Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
The Journalism Department offers professional preparation leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. The focus is on core media skills including information gathering, writing, visual and multimedia storytelling, editing, and strategic and critical thinking. We emphasize the core values of accuracy, ethical behavior, diversity and inclusion, and freedom of speech. All majors must complete the basic journalism core courses in addition to a sequence of courses selected from a concentration in either News, Public Relations, Media Innovation or an Individualized Course of Study (ICS).
All journalism majors are enrolled in courses that contribute to the department's award-winning student media organization, Mustang Media Group. Here, students gain hands-on experience working on digital, print and broadcast editions of Mustang News; the internal public relations firm; Cal Poly's radio station, KCPR-FM; and program operations of Cal Poly's TV station, MNTV. They also apply acquired skills and develop professional abilities in an approved media internship.
Concentrations
Media Innovation
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
This concentration lies at the intersection of journalism, technology and business. Its focus is on telling multimedia stories on multiple platforms (including emerging technologies), understanding audiences, making decisions with analytics, and solving problems responsibly and ethically.
Students in Media Innovation will learn how to analyze audience needs, develop new storytelling approaches, create media products, experiment with revenue models, foster inclusive civic participation and drive change within media organizations.
News
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
Students will learn how to ethically report on events and trends, interview sources and produce accurate, timely news stories for digital, print and broadcast platforms while covering the campus and the local communities.
Public Relations
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
The focus of the Public Relations Concentration is on developing accurate and ethical communications that influence, engage and build relationships between an organization and its stakeholders. Students will learn how to analyze public opinion and attitudes, plan, implement and assess public relations campaigns and produce multimedia content while working with organizations in the greater San Luis Obispo community.
Individualized Course of Study
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
Concentration consists of a minimum of 15 units, 12 of which must be upper division units. The student selects the courses in consultation with the concentration coordinator and department head and provides written justification for the courses and the way they constitute a cohesive, integrated program of study. The list of courses serves as a contract between the student and the Department.
Program Learning Objectives
- Apply the principles and laws of freedom of speech and press, in a global context, and for the United States.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the multicultural history and role of professionals and institutions in shaping communications.
- Demonstrate communication that empowers those traditionally disenfranchised in society, especially as grounded in race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability and socioeconomic status, domestically and globally, across communication and media contexts.
- Present images and information effectively and creatively, using appropriate tools and technologies.
- Write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the communications professions, audiences and purposes they serve.
- Demonstrate an understanding of professional ethical principles and work ethically in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness and equity.
- Apply critical thinking skills in conducting research and evaluating information by methods appropriate to the communications professions in which they work.
- Effectively and correctly apply basic numerical and statistical concepts.
- Critically evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy and fairness, clarity, appropriate style, grammatical correctness and equity-minded reporting.
- Apply tools and technologies appropriate for the communications professions in which they work.
Degree Requirements and Curriculum
In addition to the program requirements listed on this page, students must also satisfy requirements outlined in more detail in the Minimum Requirements for Graduation section of this catalog, including:
- 40 units of upper-division courses
- 2.0 GPA
- Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR)
- U.S. Cultural Pluralism (USCP)
Note: Up to 3 units of credit/no credit grading may be selected for courses in Major or Support. In addition, no more than 12 units of cooperative or internship courses can count towards your degree requirements
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MAJOR COURSES | ||
| JOUR 1102 | Introduction to Journalism | 1 |
| JOUR 2203 | News Reporting and Writing | 3 |
| JOUR 2219 | Mass Media in a Cross-Cultural Society | 3 |
| or JOUR 3319 | Global Communication | |
| JOUR 2228 | Media, Self and Society (4B) 1 | 3 |
| JOUR 2285 | Introduction to Multimedia Journalism | 3 |
| JOUR 3300 | Public Relations | 3 |
| JOUR 3302 | Mass Media Law | 3 |
| JOUR 3303 | Video Storytelling | 3 |
| JOUR 3305 | Journalism Ethics | 3 |
| JOUR 3334 | Editing for Online and Print Publication | 3 |
| JOUR 3390 | Visual Communication for the Mass Media | 3 |
| JOUR 4444 | Media Internship | 2 |
| Journalism Electives | ||
| Select any JOUR courses 2 | 9 | |
| Concentration or Individualized Course of Study | ||
| (See list of Concentrations and Individualized Course of Study below) | 15 | |
| SUPPORT COURSES | ||
| Select from the following: (2) 1 | 3 | |
| Statistical and Data Literacy | ||
| Applied Statistical Concepts and Methods | ||
| Business Statistics I | ||
| GENERAL EDUCATION (GE) | ||
| (See GE program requirements below) | 37 | |
| FREE ELECTIVES | ||
| Free Electives 3 | 23 | |
| Total Units | 120 | |
- 1
Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement.
- 2
Courses can only be used once for major degree credit.
- 3
If a General Education (GE) course is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree.
Concentrations
Media Innovation
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| JOUR 3350 | Data Journalism | 3 |
| JOUR 3345 | Social Media for Strategic Communication | 3 |
| or JOUR 3310 | Advanced Digital Journalism | |
| JOUR 3352 | Advanced News Reporting Practicum | 3 |
| or JOUR 3353 | Advanced Broadcast Journalism Practicum | |
| JOUR 3385 | Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| JOUR 4462 | Senior Project: Media Practicum | 3 |
| Total Units | 15 | |
News
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| JOUR 3304 | Public Affairs Reporting | 3 |
| JOUR 4462 | Senior Project: Media Practicum | 3 |
| Select from the following: | 9 | |
| Writing/Digital Path | ||
| Feature Writing | ||
| Data Journalism | ||
| Advanced News Reporting Practicum | ||
| Audio/Visual Path | ||
| Broadcast News | ||
| Advanced Broadcast Journalism Practicum | ||
| Podcasting | ||
or JOUR 3346 | Broadcast Announcing and Production | |
or JOUR 3348 | Video News Gathering | |
or JOUR 3378 | Advanced Sportscasting | |
| Total Units | 15 | |
Public Relations
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| JOUR 3313 | Public Relations Campaigns | 3 |
| JOUR 3342 | Public Relations Writing and Editing | 3 |
| Select from the following: | 3 | |
| Public Relations and Crisis Management | ||
| Public Relations and Advertising Production | ||
| Social Media for Strategic Communication | ||
| JOUR 3347 | Public Relations Research | 3 |
| JOUR 4464 | Senior Project: Public Relations Practicum | 3 |
| Total Units | 15 | |
Individualized Course of Study
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| Writing Intensive | ||
| Select from the following: | 3 | |
| Feature Writing | ||
| Broadcast News | ||
| Public Relations Writing and Editing | ||
| Research | ||
| Select from the following: | 3 | |
| Public Affairs Reporting | ||
| Public Relations Research | ||
| Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship | ||
| Media Technology | ||
| Select from the following: | 3 | |
| Copyright, Trademark, Patent, and Commercial Speech in Digital Media | ||
| Advanced Digital Journalism | ||
| Public Relations and Crisis Management | ||
| Public Relations and Advertising Production | ||
| Contemporary Advertising | ||
| Podcasting | ||
| Social Media for Strategic Communication | ||
| Broadcast Announcing and Production | ||
| Video News Gathering | ||
| Data Journalism | ||
| Advanced Sportscasting | ||
| Sports Communication | ||
| Media Practicum | ||
| Select from the following: | 3 | |
| Public Relations Campaigns | ||
| Advanced News Reporting Practicum | ||
| Advanced Broadcast Journalism Practicum | ||
| Senior Project | ||
| Select from the following: | 3 | |
| Senior Project: Media Practicum | ||
| Senior Project: Public Relations Practicum | ||
| Total Units | 15 | |
General Education (GE) Requirements
- 43 units required, 6 of which are specified in Major and/or Support.
- If any of the remaining 37 Units is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree.
- See the complete GE course listing.
- A grade of C- or better is required in one course in each of the following GE Areas: 1A (English Composition), 1B (Critical Thinking), 1C (Oral Communication), and 2 (Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning).
| Lower-Division General Education | ||
| Area 1 | English Communication and Critical Thinking | |
| 1A | Written Communication | 3 |
| 1B | Critical Thinking | 3 |
| 1C | Oral Communication | 3 |
| Area 2 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning | |
| 2 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning (3 units in Support) 1 | 0 |
| Area 3 | Arts and Humanities | |
| 3A | Arts | 3 |
| 3B | Humanities: Literature, Philosophy, Languages other than English | 3 |
| Area 4 | Social and Behavioral Sciences (Area 4 courses must come from at least two different course prefixes.) | |
| 4A | American Institutions (Title 5, Section 40404 Requirement) | 3 |
| 4B | Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 units in Major) 1 | 0 |
| Area 5 | Physical and Life Sciences | |
| 5A | Physical Sciences | 3 |
| 5B | Life Sciences | 3 |
| 5C | Laboratory (may be embedded in a 5A or 5B course) | 1 |
| Area 6 | Ethnic Studies | |
| 6 | Ethnic Studies | 3 |
| Upper-Division General Education | ||
| Upper-Division 2/5 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning or Physical and Life Sciences | 3 |
| Upper-Division 3 | Arts and Humanities | 3 |
| Upper-Division 4 | Social and Behavioral Sciences (Area 4 courses must come from at least two different course prefixes.) | 3 |
| Total Units | 37 | |
- 1
Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement.