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Photojournalism

In the Mayborn School of Journalism, you learn to communicate and tell visual stories relevant to society’s needs. The photojournalism concentration trains you in visual storytelling practices currently employed in the industry.

DEGREE PLAN REQUIREMENTS
View degree plan requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with a concentration in Photojournalism degree.
TALK TO AN ADVISOR
Get information on undergraduate programs at the Mayborn School of Journalism by scheduling a prospective advising appointment.

 

Curriculum Overview

The Bachelor of Journalism degree comprises 120 credit hours, 42 of which must be advanced.Students learn to create stories that inform, engage and impact a global audience. The Mayborn School teaches skills and responsibilities that distinguish professional journalists in an age where just about anyone can publish on a website or social media service.

Foundations Courses

In the dynamic landscape of journalism, it remains essential for every student to grasp the foundational aspects of the profession. Acquiring introductory knowledge and skills is crucial, whether one aspires to become a daily beat reporter or aims to excel in a graduate program or corporate setting.
Sample courses include:
  • Mass Communication and Society - Learn the principles of mass communication including historical, economic, social, ethical and legal factors influencing the operation and content of the mass media.
  • Introduction to Media Writing - Explore the fundamentals of writing, reporting, and information gathering for a variety of journalism professions.

Skills Courses

Students studying journalism can select from a variety of courses tailored to instill the confidence needed to navigate a dynamic and evolving field. These courses seamlessly integrate the core tenets of effective journalism - reporting, curiosity, and accuracy - along with specialized content crafted to refine individual interests and align with career aspirations.
Sample courses include:

  • Introduction to Visual Communication for News - Introduction to basic video photography and editing, still photography and editing, and audio recording and editing for use in news and a digital multi-media environment. Instruction in theory and practice of visual and audio storytelling for news programming. 
  • Multimedia Storytelling for News - Course prepares students for high-level, long-form visual storytelling using still and video photography. Advanced photojournalism and video documentary techniques are employed while gathering sound, shooting and editing video and producing narrative multimedia stories.
  • Reporting of Public Affairs - Police, court, political and governmental news with typical practical news assignments assigned to professional reporters; background and practice in writing enterprise and investigative stories, including long-form non-fiction narrative writing.

Theory & Concepts Courses

Irrespective of technological or industry shifts, journalists universally depend on the foundational principles of quality journalism and a comprehensive understanding of the profession. Courses in theory and concepts serve to offer context regarding the significance of working in the sole constitutionally-protected profession.
Sample courses include: 

  • Comparative International Media Systems - Study of mass media throughout the world with special attention to how media institutions contribute to building democracy. Comparison of print and broadcast news systems, the sources and flow of international news and the challenges of globalism.
  • Race, Gender and the Media: A Methods Approach - Students critically analyze media portrayals of race, gender, sexuality and class and learn to use scholarly research methods to evaluate them. Students examine historical and modern patterns in news media, advertising, television, film, video gaming, popular music, and other mass media.
  • History of American Media: Main trends and economic, social, political and technological factors and people that produced the institutions and traditions of the American mass media; emphasis on the changing roles of media and the impact of new communications technologies in the 21st century.
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HEAR FROM STUDENTS AND ALUMNI

Hear from current students and alumni of the program.

HANDS-ON LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES IN OUR STUDENT AGENCIES AND STUDENT-MEDIA OUTLETS

The majority of Mayborn students participate in one or more of our student organizations, from agencies to media, all dedicated to specific areas of interest. Collectively, leaders from these groups come together to serve on the Mayborn's Student Council, a governing body that gives students the opportunity to work across disciplines and learn leadership.

SEE OUR FACILITIES OR VISIT OUR CAMPUS

Tour our facilities virtually, no matter where you are. Walk our halls with a guided tour, visit one of our Broadcast Studios, and see where our student producers and reporters work on real-time news assignments in our Broadcast News Lab.

SEE MINI-LECTURES FROM OUR PHOTOJOURNALISM FACULTY
Explore what you'll learn with faculty from the Mayborn School.