Program Overview

Introduction to the Journalism — Visual Journalism, BA Program

The Journalism — Visual Journalism, BA program at Western Washington University is designed to equip students with the theoretical and practical skills necessary for a career in journalism. The program focuses on the visual components of news, including photojournalism, information graphics, video and audio clips, mapping, and typography.

Program Overview

• The program is located at WWU - Bellingham.
• It is a part of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
• The program prepares students for careers in journalism, public relations, and other fields that require strong communication and visual skills.

Why Consider the Visual Journalism Sequence of the Journalism Major?

• The program offers students the opportunity to gain practical experience on Western's award-winning student media.
• Students can take field internships with newspapers, magazines, broadcast stations, public relations agencies, and other professional organizations.
• The program covers the concepts, professional practices, and course work applications of visual components of news.

Student Resources

• Department website: Journalism
• Department advising: See the department’s steps to becoming a major for more information.
• Degree Works: Current students should also log on to Degree Works to check student-specific program progress.
• Career Services Center: Connect major to a career.

Sample Careers

• Reporter
• Editor
• Customer Service Representative
• Public Relations Specialist
• Community Relations Director
• TV News Anchor
• Speech Writer
• Advertising Copywriter
• Copywriter
• Market Research Analyst
• Lobbyist
• Photojournalist
• Designer
• Multimedia Producer
• All careers involving communication

Admission and Declaration Process

Criteria for Declaring a Pre-Major

• To be eligible to declare as a pre-major in journalism, a student must have a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA.
• Transfer students will be accepted during their first quarter on campus.
• Freshmen must complete one quarter of classes at WWU to establish a GPA before being considered as a pre-major.

Admissions

• For admission to the major, a student must have completed the following requirements:
  • Complete at least 30 college credits with a cumulative 2.50 grade point average.
  • Pass JOUR 207 with a B- or better.
  • Complete one Journalism staff course (JOUR 214, JOUR 314, JOUR 321) with a B- or better.

Grade Requirements

• A grade of C- or better is required for a student’s major or minor courses, and supporting courses for majors and minors.
• Cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher in major is required.

Program Requirements (85 credits)

• JOUR 190 - Introduction to Mass Media (5 credits)
• JOUR 207 - Newswriting (4 credits)
• JOUR 305 - Photojournalism (4 credits)
• JOUR 307 - Reporting (5 credits)
• JOUR 309 - Editing (5 credits)
• JOUR 346 - Introduction to Visual Journalism (5 credits)
• JOUR 350 - Mass Media Law (5 credits)
• JOUR 351 - Mass Media Ethics (4 credits)
• JOUR 370 - Digital Media in Journalism (5 credits)
• JOUR 430 - Field Internship (6 credits)
• JOUR 446 - Advanced Visual Journalism (5 credits)
• JOUR 480 - Senior Seminar (5 credits)
• One course from the following:
  • ART 109 - Visual Dialogue (3 credits)
  • DSGN 211 - Foundations of Visual Communication (3 credits)
• Two quarters on publication staff:
  • One course from the following:
    • JOUR 214 - The Front Staff (4 credits)
    • JOUR 314 - The Front Staff (4 credits)
    • JOUR 414 - The Front Staff (4 credits)
  • One course from the following:
    • JOUR 321 - Klipsun Staff (4 credits)
    • JOUR 421 - Klipsun Staff (4 credits)
• Additional JOUR elective under department advisement for a minimum of 4 credits.
• 12 upper-division credits in another academic area, under departmental advisement.

University Graduation Requirements

• General University Requirements
• Writing Proficiency Requirement (WP)
• 180 Minimum Total Credits
• 60 Minimum Upper Division Credits
• Residency Requirement
• Minimum Grade Requirements
• Final Quarter Requirement