2000-2001 Undergraduate Catalog
Indiana, Pennsylvania 15705

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of Journalism

Robert H. Russell, Chairperson; Drager, Ellerbach, Heilman, Jesick, Mukasa; and professors emeriti DeGeorge, Furgiuele, Truby

Students interested in a career in news-editorial or public relations fields, with opportunities in such related areas as advertising, desktop publishing, computer-assisted reporting, and marketing, should enjoy this innovative, flexible program. The journalism major combines journalism elective courses, the student’s choice of a variety of courses from other university departments, plus internships which provide on-the-job experience.

The IUP journalism major is flexible for the individual student, who decides, with an advisor, what directions his or her education will take for a mass communication career.

A student wishing to enter the program becomes a journalism major in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Then, the student chooses an individual program within a large group of elective journalism courses, plus a much larger group of courses from various other areas of the university. A student who completes the major graduates with a B.A. in Journalism. Because journalism itself covers all areas of life, the journalism major covers many areas of study preparation. There are only four required courses, so the student is free to mold the program to his/her own special interests through both major and free electives.

The journalism major will use journalism courses to fulfill the minimum of 30 hours required for the major. All journalism majors must complete the intermediate sequence of a foreign language. This may be done in one of three ways: by examination, by earning credit in third and fourth levels of a foreign language, or by completing four levels of a new language. If the last procedure is used, the two beginning foreign language courses may be applied as free electives to the total number of credits needed for graduation.

The Department of Journalism offers an eighteen-credit minor designed to complement any major. Three three-credit courses are required: JRNL 105: Journalism and Mass Media; JRNL 102: Basic Journalistic Skills; and JRNL 120: Journalistic Writing. The remaining nine credits may be taken from the following list of Journalism major courses: JRNL 326, JRNL 338, JRNL 344, JRNL 347, JRNL 375, and designated Special Topics courses. Internship credits do not apply toward the eighteen-credit minor; however, a student in the minor program may take an internship and apply the credits as free electives.