Journalism education also benefits students going into law, politics, consulting, health education, business, and environmental and sports studies and many other fields that require information gathering, precision writing and visual communication skills. Journalism at CMU CMU s journalism program is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications, a distinction held by only one other Michigan university. However, all students enroll in a common set of courses that emphasize information gathering, processing and writing, visual communication skills and the philosophical framework of the profession, including the role of mass communications in contemporary society, the role of media in racial diversity and the legal context in which the industry operates. In addition to the journalism major, the department offers an interdepartmental Integrative Public Relations major with the departments of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts and Speech Communications and Dramatic Arts. Students interested in one of these programs are advised to contact a journalism department adviser as early as possible, and meet with that adviser each semester before registering for classes.
Employers expect journalism graduates to have had at least one internship.
It verifies that an applicant has the attitude and skills necessary to be successful in the workplace. The journalism department will help arrange internships that match your career interests and allow you to build a portfolio of your work products. A journalism major requires 39 hours of journalism course work. A grade of C or better is required in each course counted toward the major and an overall grade point average of 2.5 for all journalism courses counted toward the major. A maximum of 44 journalism credits can be applied to graduation.