Department of Journalism
Print & Multimedia Journalism
Through a broad-based core of liberal arts courses, the BS in Journalism curriculum will ground you in the ethical, legal, and historical traditions of journalism and prepare you to gather and analyze information accurately and efficiently in an increasingly technological world. You will learn to write about events and issues clearly, succinctly, and in context and reflect an understanding of diversity in your reporting.
General Program Requirements
Students in the 2012, 2013, and 2014 graduating classes who do not "opt in" to the new curriculum will receive a degree in Print and Multimedia Journalism by meeting the requirements below.
The BS in Journalism requires the completion of 44 credit hours. Students choose a specialty in either print or broadcast journalism.
All students must complete a core of common courses:
| JR 101 | Discovering Journalism |
| JR 102 | The Newsgathering Process |
| JR 103 | The Digital Journalist |
| JR 290 | Journalism Law and Ethics |
| PL 225 | American Government and Politics |
(Journalism majors are required to take PL 225 to satisfy one of their General Education requirements in History, Social, and Behavioral Sciences. This course does not count toward the 44 credit hours required in the major.)
Print and Multimedia Journalism Requirements
| JR 204 | Print Journalism: Covering the Day's News |
| JR 304 | Beat Reporting in a New Century |
| JR 404 | News Editing and Design |
| Students are required to take one of the following courses to satisfy the Print Program's Capstone requirement. |
| JR 492 | Deep Reporting (with waiver) |
| JR 493 | Backpack Journalist (with waiver) |
| JR 590 | Online Publishing |
| JR 592 | Public Affairs Reporting |
Print and Multimedia Journalism students also must take 12 credits of electives offered by the department. At least 4 of these must be in a craft or skills offering and at least 4 in a conceptual offering emphasizing theory over practice.
Hyperlocal News: A Growing Trend
Thanks to the College’s partnership with The Boston Globe’s Your Town websites, Emerson students may see their bylines on Boston.com. Aaron Orlowski ’11, and his piece on wind turbines in Charlestown, marked the beginning of the school’s relationship with the largest newspaper in New England – an arrangement that will continue this fall with a new JR course: Metro News Service: Collaborative Project.
Brendan McCarthy '04 with President Jacqueline Liebergott
In a visit to the College, Brendan McCarthy '04, a staff writer at The Times-Picayune told Emerson students about his time spent in New Orleans, working as a journalist and covering the crime beat.
