Program Overview

Introduction to the Journalism Program

The Journalism Department at Cal Poly offers a professional preparation leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. The program focuses on core media skills, including information gathering, writing, visual and multimedia storytelling, editing, and strategic and critical thinking. The department emphasizes the core values of accuracy, ethical behavior, diversity and inclusion, and freedom of speech.

Program Structure

All majors must complete the basic journalism core courses in addition to a sequence of courses selected from a concentration in either News, Public Relations, Media Innovation, or an Individualized Course of Study (ICS). The program also requires students to gain hands-on experience working on digital, print, and broadcast editions of Mustang News, as well as apply acquired skills and develop professional abilities in an approved media internship.

Concentrations

The Journalism program offers four concentrations:

• News: Students learn how to ethically report on events and trends, interview sources, and produce accurate, timely news stories for digital, print, and broadcast platforms.
• Public Relations: The focus is on developing accurate and ethical communications that influence, engage, and build relationships between an organization and its stakeholders.
• Media Innovation: This concentration lies at the intersection of journalism, technology, and business, focusing on telling multimedia stories on multiple platforms and understanding audiences, making decisions with analytics, and solving problems responsibly and ethically.
• Individualized Course of Study: Consists of a minimum of 20 units, 16 of which must be upper-division units, selected in consultation with the concentration coordinator and department head.

Degree Requirements and Curriculum

The program requires students to complete a series of core courses and concentration-specific courses. The curriculum includes courses such as Introduction to Journalism, News Media and Democracy, News Reporting and Writing, and Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Courses

The Journalism department offers a wide range of courses, including:

• JOUR 102: Introduction to Journalism
• JOUR 201: News Media and Democracy
• JOUR 203: News Reporting and Writing
• JOUR 219: Multicultural Society and the Mass Media
• JOUR 285: Introduction to Multimedia Journalism
• JOUR 302: Mass Media Law
• JOUR 303: Web Audio and Video
• JOUR 304: Public Affairs Reporting
• JOUR 312: Public Relations
• JOUR 342: Public Relations Writing and Editing
• JOUR 345: Social Media for Strategic Communication
• JOUR 385: Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• JOUR 390: Visual Communication for the Mass Media
• JOUR 400: Special Problems for Advanced Undergraduates
• JOUR 401: Global Communication
• JOUR 402: Journalism Ethics
• JOUR 403: Multimedia Production for Public Relations and Advertising
• JOUR 407: Feature Writing
• JOUR 410: Advanced Digital Journalism
• JOUR 412: Public Relations and Crisis Management
• JOUR 413: Public Relations Campaigns
• JOUR 415: Senior Project: Public Relations Practicum
• JOUR 418: Copyright, Trademark, Patent and Commercial Speech in Digital Media
• JOUR 444: Media Internship
• JOUR 455: Media Management Laboratory
• JOUR 460: Senior Project
• JOUR 462: Senior Project: Media Practicum
• JOUR 470: Selected Advanced Topics
• JOUR 471: Selected Advanced Laboratory

Faculty

The Journalism department is composed of experienced faculty members, including:

• Kim Bisheff
• Richard O. Gearhart
• Mary M. Glick
• Patrick C. Howe
• Julie Lynem
• Casey McDonald
• Patti Piburn
• Yan Shan
• Brady Teufel