Journalism and Mass Communication

Undergraduate majors: journalism and mass communication (BA); sport media and culture (BA)

Undergraduate minors: media management; news and media literacy; sport media and culture

Graduate degrees: MA in mass communication; MA in strategic communication; PhD in mass communication

Faculty: https://journalism.uiowa.edu/people

Website: https://journalism.uiowa.edu/

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication offers two undergraduate majors and three minors as well as three graduate degree programs. Undergraduate students in all majors may use approved journalism and mass communication courses to satisfy the Diversity and Inclusion, Historical Perspectives, Social Sciences, and Values and Culture requirements of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences GE CLAS Core, and the school's First-Year Seminar is designed specifically for entering undergraduate students. The School of Journalism and Mass Communication also administers two undergraduate certificates, the Certificate in Event Management and the Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and Philanthropy.

The school is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.

Certificates

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication administers the Certificate in Event Management in collaboration with the departments of Communication Studies, Health and Human Physiology, and Marketing. It also collaborates with the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship to offer the Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and Philanthropy.

Event Management

See the Certificate in Event Management in the catalog.

Nonprofit Leadership and Philanthropy

See the Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership and Philanthropy in the catalog.

Professional Enrichment

Internships

The school encourages journalism and mass communication undergraduate majors to complete at least one internship. The school's internship coordinator helps students find appropriate positions.

Journalism and mass communication undergraduate majors may earn up to a total of 4 s.h. of internship credit, but not more than 3 s.h. from one single internship, registering with appropriate faculty sponsorship for JMC:2100 Journalism Internship. Internships do not fulfill requirements for the journalism and mass communication major, but internship credit counts toward the total journalism and mass communication (JMC) credit that students may apply toward a BA degree (maximum of 52 s.h.). Students may take internships for no credit through CCP:1005 Internship in Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Students also are encouraged to pursue opportunities for experience on campus through student-operated media, including The Daily Iowan, Daily Iowan TV (DITV), and KRUI-FM radio.

Activities

The school engages in a variety of activities for the enrichment of students, faculty, and the entire campus. Speakers visit campus each year under lectureships funded by the Li Chen Fund and the M. Holly McGranahan Lecture series. In addition, guest speakers are funded through the Hearst Visiting Professionals Program. Campus organizations for students include Kappa Tau Alpha (KTA), a national society honoring scholarship in journalism, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), the Online News Association (ONA), the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), and Ed on Campus (EOC).

Financial Support

More than $200,000 in scholarships and awards is disbursed to students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication each year. Scholarship information and applications are available each fall. Visit Undergraduate Awards and Scholarships on the School of Journalism and Mass Communication website or contact the school.

Additionally, the school has a limited number of annual awards to encourage and support journalism and mass communication majors who seek an international experience or an immersive internship experience.

The school offers research and teaching assistantships for graduate students; preference is given to PhD students. Journalism and mass communication students have been successful in winning competitive fellowships open to all graduate students; applicants must be nominated by the graduate committee.