It also seeks to prepare and guide students interested in pursuing careers in a wide range of informational and interpretative multi-media environments. The courses offered by the journalism program are designed to give students a working knowledge of the skills, concepts, and values needed to succeed as competent professional communicators. They focus on the basic elements of factual and analytical writing, editing, communication law and theory, history, ethics, and responsibility in the mass media. The journalism degree requires three-fourths of the student's course work to be outside journalism because journalists need to know the workings of society, the role of government, the economic and political structure of their environment, and how the natural world works. The journalism major is designated as an impacted program and specific regulations related to admission are imposed.
Competency is required in one foreign language as part of the preparation for the major.
Students in the journalism pre-major are encouraged to complete all general education courses first. A minor is not required with this major. Upper division elective courses include seven units in journalism, nine units in communication, and nine units in an academic area outside the School of Communi-cation. Journalism students should contact the journalism undergraduate advisor for information about appropriate courses. The Faculty Thirty full-time School of Communication faculty bring professional experience, as well as advanced academic training, to the classroom.