New Curriculum Requirements





Highlights:
 

      Direct Admission of Freshmen
     Fewer Prerequisites
     New required course and sequence for reporting courses
     Skill and critical analysis courses regrouped
     Minors must be outside SMPA
     More flexibility in areas of concentration
     Journalism internship now an elective
     Selected PCM and EMDA courses meet journalism requirements
     New procedure and standards for special honors
     Journalism minor redesigned
 
 

Applying for the Major

    To streamline the application for the major, Columbian School general requirements in English and political science or history are no longer prerequisites for applying for the major. They remain as requirements that must be completed during the course of undergraduate study. Students can now substitute selected history courses for political science courses. The Columbian College courses required for the major are Engl. 51-52 or 71-72, six hours from PSC 1, 2, 3 or six hours from Hist 71-72. SMPA 50 and Jour. 100 are no longer prerequisites for applying but remain requirements. It is recommended that prospective applicants enroll in or complete SMPA 50 and Jour. 100 prior to application. Freshmen admitted directly to the program will be autmotically enrolled in SMPA 50 in their first semester.

    The remaining prerequisite for applying for the major is Jour 111. Students may apply while enrolled in this course and be accepted provisionally. Selection will be through a competitive application process with minimums of a 3.0 GPA and a B in Jour 111 required for consideration. Meeting the minimums will not guarantee admission, which will depend on the pool of applicants. Except for freshmen directly admitted to the program, students are urged to apply for the major in their sophomore year. Student with more than 75 hours of credit are ineligible. Beginining in the Fall, 2001, a limited number of freshmen will be admitted to the program when they apply to the university. Those freshmen will have to meet the minimum requirement for J. 111 to stay in good standing in the program.

Courses Required for Completion of the Major
    One new requirement has been added to completing the major, bringing the total hours of 100-level courses to 24. Advance Reporting 112, designed as a sequence course to the beginning news writing course, Jour 111, will be required for all majors. The remaining journalism course requirement is Jour 150, Media Law. Besides the journalism requirements, majors must also complete SMPA 199, Senior Seminar, and SMPA 51, Research Methods. The methods course carries the prerequisite of Stat 53.

    Majors must also meet requirements by selecting courses from new groups of courses: six hours from advanced writing courses (Jour 120, 121, 122, 123 and 124), three hours from specialized reporting courses (Jour 130,131, 132, 134, and 135), three hours from editing and design courses (Jour 123, 124, 140, 141, 142 and EMDA 75 or 140), and three hours from courses in history, politics and law (Jour 152, 153 and PCM 128).  Some Jour. 190, Selected Topics, will be assigned to these categories by the program director.

    Students may also select from journalism electives, including Jour 196, Independent study and Jour 197, Internship.       Internships for credit must be with news organizations approved by the program director and can be repeated for up to six credits. The internship will no longer fulfill a requirement for a skill course. Periodically, Jour 190 Selected Topics courses will be offered as electives or otherwise designated by the program director.

Minor or Area of Concentration for Journalism Major

    Journalism majors must complete an area of specialization outside of SMPA. A student has two paths toward this goal. One is to complete the requirements of a minor offered by another department. The second approach is completion of 18 credit hours of courses representing a cohesive area of study and approved by the advisor. If the second option of an area of concentraton is chosen, at least 12 credits must be at the 100-level or above. Courses for an area of concentration must be in programs outside SMPA.

Special Honors for Journalism Major

    Students with a 3.5 GPA in all courses completed at GW and in all courses required for the major may apply for special honors in journalism. A student intending to apply must consult with the journalism program director at the start of the senior year. Application must be made by Oct. 15 or March 15  in of the graduation semester and must include a letter of application and a portfolio of published or broadcast work. The work will be evaluated by the journalism faculty on the basis of professional standards as outlined by the program director.

Journalism Minor

Minor in Journalism requires completion of 21 credit hours of journalism courses, including Jour 100 and 111. Minors are required to take six credit hours from advanced writing and specialized reporting courses (Jour 120, 121, 122,123, 124, 130, 131, 132, 134, 135); three credits from editing and design courses (Jour 123, 124, 140, 141, 142, or EMDA 75 or 140); and three credit hours from courses in history, politics and law (Jour 150, 152, 153 or PCM 128).
 

New Curriculum Advising Guide

Old Curriculum Advising Guide

Freshman Admit Guide

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update 6/21/01