BJ in Journalism with Emphasis in Strategic Communication
Degree Program Description
Students will develop a solid foundation in the liberal arts and sciences while achieving competency in journalism.
Journalism is the study and practice of analyzing, gathering, creating and presenting news and information through different media.
Within this degree program, students choose an emphasis in Strategic Communication. Strategic Communication is the study of principles and practices of all communication designed to create a desired response from a given audience. The curriculum includes focused study and hands-on experience within a variety of subject areas and specializations. Upon graduation, students pursue careers in a wide range of strategic communication and public relations professions including: account management, advertising management art direction, audience research, copywriting, digital strategy, marketing, media planning, public relations, strategic communication research and sports and entertainment promotion, social media management, and sports information
Major Program Requirements
The Bachelor of Journalism degree requires 120 credits. The faculty expects each student to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 to be considered in good standing.
To obtain the Bachelor of Journalism degree, a student must complete the following:
- University Graduation Requirements
- University General Education
- Major Core: 27 credit hours
- Major Career Path: 6 credit hours
- Capstone: 3 credit hours
- Major Specialty Areas: 15 credit hours
- Non-Journalism Electives: 25 credit hours
| ENGLSH 1000 | Writing and Rhetoric (Minimum grade of B- required) | 3 |
| Foreign Language (from same language) | 12 | |
| General Education: Behavioral Science | 3 | |
| General Education: Humanities | 3 | |
| General Education: Math and Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | |
| General Education: Math/Science | 9 | |
| Must include 9 credits in these sciences: biological science, physical science, and/or mathematical science including at least one biological or physical science and its related laboratory component and representing two different areas of science. If taking math courses to satisfy this requirement, they Must be courses in mathematics or statistics with any one of MATH 1050: Quantitative Reasoning, MATH 1100: College Algebra, MATH 1160: Precalculus Mathematics, or STAT 1200: Introductory Statistical Reasoning as a prerequisite. | ||
| ECONOM 1014 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECONOM 1015 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| HIST 1100 | Survey of American History to 1865 ^ | 3 |
| or HIST 1200 | Survey of American History Since 1865 | |
| POL_SC 1100 | American Government | 3 |
| or POL_SC 2100 | State Government | |
| Journalism Core Requirements | ||
| JOURN 1100 | Principles of Journalism in Democracy | 3 |
| JOURN 1200 | Fundamentals of Visual Journalism and Strategic Communication | 3 |
| JOURN 1300 | Fundamentals of Written Journalism and Strategic Communication | 3 |
| JOURN 1400 | Applied Projects for Journalism and Strategic Communication | 3 |
| JOURN 2000 | Cross-Cultural Journalism | 3 |
| JOURN 2200 | Audiences and Persuasion | 2 |
| JOURN 3000 | History of American Journalism | 3 |
| or JOURN 4568 | History of Photojournalism | |
| JOURN 4000 | Communications Law | 3 |
| JOURN 4160 | Social Media Foundations and Practice | 1 |
| JOURN 4200 | Principles of Strategic Communication | 3 |
| Career Path | 6 | |
| JOURN 4204 | Introduction to Strategic Writing and Design | 3 |
| JOURN 4952 | Strategic Communication Research I | 3 |
| Specialty Areas (choose from several) | 15 | |
| Accelerated Graduate Program, Account Management, Art Direction, Arts and Culture Journalism, Audience Experience, Broadcast, Business Journalism, Copywriting, Cross-Platform Editing and Producing, Design, Digital Strategy, Documentary Journalism, Editing, Government Journalism, Innovation and Technology, International Journalism, Investigative and Data Journalism, Magazine Writing, Media Planning, Novak Leadership, Photojournalism Stills and Video, Podcasting, Public Relations, Print and Digital Reporting, Reporting and Writing, Science, Health, and Environment, Social and Audience Strategy, Social Leadership, Sports and Entertainment Promotion, Sports Journalism, Strategic Communication Research, Strategic Communication Visual Storytelling, Visual Editing and Management | ||
| Capstone | ||
| JOURN 4970W | Strategic Campaigns - Writing Intensive | 3 |
| Non-Journalism Electives from the areas below: | 25 | |
| (Must be numbered 2000 or above) | ||
| Area 1 | 3 | |
| Students choose from one of these areas: Animal Science, Anthropology, Astronomy, Atmospheric Science, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Food Science, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Plant Science, Psychology, Rural Sociology, Sociology or Statistics. | ||
| Honor’s College students can also choose from: GN_HON 2243H, GN_HON 2310H, GN_HON 2244H, GN_HON 2461H, GN_HON 2462H, GN_HON 3210H, GN_HON 3242H. | ||
| Area 2 | 6 | |
| Students choose three credit hours from the following areas: Agribusiness Management, Black Studies, Economics, Geography, History, Peace Studies, Political Science, Textile and Apparel Management, and Women's and Gender Studies. | 3 | |
| Honor’s College students can also choose from: GN_HON 2230H, GN_HON 2245H, GN_HON 2246H, GN_HON 3230H. | ||
| Area 3 | 6 | |
| Students choose from the following areas: Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Arabic, Architectural Studies, all Art prefixes, Chinese, Communication*, English*, Film Studies*, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, all Music prefixes, Philosophy, Portuguese, Religious Studies, Russian, South Asia Studies, Spanish, Theater, and Visual Studies- Art History | ||
| Honor’s College students can also choose from: GN_HON 2015H, GN_HON 2111H, GN_HON 2112H, GN_HON 2113H, GN_HON 2114H, GN_HON 2120H, GN_HON 3120H | ||
| Area 4 | 10 | |
| Any non-journalism course* | ||
- ^
See your advisor for additional choices to fulfill this requirement
- *
Some courses are prohibited in the Bachelor of Journalism. Students should consult with their academic advisor for questions regarding courses in these areas.
General Electives
Electives may be necessary to complete a minimum of 72 credits of non-journalism classes and 120 total credits. Any course acceptable to the School of Journalism is allowed.
Semester Plan
The following four-year plan is a sample. A student's path to graduation may vary based on a host of factors. Working with an academic advisor is necessary to determine the best plan for each student.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ENGLSH 1000 | 3 | Second Language II | 4 |
| Second Language I | 4 | JOURN 1300 or 1200 | 3 |
| Math and Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | Humanities | 3 |
| JOURN 1200 or 1300 | 3 | Gen Ed Sci Non Lab | 3 |
| JOURN 1100 | 3 | HIST 1100 or 1200 | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Second Language III | 4 | ECONOM 1014 | 3 |
| Gen Ed Sci Non Lab | 3 | JOURN 2000 | 3 |
| JOURN 2200 | 2 | Gen Ed Lab Science | 3 |
| JOURN 4160 | 1 | JOURN 4200 | 3 |
| JOURN 1400 | 3 | Behavioral Science | 3 |
| POL_SC 1100 | 3 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| JOURN 4204 | 3 | Journalism Specialty | 6 |
| JOURN 4952 | 3 | JOURN 3000 | 3 |
| MRKTNG 3000 (Area 2) | 3 | Area 2 | 3 |
| ECONOM 1015 | 3 | Area 3 | 3 |
| Area 1 | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Journalism Specialty | 6 | Journalism Specialty | 3 |
| JOURN 4000 | 3 | JOURN 4970W | 3 |
| Area 3 | 3 | Area 4 | 3 |
| Area 4 - WI | 3 | Upper-Level Marketing (Area 4) | 3 |
| 15 | 12 | ||
| Total Credits: 120 | |||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.