Academic Requirements

The School of Journalism and Communication offers a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science with areas of concentration in Journalism, Advertising, Media Studies and Public Relations.

All students begin as “pre-journalism” majors and must complete specific pre-major requirements before applying for full major status in the SOJC. There are currently three sets of active requirements. The curriculum a student falls under is determined by the term they first declare “pre-journalism” (or any other “pre-” major in the SOJC) as a major. For example, if your first term as a “pre-journalism” major was Fall 2019, you fall under the Fall 2019-Summer 2020 curriculum.

The curriculum listed below applies to students who declared pre-journalism Fall 2021 or later only. Students who declared pre-journalism prior to Fall 2021 should refer to the appropriate curriculum above. See your degree guide in DuckWeb, if you are unsure which curriculum applies to you.

Note: All J classes must be passed with a C or above. They may not be taken pass/no pass. Unless noted, all the courses listed are 4-credit courses.

  • Minimum of 72 "J" credits for journalism, advertising and public relations
  • Minimum of 74 "J" credits for media studies
  • Minimum of 40 upper division (300- or 400-level) "J" credits
  • Minimum of 27 "J" credits taken at UO
  • Minimum 2.90 UO GPA at the time of admission to full major status
  • Minimum 2.70 journalism GPA at the time of graduation

These pre-major core requirements must be completed before admission to the SOJC as a “full major.”

  • J100 Media Professions (2 credits)
  • J101 Grammar for Communicators (2 credits) [Prerequisite: SOJC pre-major status]
  • J201 Media and Society >2
  • UO Writing Requirement: WR 121 College Composition I and either WR 122 College Composition II or WR 123 College Composition III (Clark Honors College students are exempt from this prerequisite. Students who intend to major in Media Studies are highly encouraged to choose WR 123.)
  • 24 graded hours completed at UO
  • UO cumulative GPA or 2.90 or better

Students will apply for full major status in the term in which they expect to complete these requirements. Students who have completed the course requirements but do not have the minimum 2.90 GPA should talk to an advisor about petitioning for admission to the SOJC.

These are the first set of courses taken upon admission to the SOJC as a “full major.” All three courses are offered every term and can be taken in any order.

  • J211 Gateway to Media (8 credits)
  • J212 Writing for Communicators
  • J213 Fact or Fiction

Section C: Full Major Requirements. Students must choose at least one sequence when applying for full major status. Click below to learn the specific requirements of each area of emphasis.

Sequence Courses:

I) J342 The Creative Strategist (Prereq: JAD major status, J211 & J212)
II) Choose 4 courses: (Prereq: JAD major status, J342. Some courses may be “instructor consent” courses)

  • J443 Advertising Media Planning
  • J444 Advertising Account Management
  • J457 Curiosity for Strategists
  • J458 Writing Design Concepts
  • J459 Branding and Content
  • J460 Brand Development [Topic] (titles will vary; any J460 course will count. You may take J460 four times as long as the course title is different each time.)

III) J448 Advertising Campaigns (Prereq: JAD major status and completion of [I] and [II]. Departmental authorization required. See below for details.)

Core Context Courses:

In addition to the sequence courses listed above, all advertising students must complete five classes in media theory/analysis. They may be taken concurrently with the sequence courses. Students in the SOJC Honors Program will complete some of their core context courses with honors courses.

List A (Choose 4 courses. Prereq: J201):

  • J320 Gender, Media and Diversity
  • J385 Communication Law
  • J387 Media History or J396 International Communication
  • J397 Media Ethics

List B (Choose 1 course. Prereq: J201 and full major status):

  • J429 Media Technologies and Society [Topic]
  • J430 Culture and Power in the Media [Topic]
  • J431 Media Structures and Regulation [Topic]
  • J494 Strategic Communication Research Methods (Open to PR and Advertising students only.)
  • J495 Research Methods [Topic]

Electives:

At least four journalism credits are needed to reach the minimum 72 credits required. More may be needed if any exceptions were granted to Sections A, B or C.

Sequence Courses:

I) J361 Reporting I (Prereq: J major status, J211 & J212)
II) J462 Reporting II (Prereq: J361)
III) J463 Specialized Reporting [Topic]* (Prereq: J361)

IV) Choose either the writing or the visual concentration:

Writing Concentration (choose 2 courses):

  • J461 Newspaper Editing (Prereq: J361)
  • J371 Feature Writing I (Prereq: J361)
  • J468 Advanced News Editing (Prereq: J461)
  • J472 Feature Article Writing II (Prereq: J371)
  • J473 Feature Editing (Prereq: J371)
  • J474 Magazine Industry & Strategies (Prereq: J371)
  • J483 Journalistic Interview (Prereq: J361)

Visual Concentration (choose 2 courses):

  • J331 Digital Video Production (Prereq: J major status, J211, 212, 213)
  • J365 Photojournalism (Prereq: full major status, J211, 212, 213)
  • J421 Documentary Production (Prereq: J331)
  • J432 Reporting for Electronic Media (Prereq: J331)
  • J434 Advanced TV News (Prereq: J432)
  • J436 Media Design [Topic]* (Prereq: J361)
  • J466 Advanced Photojournalism [Topic]* (Prereq: J365)

V) Additional sequence course (choose at least 4 credits total):

  • J404 Internship
  • J408 Workshops [Topic]*/**
  • J409 Practicum
  • J463 Specialized Reporting [Topic]*[Must be a different topic than what was used above]
  • J469 Mobile Media Production
  • J475 FLUX Production
  • Any additional concentration course that has not been previously taken

*[Topic] courses: Any course under that number will count. Course titles offered within each “topic” will vary. These courses are repeatable if the topics have different titles.

** Only J408 workshops that have a journalism focus are eligible. Advertising and PR-focused workshops are not permissible for this requirement.

Core Context Courses:

In addition to the sequence courses listed above, all journalism students must complete five classes in media theory/analysis. They may be taken concurrently with the sequence courses. Students in the SOJC Honors Program will complete some of their core context courses with honors courses.

List A (Choose 4 courses. Prereq: J201):

  • J320 Gender, Media and Diversity
  • J385 Communication Law
  • J387 Media History or J396 International Communication
  • J397 Media Ethics

List B (Choose 1 course. Prereq: J201 and full major status):

  • J429 Media Technologies and Society [Topic]
  • J430 Culture and Power in the Media [Topic]
  • J431 Media Structures and Regulation [Topic]
  • J495 Research Methods [Topic]

Electives:

At least four journalism credits are needed to reach the minimum 72 credits required. More may be needed if any exceptions were granted to Sections A, B or C.

Sequence Courses:

  1. J250 Media Studies Production (2 credits. Prereq: J211)
  2. J314 Introduction to Media Studies
  3. J415 Media Studies Research Methods
  4. J413 Media Studies Capstone (Prereq: J314. Only offered in the spring)

Core Context Courses:

In addition to the sequence courses listed above, all media studies students must complete five classes in media theory/analysis. They may be taken concurrently with the sequence courses. Students in the SOJC Honors Program will complete some of their core context courses with honors courses.

Complete all 5 courses (Prereq: J201):

  • J320 Gender, Media and Diversity
  • J385 Communication Law
  • J387 Media History
  • J396 International Communication
  • J397 Media Ethics

Specialization:

Choose one specialization from the four options below. These courses should be taken in between J314 and J413. All have JMS major status and J201 as prerequisites. 

a) Media Technology and Society

  • J429 Media Technologies and Society [Topic]
  • J429 Media Technologies and Society [Topic]
  • J429 Media Technologies and Society [Topic]
  • Choose one more course from J430 Culture and Power in the Media [Topic], J431 Media Structures and Regulation, or J477 Science of Science Communication [Topic]

b) Media Culture and Power

  • J430 Culture and Power in the Media [Topic]
  • J430 Culture and Power in the Media [Topic]
  • J430 Culture and Power in the Media [Topic]
  • Choose one more course from J429 Media Technologies and Society [Topic], J431 Media Structures and Regulation, or J477 Science of Science Communication [Topic]

c) Media Structures and Regulation

  • J431 Media Structures and Regulation [Topic]
  • J431 Media Structures and Regulation [Topic]
  • J431 Media Structures and Regulation [Topic]
  • Choose one more course from J429 Media Technologies and Society [Topic], J430 Culture and Power in the Media, or J477 Science of Science Communication [Topic]

d) Documentary Studies

  • J208 Intoduction to Documentary Production
  • J416 Survey of the Documentary
  • J331 Digital Video Production
  • J421 Documentary Production

Sequence Courses:

  • J350 Principles of Public Relations (Recommended prereq: J201 and sophomore standing)
  • J352 Strategic Writing & Media Relations (Prereq: JPR major status, J211, J212, J 213, J350)
  • J452 Strategic Public Relations Communication (Prereq: J352)
  • J453 Strategic Planning and Cases (Prereq: J352)
  • J454 Public Relations Campaigns (Prereq: J452, J453, J494)
  • J480 Public Relations Topic [Topic]* (Prereq: JPR major status, J350)

*[Topic] courses: Any course under that number will count. Course titles offered within each “topic” will vary. These courses are repeatable if the topics have different titles.

Core Context Courses:

In addition to the sequence courses listed above, all journalism students must complete five classes in media theory/analysis. They may be taken concurrently with the sequence courses. Students in the SOJC Honors Program will complete some of their core context courses with honors courses.

List A (Choose 4 courses. Prereq: J201):

  • J320 Gender, Media and Diversity
  • J385 Communication Law
  • J387 Media History or J396 International Communication
  • J397 Media Ethics

List B (Prereq: J201, J350 and JPR major status):

  • J494 Strategic Communication Research Methods

Electives:

At least four journalism credits are needed to reach the minimum 72 credits required. More may be needed if any exceptions were granted to Sections A, B or C.

Section D: General Studies (Non-Major) Requirements. All SOJC students must complete at least 104 non-journalism credits. The non-journalism credits must include one of the following:

  • non-SOJC minor. See the UO Catalog for a full list of UO minors. Most minors are 24-32 credits (6-8 courses).
  • non-major concentration. Take 24 credits (6 courses) from one non-SOJC subject. At least 12 of these credits must be 300- or higher. At least four of these credits must be 400-level. Technical, performance, physical education and Clark Honors College credits may not be used as a concentration.
  • double major with a subject outside of the SOJC. See the UO Catalog for a full list of UO majors.