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Agricultural Journalism
| Get in Touch |
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Agricultural Journalism 1-98 Agriculture Building Columbia, MO 65211 Phone: 573-882-2487 Fax: 573-882-8007 E-mail: agj@missouri.edu |
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| Major Curriculum* |
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| Course | Credit |
| First Semester | |
| Introduction to Agricultural Journalism | 2 |
| English Composition | 3 |
| Economics of Food and Agriculture | 3 |
| History | 3 |
| General Biology | 3 |
| CornerPost staff | 1 |
| Second Semester | |
| Applied Macroeconomics | 3 |
| Principles of American Journalism | 3 |
| Biology Laboratory | 2 |
| Animal Science | 3 |
| Humanities Elective | 3 |
| Summer: Internship recommended | 2 |
| Third Semester | |
| College Algebra | 3 |
| Chemistry | 3 |
| Speech Communication | 3 |
| Ag Economics Elective | 3 |
| Cross Cultural Journalism | 3 |
| Fourth Semester | |
| News | 3 |
| Biochemistry | 3 |
| Statistics | 3 |
| Ag Economics Elective | 3 |
| Ag Science Elective | 3 |
| Summer: International Studies recommended | 6 |
| Fifth Semester | |
| Reporting | 3 |
| Editing | 3 |
| Communications Law | 3 |
| Ag Journalism Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Sixth Semester | |
| Principles of Strategic Communications | 3 |
| Newspaper/Magazine Editing | 3 |
| Journalism Elective | 3 |
| Humanities Elective | 3 |
| Other Electives | 3 |
| Summer: Internship recommended | 2 |
| Seventh Semester | |
| Communication | 3 |
| Journalism Electives | 6 |
| Other Electives | 6 |
| Eighth Semester | |
| Senior Capstone | 3 |
| Journalism Electives | 6 |
| Electives | 5 |
| *Individual degree program may vary. | |
The complex and fascinating world of science, agriculture, the environment, food, natural resources and medical and agricultural biotechnology has an overwhelming impact on society, from the health of newborns to political conflicts on an international scale. Agricultural and science journalists explain this world to various audiences in effective and engaging ways. Our degree combines the full experience of our world-renowned School of Journalism and College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR).
Think of today's headlines: genetically modified food, wildlife conservation, stem cells, global trade, climate change, the Farm Bill, national parks and ecotourism. Our graduates are uniquely equipped to report on these topics and many more for magazines, newspapers, radio and TV stations and on the Web. Other grads apply their knowledge and skills as public relations, advertising and marketing professionals.
Career Opportunities
A bachelor's of science degree in agricultural journalism from CAFNR will provide you with all the skills you'll need to succeed in a wide variety of agricultural journalism careers.
An individualized degree program will allow you to acquire both journalism skills and an extensive background in science or business that you'll apply to the career field that most interests you. Some agricultural journalism careers you might consider include:
- Reporters are employed by newspapers, magazines, and television and radio stations to cover the news of the day for their respective audiences. As a reporter, you might write news stories about the latest medical advancements, government policies on technology, feature-length stories on complex subjects, such as genome sequencing, or report live from a world agriculture summit.
- Strategic Communications, a field that includes public relations and advertising, is a career preferred by many of our majors. Companies, government agencies and other organizations offer ample and lucrative employment opportunities to agricultural journalism graduates in this field because of their unique combination of specialized knowledge in science, economics and the news media and their rigorous training in writing, broadcasting, visual communication and the Web. Graduates are hired to help an organization communicate its message to many audiences using a wide range of media.
- Editors find employment with many of the same media outlets as reporters. They are responsible for taking the reporters' stories and molding them into an issue of a newspaper, magazine, or a television or radio broadcast. In the process, they ensure that the stories conform to journalistic style while conveying a topic accurately and responsibly.
- Photographers, whether they use still or video cameras, film or digital, are responsible for providing images that add another dimension to the written word. Photographs can help to convey a message or explain a concept. Photographers also can help to portray emotion in a writer's story, be it happiness, sadness, anger or confusion.
Research/Internship Opportunities
As an agricultural journalism student, your chances to gain real-world experience through research and internships are almost limitless.
With the help of the "Mizzou Mafia," an informal network of MU journalism graduates, internships in all media — newspaper, magazine, radio, television, online and public relations — are available to agricultural journalism students.
Opportunities exist whether you're interested in reporting for a national news magazine or filing reports as an international correspondent. MU also provides hands-on experience as part of your journalism curriculum.
University-owned media outlets, including the Columbia Missourian, a daily newspaper; Vox, a weekly magazine; KOMU-TV, an NBC-affiliated television station; and KBIA-FM, a public broadcasting radio station, give students real-world experience while still in college.
CAFNR CornerPost, a student-run, Web-only news publication, is managed by agricultural journalism students and provides an additional outlet to practice journalism.
Get Involved on Campus
Want to have fun and develop your leadership skills and professional contacts at the same time? Then join one or more of the College’s student clubs and organizations. There are more than 30 to choose from, and each gives you the opportunity to apply what you’re learning in the classroom while making lifelong friends.
- Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT) is a club for agricultural journalism majors and other students interested in communications. Guest speakers include newspaper and magazine reporters and editors, radio and TV broadcasters and agricultural public relations executives. Students can become acquainted with professionals in the field while learning about career options. Other activities include barbecues and social functions. Members have the opportunity to attend professional meetings and interact with Ag communications students from surrounding universities.
Agricultural Journalism Department
1-98 Agriculture Building, 573-884-7863
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