Journalism, B.A.
Journalism
Journalism course requirements
The Journalism major at Buffalo State College allows students to choose between two different sequences: broadcast news (focusing on radio and television), and print/online journalism (focusing on newspapers, magazines, and emerging opportunities in Internet-based reporting). Both sequences emphasize gathering, analyzing and reporting news through a variety of media.
Skills courses like writing, reporting and editing are kept at 16 students, allowing for individual attention and extensive computer work. This major is noted for its development of graduates who have satisfactory careers, competing effectively in the competitive atmosphere of today's communications and media industries.
Journalism is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.
About the Program
This major allows students who enjoy writing the flexibility to tailor a program based on reporting and presentation of news, and other journalistic writing through print, broadcast and online media. It meets the needs of students preparing for a career in which research and interviewing abilities, accurate and objective reporting, legal and ethical insight, and competence in editing are central to professional practice. Compare this major with communication studies, media production, and public communication.
This is the only journalism program at any SUNY school that is affiliated with the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Only four other undergraduate programs in New York State are accredited.
Career Opportunities: Students in the print/online news sequence of journalism prepare for careers as reporters, editors, and columnists on newspapers (daily, weekly and special interest), as well as on magazines and Internet-based media. Students in the electronic news sequence of journalism prepare for careers as reporters, anchors, news directors, and commentators in radio and television settings, as well as with Internet-based media.
The profile of a successful journalism graduate is a person with a strong writing proficiency and a compelling use of language, good speaking and listening skills, keen ethical insight and legal awareness, and competence in presentation of information in a particular format (written, visual, and/or digital).
Admissions Requirements
Incoming freshmen and transfer students can declare the major. A 2.6 GPA in the major is needed to register for required upper division courses (300 and 400 levels).
See www.buffalostate.edu/communication for application forms and additional information, including a list of equivalent core courses at community colleges. Transfer students from two-year schools may apply only core courses toward this major for a maximum of 12 credits. Students generally require four semesters of study after completing communication core courses.
Academic Standards: Only grades of C or higher may be applied toward requirements for any communication degree; courses with lower grades must be repeated. Consistent with standards of the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the number of communication courses that students may take is capped, encouraging a broad-based liberal arts education. The department encourages students to take minors or second majors, and requires evidence of an academic concentration or area of expertise outside the Communication Department.
Career Information
At the present time, entry-level job opportunities on daily newspapers are holding steady, and there is a constant demand for the talents of our journalism graduates. On the horizon, there is a potentially explosive demand for journalism graduates as the new technologies become tomorrow's communication realities. The ability to gather, digest, analyze and present news and information will be increasingly in demand as information-dependent industries and businesses discover how journalism education produces graduates that meet their personnel needs.
While the greatest number of graduates from Buffalo State's journalism program have entered the newspaper profession, either as reporters, photographers or editors, past graduates have secured jobs on magazines, in public relations, on political staffs, and in other industries and businesses. Some also opt for graduate study at other institutions.
Program Requirements
Intellectual Foundations Requirements 39–66 cr
Total Required Journalism Courses 42 cr
A. Communication Core (12 cr)
COM 100 Media Literacy
COM 210 Introduction to Media Writing
COM 215 Introduction to Visual Communication
SPC 205 Introduction to Oral Communication
Note: Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.6 in the major to register for certain upper-division courses (300- and 400-level).
B. Major Requirements (9 cr)
COM 302 Principles of Journalism
COM 400 Communication Law
COM 405 News Lab (Bengal News Online)
C1. Print/Online Sequence (9 cr)
COM 303 Print News I: Reporting
COM 319 Print News II: Editing
COM 325 Feature Writing
OR
C2. Electronic News Sequence (9 cr)
COM 312 Basic Media Production
COM 337 Electronic News I: Producing
COM 338 Electronic News II: Reporting
D. Senior Seminar (3 cr)
COM 450 Communication and Society
E. Communication Electives (9 cr)
300- and 400-level courses in the department (selected by advisement)
All College Electives 12–39 cr
Total Required Credit Hours 120 cr