Main Office
General Academic Building, Room 102
Mailing address:
1155 Union Circle #311460
Denton, TX 76203-5017
940-565-2205
Fax: 940-565-2370
Office of Student Advising
General Academic Building, Room 107
940-565-3365
Web sites: www.jour.unt.edu
Roy Busby, Interim Associate Dean
Nann Goplerud, Interim Chair, News
Sheri Broyles, Interim Chair, Strategic Communications
Albright, Anderson, Broyles, Bufkins, Busby, Everbach, Foote, Fuse, Getschow, Goplerud, Hinnen, Land, Moro, Mueller, Sparks, Zavoina
A career in journalism is exciting, dynamic and critical to the future of an informed and enlightened American society. The Mayborn School of Journalism provides students with the creative and critical-thinking skills to prepare them to work in the following fields:
The curriculum prepares students with broad and diverse skills for work in multiple media platforms; to develop their skills to analyze, evaluate and inform; and to consider the ethical implications of mass communication and its impact in today’s world. Students learn in multimedia labs using state-of-the-art computers, software and video equipment. The school emphasizes curriculum and career advising and mentoring by professionally trained faculty and staff.
The Mayborn School of Journalism comprises two departments: news and strategic communications.
A major in the news department prepares students for careers in reporting, writing, editing and photojournalism (video and stills) for the Internet, television, newspapers, magazines and radio. With a strong focus on multi-platform journalism, students receive hands-on opportunities as news reporters, sports reporters, writers, photojournalists, designers, and editors for use online, on air and in print for the North Texas Daily, NTDaily.com, Denton Television, NTNewsnet, Denton Live and other area media. Teacher certification is available in journalism.
A major in the strategic communications department prepares students to work in advertising, public relations and integrated communication careers in a variety of settings: ad/PR/marketing agencies, corporations, non-profit agencies, government, public affairs and more. Students gain critical thinking skills, creative practice and professional experience by studying cases, developing campaigns and completing internships. To help real-world clients such as non-profit organizations, students create materials including advertisements for traditional and non-traditional media, newsletters, news releases, public service announcements, web sites and social media strategies.
To create the most innovative professional and academic program while maintaining our journalism heritage.
To prepare students with ethical values, life-time communication and intellectual skills, as well as for successful careers in the professions represented by the school’s undergraduate departments and graduate degree programs.
The Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism is among the elite journalism programs that have earned national accreditation by the ACEJMC, the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. (University of Kansas School of Journalism, Stauffer-Flint Hall 1435 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045; telephone 785-864-3973; or visit www2.ku.edu/~acejmc/FULLINFO.HTML.)
Information about academic matters is available in the Office of Student Advising for the School of Journalism. Students will work with professional and faculty advisors concerning degree audits, application of transfer credit, individual career needs and general academic requirements.
Each student should have a degree audit prepared by the School of Journalism. This official degree audit should be made upon completion of the pre-major requirements, typically by the end of the sophomore year. Transfer students should have degree audits prepared during their first term/semester at UNT. Information is available from the journalism advising office, GAB 107.
The school offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the following areas:
The program is divided into two departments: news and strategic communications. News includes news reporting (broadcast, print and web) and photojournalism (still and video). Strategic communications includes advertising and public relations. Concentrations are available under the Bachelor of Arts in both news and strategic communications.
Teacher certification is available in journalism.
All students entering UNT and wishing to pursue the bachelor of arts degree with a major in journalism enter as pre-majors. Before applying for journalism major status, pre-majors must complete at least 45 hours of college course work including the following:
1. JOUR 1210, JOUR 2200, JOUR 2310 plus one other specified pre-major course with a 2.5 GPA or better (must pass Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation (GSP) exam for JOUR 2200 and JOUR 2310; see item 6, “Other Requirements,” for more information);
2. the journalism math requirement for all concentrations, MATH 1680 or MATH 1681; and
3. the university English composition requirement with a grade of C or better.
Pre-majors who have completed the above requirements and who have a cumulative UNT GPA of at least 2.5 may file a formal application for major status. Approved majors may enroll in those advanced courses designated “journalism majors/minors only.”
Students transferring to UNT from other colleges and universities may fulfill many of these requirements through transfer course work. Transfer students need to apply for journalism major status upon admission and must pass the Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation (GSP) exam, administered by the University Writing Lab, during their first term/semester at UNT.
Students who have already completed a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university may be admitted to the journalism major prior to completion of the pre-major requirements provided their overall GPA in all college work attempted is at least 2.5. Post-baccalaureate majors must still abide by all course prerequisites and sequence restrictions.
Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree in the Mayborn School of Journalism must complete the University Core and the Journalism degree requirements shown below. Students should see the Office of Student Advising for their major for more information.
1. English Composition and Rhetoric (6 hours): See approved list in the Academics section of this catalog.
2. Mathematics (3 hours): See “University Core Curriculum Requirements” in the Academics section of this catalog.
3. Natural Sciences (6 hours): See “University Core Curriculum Requirements” in the Academics section of this catalog.
4. United States History (6 hours): See approved list in the Academics section of this catalog.
5. Political Science (6 hours): See approved list in the Academics section of this catalog.
6. Visual and Performing Arts (3 hours): See approved list in the Academics section of this catalog.
7. Humanities (3 hours): See approved list in the Academics section of this catalog.
8. Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 hours): See approved list in the Academics section of this catalog.
9. Understanding the Human Community (6 hours): See approved list in the Academics section of this catalog.
The following requirements are in addition to or a specification of the University Core Curriculum requirements for Bachelor of Arts degrees.
1. Mathematics (3 hours, also satisfies the university core): MATH 1680 or MATH 1681. Students must follow all prerequisites as listed in this bulletin.
2. Foreign Language (8 hours, or proficiency): two foreign language classes in the same language from 1010 to 2050 are required. Students may test out of these courses and still satisfy the requirement.
For requirements in the major and minor, students should consult “General University Requirements” in the Academics section of this catalog, and department sections.
Elective hours as needed at either the lower level or advanced level to meet the minimum of 120 semester hours for graduation, including 42 advanced hours. Electives should be chosen in consultation with an advisor.
1. Hours Required and General/College Requirements: A minimum of 120 semester hours, of which 42 must be advanced, and fulfillment of degree requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree as specified in the “General University Requirements” in the Academics section of this catalog and the Mayborn School of Journalism requirements.
2. Major Requirements: At least 34 semester hours in journalism with a concentration in either news or strategic communications. Check catalog for prerequisites before enrolling in any advanced courses.
News: 34 hours in journalism consisting of the following:
Strategic Communications: 34 hours in journalism consisting of the following:
3. Other Course Requirements:
News: Two upper-level political science courses.
Strategic Communications: MKTG 3650 (may be used as part of an 18-hour business area of emphasis; see minor below).
4. Minor:
News: An 18-hour minor in another field of study is required. The two upper-level political science courses may be used to help complete a minor in social science or political science.
Strategic Communications: (1) 18 hours of business courses consisting of MKTG 3010, MKTG 3650, MKTG 4120; plus 9 hours of upper-level marketing and/or management classes approved by strategic communications, or (2) an 18-hour minor in another field of study.
5. Electives: Options available within major requirements.
6. Other Requirements:
Students majoring in journalism are required to maintain a 2.5 cumulative UNT GPA to graduate. Those who fall below the 2.5 cumulative UNT GPA requirement may not register for any journalism courses. See advisor for exemptions to this policy for incoming transfer students only.
a. A grade of C or higher is required for all journalism courses to be applied toward the major/minor degree requirements.
b. No more than 12 semester hours of journalism credit will be accepted from a transfer student who is entering as a first-term/semester junior. For students transferring with 75 semester hours of credit or more, a maximum of 18 transfer journalism hours will be accepted for credit toward the bachelor’s degree.
c. No more than 34 hours of journalism courses may be included in the major or count toward the 120-hour degree.
d. Students must pass Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation (GSP) exam to be permitted to enroll in JOUR 2200, JOUR 2310 or JOUR 2330; students who transfer credit for JOUR 2310 must take the Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation (GSP) exam during their first term/semester at UNT.
e. All journalism majors are required to take MATH 1680 or MATH 1681, which meets university requirements; see advisor for exemptions to this policy for transfer students only.
Students interested in careers in broadcast and multimedia — such as news reporters, writers, photojournalists (video and stills), and editors — enroll in the school’s news department. Working with an advisor, students select 34 hours of course work, including broadcast reporting and writing, visual journalism, and online journalism. This course work includes the skills and concepts of writing, reporting and producing visual content for the web. Students learn to cover a news “beat,” shoot video and stills, and edit using non-linear editing systems. Students also learn to appear on camera, to do live reporting and anchoring and to produce content for on air and online, including web casts.
Students also work as news reporters, writers, photojournalists, web site designers and editors for the North Texas Daily, NTDaily.com, Denton Television, NTNewsnet, and other area media.
Students receive hands-on experience from faculty with extensive professional experience in broadcast and online news. They also can complete internships at television, radio and web organizations in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, the nation’s fifth largest media market, and in other news organizations in the area and across the state.
Students can gain additional experience through internships at newspapers, magazines, book publishing companies, television and radio stations, web companies, advertising and public relations agencies, and large and small businesses throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth region and the nation.
Because a journalism education provides students with strong writing, research and critical thinking skills, journalism graduates also find work at a variety of jobs outside the media industry or use the degree to enter graduate or law studies.
A minor in journalism requires 18 hours (9 advanced). All students are required to take one entry-level course (JOUR 2010, JOUR 2310 or JOUR 2420). In selecting the remaining 15 hours, a student may focus on general journalism, strategic communications or news. Contact the School of Journalism for a list of appropriate courses.
To receive a minor in journalism, a student must earn a grade of C or better in each journalism course completed in residence or transferred to UNT. Students minoring in news must pass the Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation Test (GSP). Prerequisites for upper-level classes must be completed.
The Mayborn School of Journalism encourages students to explore teaching at the secondary level as a career option. The student’s academic advisor in the Office of Student Advising in GAB, Room 107, can assist students with specific requirements for teacher certification in Journalism. Upon completion of this program, students will be prepared to sit for the certification examinations in Journalism.
Requirements: News required courses (JOUR 1210, JOUR 2200, JOUR 2310, JOUR 2320, JOUR 2330, JOUR 3310, JOUR 3320, JOUR 4410, JOUR 4620); and JOUR 4100 and JOUR 4850. See major for additional course work and GPA requirements.
Students must also complete the required 21 hours in upper-level education courses (EDSE 3800, EDSE 3830, EDSE 4060, EDSE 4070, EDSE 4108, EDSE 4118, EDSE 4840) and meet all GPA requirements to apply for state certification. In order to enroll for the first required education course, the student must make application to the certification program in the College of Education in Matthews Hall, Room 105.
All state certification requirements and information on required examinations is available on the web site of the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC), www.sbec.state.tx.us.
The Mayborn School of Journalism’s certificate in sports journalism is designed to enhance writing, reporting, broadcast and multimedia skills for careers in the field of sports journalism.
To qualify, students must have journalism major status (having completed GSP, JOUR 1210, JOUR 2200, JOUR 2310, and JOUR 2330 with a 2.5 GPA) plus JOUR 2320 or JOUR 2340. In addition, students must have a minimum of 3.0 GPA before applying for this certificate program.
To earn the certificate, students must complete 15 hours from the following:
The Mayborn School of Journalism hosts the nationally acclaimed Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference each year in July. For more information, go to www.themayborn.unt.edu.
The award-winning North Texas Daily, UNT’s student newspaper, provides practical experience for students in both departments of the School of Journalism. The Student Publications Committee selects the editor each term/semester, and staff jobs are open to any UNT student. The Daily is published four days a week in the fall and spring terms/semesters and less frequently in the summer. The Daily has been providing news and entertainment to UNT students since 1948. For more information, contact the Daily’s advisor at 940-565-2205, or visit the Daily’s web site at www.ntdaily.com.
The school offers degree programs leading to the Master of Arts and Master of Journalism. For information, consult the Graduate Catalog and confer with the journalism graduate studies director.
All Courses of Instruction are located in one section at the back of this catalog.
The “Course and Subject Guide,” found in the Courses of Instruction section of this book, serves as a table of contents and provides quick access to subject areas and prefixes.
Date of initial release: July 1, 2010 — Copyright © 2010 University of North Texas
Page updated:
July 27, 2010
— Comments or corrections: catalog@unt.edu
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