Course code for this program is JOUR.
The Journalism and Mass Communication Program (JMC) enrolls 650 students in five sequences. Students begin with a broad education in the liberal arts through the College of Arts and Sciences core requirements and finish with a robust additional field of study and superior professional preparation and media studies instruction. The field of study will be a concentration in content area outside of JMC such as political science, philosophy, history, economics, and so forth. It will consist of a minimumm of 30-36 semester hours, depending on the field selected. Students should start their additional field of study during their freshman year.
In addition to the required courses, JMC offers all students a wide range of classes in many aspects of media practice including photojournalism, electronic and digital journalism, advertising creative development, consumer behavior, publication design, magazine article writing, public relations principles and projects, and communication law.
Media criticism and analysis are also broadly represented in the curriculum through courses such as media institutions and economics, media ethics, mass communication history, media culture and globalization, and special-topics offerings.
Students who intend to apply to JMC complete their freshman year of undergraduate work (a minimum of 30 semester hours) typically in JMC as prejournalism and mass communication majors.
Upon completion of their studies, students receive a bachelor of science degree in journalism from one of five sequences:
and an emphasis in an additional field of study.
The advertising major prepares students through a holistic approach that is rooted in theory and grounded in practice. Students examine approaches to creative thinking, branding, and consumer engagement and explore the rapidly evolving digital landscape and its impact on business and culture. Then they draw on that base of knowledge to solve real-world problems for both commercial clients and non-profit organizations.
The major offers courses in such areas as creative concepts, art direction, branding, media, and consumer insight, and students regularly intern at Colorado agencies and global agencies such as Ogilvy & Mather, JWT, and BBDO. The program’s focus, however, is not on technical skills but on ideas and creative problem solving in the broadest sense. That is why graduates have been able to launch successful careers in everything from advertising and arts management to health policy and law. Those choosing to pursue advertising careers have taken positions at a variety of Colorado firms and at such national agencies as Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Wieden & Kennedy, BBH, Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, Leo Burnett, and BBDO.
The advertising program was named one of the country’s “renowned advertising programs” by the American Association of Advertising Agencies. Students in the creative track have also consistently taken home more awards than those at any other four-year university in the international One Show College Competition, the premier creative competition sponsored by New York’s One Club.
A total of 120 credit hours with a minimum of 28 hours in journalism and 80 nonjournalism hours are required for graduation. Sixty-five of the 80 nonjournalism hours must be in arts and sciences course work. Forty-five of the 120 credit hours must be upper-division. Within the 80 credit hours of nonjournalism course work, 30-36 credit hours must be in the additional field of study. The last 30 hours toward the degree must be taken after admission to the school.
Journalism Core Requirements (12 hours)
Advertising Requirements (16 hours)
Journalism Electives (maximum of 12 hours)
Additional Requirements (10 hours)
Additional Field of Study (30-36)
The broadcast news sequence prepares students for careers as news producers, reporters, photographers, editors, and writers for radio and television news organizations and cable TV systems. The curriculum covers several aspects of broadcast journalism, including broadcast news writing, videography and editing, television reporting, and producing and mass communication law. Students produce and anchor live newscasts twice a week and have won regional Emmys for their work. Many students intern at major market network affiliates. Students regularly win nationally competitive internships, and some have recently interned at ABC, CBS, CNBC, CNN, Fox Sports, MTV, NBC, MSNBC, PBS, and for Inside Edition and Bloomberg.
A total of 120 credit hours with a minimum of 28 hours in journalism and 80 nonjournalism hours are required for graduation. Sixty-five of the 80 nonjournalism hours must be in arts and sciences course work. Forty-five of the 120 credit hours must be upper-division. Within the 80 credit hours of nonjournalism course work, 30-36 credit hours must be in the additional field of study. The last 30 hours toward the degree must be taken after admission to the school.
Journalism Core Requirements (12 hours)
Broadcast News Requirements (12 hours)
Electives and Internships (4–16 hours)
Additional Field of Study (30-36)
The broadcast production sequence prepares students for production careers in radio, television, cable, private industry, and independent firms, including positions in programming, advertising, promotion, and management. The curriculum includes broadcast news writing, broadcast production principles, mass communication law, and advanced television production. Students direct and handle production duties for a live newscast twice a week and broadcast a weekly sports magazine. Many intern at Denver network affiliates and production facilities, including those of local professional sports teams. Students cover many collegiate sporting events on campus, where they produce, direct, and host programs, for which they have won numerous local and regional Emmy awards. Students intern at national news and entertainment organizations including Warren Miller Entertainment in Boulder, High Noon Entertainment in Denver, ESPN, Fox Sports, MTV, Sony Pictures Television, and Entertainment Tonight.
A total of 120 credit hours with a minimum of 28 hours in journalism and 80 nonjournalism hours are required for graduation. Sixty-five of the 80 nonjournalism hours must be in arts and sciences course work. Forty-five of the 120 credit hours must be upper-division. Within the 80 credit hours of nonjournalism course work, 30-36 credit hours must be in the additional field of study. The last 30 hours toward the degree must be taken after admission to the school.
Journalism Core Requirements (12 hours)
Broadcast Production Requirements (12 hours)
Journalism Electives and Internships (4–16 hours)
Additional Field of Study (30-36)
The media studies major prepares students for careers as analysts, evaluators, and producers of media messages and policies in government and private industry and for graduate education in the social sciences, humanities, and law. The curriculum covers courses in media, history, law, policy, institutions, industries, and culture. Students may gain practical experience by taking media practice courses and at campus media such as KVCU-AM, the CU Sports Magazine weekly television broadcast, as well as through internships. In recent years, media studies majors have interned at the Discovery Channel, Bravo, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Financial Times, Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood, Kenney Marketing and Advertising, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, Aspen Magazine, Boulder County AIDS Project, and KCNC-TV Community Affairs.
A total of 120 credit hours with a minimum of 30 hours in journalism and 80 nonjournalism hours are required for graduation. Sixty-five of the 80 nonjournalism hours must be in arts and sciences course work. Forty-five of the 120 credit hours must be upper-division. Within the 80 credit hours of nonjournalism course work, 30-36 credit hours must be in the additional field of study. The last 30 hours toward the degree must be taken after admission to the school.
Journalism Core Requirements (12 hours)
Media Studies Core Requirements (6 hours)
Media Practice (0–3 hours)
Students are strongly encouraged to take ONE of the following:
Journalism Electives and Internships (1–13 hours)
Any JOUR course, including those listed above under Media Theory and Media Practice will fulfill the elective category. Media Studies majors who wish to gain practical experience are also strongly encouraged to do an internship (JOUR 4931, 1-3 hours) and/or to work for a semester or more for one of the campus media: CUIndependent (instructor permission prerequisite); KVCU radio; Sports Mag; or Cultural Currents. For internships offered through news-editorial, broadcast, or advertising, students will need to take additional prerequisites (see major sheet for each sequence’s requirements).
Additional Field of Study (30-36)
The news-editorial major prepares students for careers as reporters, editors, and photographers for newspapers, websites, news services, magazines, trade and technical publications, company publications, the government, and public relations firms. Beyond required courses in the principles of journalism, reporting, editing, and media law, students may choose electives ranging from photography and magazine writing to the digital newsroom and legislative reporting. Photo students have repeatedly placed nationally in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program. News-editorial students regularly obtain internships through national programs including the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, the Politics & Journalism Semester in Washington, D.C., the Scripps Howard Foundation, and the Chips Quinn Scholars minority internship program. Others recently interned at The Associated Press, USA TODAY, Huffington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, MLB.com, People magazine, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, and Sports Illustrated. Students intern year-round at Boulder outdoor recreation and healthy lifestyle magazines including SKI, Skiing, Freeskier, Backpacker, VeloNews, Climbing, and Women’s Adventure.
A total of 120 credit hours with a minimum of 28 hours in journalism and 80 nonjournalism hours are required for graduation. Sixty-five of the 80 nonjournalism hours must be in arts and sciences course work. Forty-five of the 120 credit hours must be upper-division. Within the 80 credit hours of nonjournalism course work, 30-36 credit hours must be in the additional field of study. The last 30 hours toward the degree must be taken after admission to the school.
Journalism Core Requirements (12 hours)
News-Editorial Requirements (12 hours)
Journalism Electives and Internships (4–16 hours)
Additional Field of Study (30-36)
More than 70 students are earning master of arts degrees with the Journalism and Mass Communication Program in two degree programs: newsgathering and mass communication research.
The newsgathering option is designed for students with limited academic or professional experience in news reporting and writing. It prepares students to work in a wide variety of professional settings including newspapers and magazines, broadcast and cable media outlets, online publishing, and corporate communications. Students in the newsgathering program select an emphasis in print, broadcast, or a combination. Newsgathering students complete internships at radio, television, and award-winning daily newspapers along Colorado’s Front Range. The program culminates with a professional project. Students complete a minimum of 36 graduate semester hours and should be able to finish the degree in two years
The mass communication research option offers an opportunity for critical reflection on contemporary media structures, performance, policy, and practice. It provides graduate-level study in communication theory, research methods and relevant realms of culture, law, history, politics, and ethics. The research track is designed for students interested in an in-depth study of media or for those who wish to enhance an undergraduate or professional media background. The program is especially recommended for students desiring to continue their studies toward a PhD and for professionals seeking to teach at the college level or develop an area of reporting specialization. Total required hours: 33.
Prerequisites: None, unless students wish to update their knowledge in specific areas or lack background in the course of study they choose to pursue.
Deadlines for Master’s Programs: The domestic application deadline is February 1. International applications must be submitted by December 1. Applications received after February 1 will be considered on a space-available basis.
The PhD in communication offered by the Journalism and Mass Communication Program is dedicated to interdisciplinary inquiry into the social, political, economic, and cultural dimensions of media, nationally and internationally, historically and in contemporary societies.
Because of the centrality of communication and media in social and individual life, media theory and research draw from a wide range of fields and disciplines, including political science, sociology, cultural studies, philosophy, history, linguistics, economics, anthropology, business, psychology, literature, law and public policy. The interdisciplinary nature of media studies is reflected in the research interests of the graduate faculty and in the curriculum, in which students take a significant portion of their course work outside JMC and receive training in both qualitative and quantitative research methods. In general, the curriculum within JMC focuses on the following areas: the range of theories, disciplines, and methodological approaches that have contributed centrally to the field of media studies; the institutional and cultural sources of meaning; the history and development of media industries and systems; and the relationship of media to other social institutions.
Doctoral students in the media studies program must take 42 hours of course work, pass the written and oral comprehensive examinations at the conclusion of course work, and prepare and defend a dissertation. The course work includes a two-semester Proseminar (6 hours), which is required of all first-year doctoral students in the program; 15–18 hours of electives within JMC; 12–15 hours of electives taken outside JMC; and 6 hours of methods (the qualitative and quantitative methods courses offered within JMC).
Applicants to the PhD program in media studies are expected to hold the master’s degree or equivalent graduate work. In exceptional cases, applicants without a master’s degree may be considered for admittance.
Deadlines for Doctoral Programs: The domestic application deadline is January 1. International applications must be submitted by December 1. Applications received by JMC after January 1 will not be considered.
Master’s Degree: A few graduate assistantships are available. Applicants who wish to be considered should submit a resume and letter that includes detailed professional or academic qualifications by February 1 to the director of graduate studies at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Applicants are chosen based on experience and the specific skills needed for available assistantships each semester.
Doctoral Degree: Admitted PhD students are awarded graduate assistantships including a tuition waiver and stipend.
The International Media Certificate is designed for high-achieving majors in international affairs (IAFS) and journalism and mass communication (JOUR) at CU-Boulder. This certificate will open doors to international and world-area specializations for students in the Journalism and Mass Communication Program and will introduce international affairs students to careers in communication media. For more information, visit www.colorado.edu/Journalism/globalmedia/imc/index.htm.
In collaboration with the university’s Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate Program in Environmental Policy, JMC offers students the opportunity to earn both the master’s degree in journalism, with an emphasis in environmental journalism, and the Certificate in Environmental Policy. The time to complete the degree and the certificate is estimated to be about two years.