Admission to the School of Journalism

Students wishing to major in journalism may declare themselves journalism majors in the University Division at Bloomington or the University College at Indianapolis during their first year at IU and may take J110, Foundations of Journalism and Mass Communication. At the Indianapolis campus, students may also take J100, Computer Methods in Journalism, during their first year. Before seeking admission as a major in the School of Journalism, students must complete a minimum of 26 credit hours of undergraduate course work, including the following:

• J110, Foundations of Journalism and Mass Communication with a grade of C– or better
• English Composition with a grade of C– or better or exemption
• One semester of a foreign language
• One fundamental skills mathematics course or exemption. See pages 14, 21 and 22. Recommended: Math M118, A118 or D116-D117.

Students wishing to become journalism majors are expected to have computer literacy, but there is no course or competency exam required for admission. Those who cannot demonstrate competency with word processing may be required to take a jump-start course before advancing in JOUR J200 or J210.

Students meeting these requirements with a cumulative grade point average of 2.20 (FX and WF will be calculated as F) will be considered for admission to the School of Journalism. Each year the school will admit students, based on their grade point average, as the school’s physical space, instructional equipment and faculty/staff resources permit.

At Bloomington, applicants will be permitted to register conditionally for the next required core course if they submit a completed application. Conditional registrations in journalism courses may be canceled if those applicants are denied admission to the School of Journalism.

Application Deadlines

The School of Journalism will consider applications three times a year: May 15, August 20, and December 15. Application forms are available in Ernie Pyle 200 at Bloomington and in the Education–Social Work Building 4104 at Indianapolis.

All summer transfer course work must be entered on the student’s transcript prior to the first day of classes in fall semester. For admission to the Bloomington campus, transcripts from other colleges and universities should be sent to:

Transfer Students

Transfers from other Colleges and Universities

Students who wish to transfer to IUPUI should contact the:

Transfer students are first admitted to the University Division at Bloomington. They may then apply to the School of Journalism when they have completed the application requirements. Because transfer courses are not calculated in the cumulative grade point average for Indiana University students, transfer students must complete a minimum of one semester at Indiana University before they can be considered for admission to the school.

Acceptance of credit from other institutions will be determined by the Office of Admissions, and the applicability of credit toward degree requirements in the School of Journalism will be determined by the dean. No more than 12 transfer credit hours of mass communications courses may be counted in the journalism major. Only credits earned at Indiana University will count toward a student’s grade point average. Courses from other colleges and universities transfer as credit only.

Transfers within the School of Journalism on the Bloomington and Indianapolis Campuses

Students admitted to the school on the Bloomington campus who are transferring to the school on the Indianapolis campus should file an Inter-Campus Transfer Form in the:

Transfers from other Indiana University Campuses

Students who have completed the admission requirements should submit an application to the School of Journalism by the published deadlines. Students who have not completed the admission requirements should file an Inter-Campus Transfer to the University Division at Bloomington or the University College at Indianapolis.

Transfers from the School of Journalism to other Indiana University Campuses

Students enrolled in the School of Journalism who wish to attend another Indiana University campus should report to the school’s office, Ernie Pyle Hall 200 at Bloomington, or the Education-Social Work Building 4104 at Indianapolis to secure an Inter-Campus Transfer Form.

The Bachelor of Arts in Journalism Degree, Indianapolis and Bloomington

Academic counseling for each student in the School of Journalism is provided by a faculty member or an academic advisor prior to each semester’s enrollment. Although academic counseling is intended to provide effective guidance, students are responsible for planning their own programs and for meeting the following degree requirements for graduation. Students are advised to read IU bulletin descriptions of all courses selected, paying careful attention to conditions concerning awarding of credit.

The Indiana University Course Analysis and Record Evaluation (IUCARE), a computerized degree-audit system, is available to all students. Students may use IUCARE to monitor their completed and remaining requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Journalism (B.A.J.) degree. See an academic advisor for details.

Degree Requirements

The School of Journalism offers the B.A.J. degree on the Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses. Students on either campus must complete the following for the B.A.J. degree:

Journalism major (30 credit hours)

Second concentration (24 credit hours)

Fundamental skills

123 credit hours total

Journalism courses from either campus will satisfy requirements for the journalism major. Courses used to satisfy all other degree requirements will be determined by each campus. For the most part, the school will defer to the College of Arts and Sciences for the B.A.J. at Bloomington and the Schools of Liberal Arts and Science for the B.A.J. at Indianapolis to define which courses are acceptable.

Students who intend to receive their degree from the Bloomington campus must satisfy all nonmajor requirements with courses as defined by the College of Arts and Sciences. Students who intend to receive their degree from the Indianapolis campus must satisfy all nonmajor requirements with courses as defined by the Schools of Liberal Arts and Science. Students who plan to transfer permanently to either the Indianapolis or Bloomington campus and receive the degree from that campus should consult with an academic advisor concerning course equivalencies. The school maintains a list of Bloomington and Indianapolis courses that will satisfy nonmajor requirements on both campuses.

Credit Hour and Grade Point Requirements

1. 123 credit hours required for graduation, including the following minimums:

1. At least 30 but no more than 36 credit hours of mass communications courses (journalism, telecommunications, and selected communication and culture)
2. At least 65 credit hours from the College of Arts and Sciences, excluding Linguistics L100, all telecommunications courses, and selected communication and culture courses
3. At least 98 credit hours combined from journalism and the College of Arts and Sciences or School of Liberal Arts and School of Science at Indianapolis
4. At least 24 credit hours in a second concentration selected from one academic discipline outside of journalism, telecommunications, and selected communication and culture courses
5. At least 36 credit hours at the 300- and 400-level
6. At least 10 credit hours of journalism from the Bloomington or Indianapolis campuses
7. At least 26 credit hours of course work during the senior year from the Bloomington or Indianapolis campuses

2. Credit hour limits

1. No more than 36 credit hours of mass communication courses (journalism, telecommunications and selected communication and culture). The limit may be increased to 39 credit hours if the credit hours include at least one course from JOUR J414, J438, J450, J470, or J475
2. No more than 12 transfer credit hours of mass communications (journalism, telecommunications and selected communication and culture)
3. No more than 3 credit hours total of internship credit, either from Jour J492 or any other academic unit
4. No more than 60 transfer credit hours from a community college
5. Optional electives — 10 or fewer credit hours outside the School of Journalism and the College of Arts and Sciences or School of Liberal Arts and School of Science at Indianapolis.
6. Optional electives — 15 or fewer credit hours of approved courses outside the School of Journalism and the College of Arts and Sciences or the School of Liberal Arts and the School of Science at Indianapolis
7. For students satisfying the requirements for a secondary teaching certificate, no more than 29 credit hours of approved education courses

3. Grade Point Average

1. A minimum 2.00 cumulative grade point average in all course work
2. A minimum 2.00 grade point average in all major course work (journalism, telecommunications, and selected communication and culture), C– or better in each course
3. A minimum 2.00 grade point average in all course work for the second concentration, C– or better in each course
4. A grade of FX or WF will be calculated as an F

Journalism Major Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours of journalism courses with a grade of C– or better in each course from the following categories:

At Indianapolis, students are required to take J100, Computer Methods in Journalism, in addition to the following required journalism courses:

1. Core courses, 18 credit hours: J110 Foundations of Journalism and Mass Communication
   J200 Reporting, Writing and Editing I
   J201 Reporting, Writing and Editing II
   J210 Visual Communication
   J300 Communications Law
   J410 The Media as Social Institutions

2. One course from the approved list of advanced skills courses, 3 credit hours: J315 Feature Writing
   J335 Retail and Direct Advertising
   J341 Newspaper Reporting
   J342 Magazine Reporting
   J343 Broadcast News
   J344 Photojournalism Reporting
   J351 Newspaper Editing
   J352 Magazine Editing
   J354 Photojournalism Editing
   J420 Advertising as Communication
   J429 Public Relations Campaigns
   J455 News Analysis and Opinion Writing
   J463 Computerized Publication Design I

3. One course from the approved list of research courses, 3 credit hours: J409 Media Management
   J414 International News-Gathering Systems
   J423 Public Opinion
   J428 Public Relations Management
   J438 Problems in Advertising
   J450 History of Journalism
   J470 Broadcast Media Analysis

4. Journalism electives, 6 credit hours: Courses may be selected from any other journalism courses open to under-graduates except JOUR ‘C’ courses and Jour J492. Students may include other advanced skills and research courses in addition to the courses taken to satisfy the advanced skills and research course requirements above.

Students have the option of taking additional mass communications courses (journalism, telecommunications, and selected communication and culture), but no more than 36 credit hours total of mass communications courses may be counted in the total 123 credit hours required for the degree. The limit of 36 credit hours of mass communications courses may be increased to 39 credit hours if one of the courses includes J414, J438, J450, J470, or J475.

The grade point average of all journalism, telecommunications, and selected communication and culture courses must be at least a 2.00.

Transfer Credit in Journalism

In order to comply with accreditation standards set by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC), no more than 12 credit hours of communications courses from any other journalism program will be accepted for credit toward the 123 credit hours required for graduation.

All transfer communications courses must be evaluated by the associate dean in order to be accepted in fulfillment of requirements for the journalism major.

The Certificate in Journalism

The Certificate in Journalism is offered on both the Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses. See “The Certificate in Journalism,” later in this section for details.

The Certificate in Public Relations