The Bachelor of Arts in Journalism is for journalists of the future who want to cover news, sports, politics, arts and entertainment, engage in magazine writing, and digital storytelling to name a few.  New journalists pursuing the Bachelor of Arts in Journalism will take at least 33 hours of journalism coursework, including course work in media writing, fact gathering, and journalism as a profession. While many immersive experiences in journalism are encouraged, provided and facilitated, each BA student will complete a formal, supervised, credit-bearing, journalism internship relevant to their area of interest and focus.  BA journalism students also complete one of the many minors offered at Texas A&M University, and with the guidance of their academic advisor choose a four-course focus area that allows the student to customize and individualize their own, unique area of interest.  

Journalism majors have the option to choose to earn one of the certificates offered by the Department of Communication and Journalism which include Health Communication, Leadership & Conflict Management, Social Media or Strategic Communication.

The Bachelor of Arts in Journalism offers preparation in the art of journalism to the journalists of the future. The new journalist must know how to communicate across platforms, across audiences and with fact-checked precision. Democracy depends on the ethical practice of journalism. The new journalist must understand, adapt to and be able to leverage new economic models that sustain and grow journalism. The new journalist must adhere strictly to the highest ethical principles and practices. There are ample jobs available for new journalists, as well as opportunities to address 'news deserts' state-wide. As a land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant university we are well resourced to prepare new journalists to take advantage of our curricula that incorporate immersive experiences both inside and outside the classroom 1) enabling skill-building in journalistic writing, broadcasting, and digital production, 2) prompting pragmatic and conceptual analyses of the corporate practice of journalism and implementation of entrepreneurial endeavors, and 3) directing the enactment of journalistic ethics articulated by the Society of Professional Journalists: seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and be accountable and transparent.   The Bachelor of Arts in Journalism offers preparation in the art of journalism to the journalists of the future who must carry this torch.

To these ends, we also offer a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. Please examine that option before you make your choice.

 

Plan of Study Grid

First Year
Fall		Semester Credit Hours
ENGL 104	Composition and Rhetoric 1	3
JOUR 102	American Mass Media 1	3
POLS 206	American National Government	3
Select one of the following:		3-4
MATH 140	Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences
MATH 142	Business Calculus
MATH 151	Engineering Mathematics I
MATH 152	Engineering Mathematics II
PHIL 240	Introduction to Logic
STAT 201	Elementary Statistical Inference
Creative arts		3
	Semester Credit Hours	15
Spring
JOUR 200	Mass Media Information 1	3
POLS 207	State and Local Government	3
Select one of the following:		3
COMM 203	Public Speaking
COMM 205	Communication for Technical Professions
COMM 243	Argumentation and Debate
ENGL 103	Introduction to Rhetoric and Composition
ENGL 203	Writing about Literature
ENGL 210	Technical and Professional Writing
Select one of the following:		3-4
MATH 140	Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences
MATH 142	Business Calculus
MATH 151	Engineering Mathematics I
MATH 152	Engineering Mathematics II
PHIL 240	Introduction to Logic
STAT 201	Elementary Statistical Inference
Language, philosophy and culture		3
	Semester Credit Hours	15
Second Year
Fall
JOUR 203	Media Writing I 1	3
JOUR 200-499 1		3
American history		3
Social and behavioral sciences 2		3
General elective 4		3
	Semester Credit Hours	15
Spring
JOUR 200-499 1		3
JOUR 200-499 1		3
Life and physical sciences		3
Focus area 1,3		3
Minor 5		3
	Semester Credit Hours	15
Third Year
Fall
JOUR 300-499 1		3
JOUR 300-499 1		3
Life and physical sciences		3
Focus area 1,3		3
General elective 4		3
	Semester Credit Hours	15
Spring
JOUR 484	Internship 1	3
American history		3
Life and physical sciences		3
Focus area 1,3		3
General elective 4		3
	Semester Credit Hours	15
Fourth Year
Fall
JOUR 300-499 1		3
Focus area 1.3		3
Minor 5		3
Minor 5		3
General elective 4		3
	Semester Credit Hours	15
Spring
JOUR 490	Journalism as a Profession 1	3
Minor 5		3
Minor 5		3
General elective 4		3
General elective 4		1-3
	Semester Credit Hours	15
	Total Semester Credit Hours	120

¹

Must earn a grade of C or better.

²

JOUR 100-499 cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.

³

Select from JOUR 100-499 and/or other courses in consultation with the program director or designee to form a supporting focus area.

⁴

Select any 100-499 course not used elsewhere. Only 14 hours of KINE 199; AERS 100-499; MLSC 100-499; NVSC 100-499; SOMS 100-499 may be used towards general electives.

⁵

Minor to be selected from among approved university minors. Consult with advisor regarding how to declare desired minor. Courses fulfilling core curriculum requirements may apply to the minor and therefore some of these courses may become electives. Minors will range between 15 and 18 hours.

Graduation requirements include 3 hours of International and Cultural Diversity courses and 3 hours of Cultural Discourse courses. A course satisfying a core category, a college/department requirement, or a free elective can be used to satisfy this requirement. The required 6 hours may be met by courses satisfying other areas of a degree program.  See your academic advisor for further information.