. A minimum of 120 credits is required, although some degree programs may require a higher total credit count.
General Education Requirements
In order to graduate on-schedule without taking additional courses, it is highly recommended that students meet with an Undergraduate Academic Adviser concerning the selection of all of their General Education courses.
Each candidate for an Oakland University baccalaureate will need to satisfactorily complete approved courses in each of the following areas: Foundations, Explorations, and Integration. For details, refer to the General Education Requirements section of the catalog.
Requirements for the liberal arts major in Journalism and Media Studies, B.A. program with a Specialization in Journalism
The specialization in Journalism offers students a solid practical and technical knowledge base, as well as an understanding of the legal, ethical and theoretical aspects of journalism and its critical role in a democracy. As journalism is evolving and taking new digital and mobile forms, this area of specialization prepares you to handle the demands and challenges presented by each. Hands-on courses in journalism practice can help you develop professional skills, while conceptual courses help you understand how different media work. Journalism students also are actively involved outside the classroom, through student media outlets including The Oakland Post, WXOU, and The OU News Bureau. Our students also complete internships, gaining valuable experience and contacts within a major media market, and produce portfolios of their work, which aid in beginning their careers.
Applied and critical thinking skills developed in this area of specialization are useful in a broad range of professions including the obvious, such as reporting, writing, producing, and editing, to jobs in other areas such as public relations, advertising, economic development, social media, law and education.
To earn the Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Media Studies with a Specialization in Journalism, students must complete a minimum of 40 credits, with at least 15 credits at the 3000 level or above, distributed as follows:
1. Required Core Courses (Must be completed with a grade of C or higher):
course Introduction to Media Literacy (4)
course Introduction to Journalism (4)
course Media Theory (4)
course Media Ethics and Law (4)
2. Capstone Requirement - (Choose 1. Must be completed with a grade of (C) or higher):
course Internship (4)
May satisfy Practice and Innovation area or Capstone, but not both. Must be a media-related
course Communication Capstone (4)
course Solutions News Bureau (4)
May satisfy Practice and Innovation area or Capstone, but not both. Must be a media-related internship as approved by instructor
3. Foundation Courses (Choose 1. Course may satisfy the requirement either for Foundation or Practice and Innovation, but not both):
4. Practice and Innovation (Choose 3. Course may satisfy the requirement either for Foundation or Practice and Innovation, but not both):
course Internship (4)
May satisfy Practice and Innovation area or Capstone, but not both. Must be a media-related internship as approved by instructor
course Introduction to Digital Media Production (4)
course News Writing and Editing (4)
course Feature Writing (4)
course Sports Reporting (4)
course Media Storytelling for Social Justice (4)
course Digital Photojournalism (4)
course TV Newsroom (4)
course Video Storytelling (4)
course Multimedia Journalism (4)
course Solutions News Bureau (4)
May satisfy Practice and Innovation area or Capstone, but not both. Must be a media-related internship as approved by instructor
course Media Design (4)
course Advanced Media Design (4)
5. Concept and Analysis (Choose 1):
course Persuasion and Social Change (4)
course Persuasion (4)
course Race and Communication (4)
course Media and Social Identity (4)
course Communication, Mobile Media, and the Internet (4)
course Television Studies in the Streaming Age (4)
course Rise of Electronic Media (4)
course Special Topics in Journalism (4)
course Independent Study (4)
course Introduction to Advertising (4)
course Introduction to Public Relations (4)
Applicable Minors
All Minors are applicable to this major with the exception of the following Minor(s): Child Welfare, International Orientation for EGR/CS, Journalism, and Sustainability Engineering.