Lead Faculty: Dr. Sara-Ellen L. Amster
The Bachelor of Arts in Digital Journalism is a pre-professional program that provides students with a solid foundation in traditional journalistic practices and theories as well as new forms of journalism that are emerging as a consequence of digital technologies and networks that are rapidly reinventing the field. The course of study includes the theory and methods of gathering information and writing for beat reporting, investigative and features stories.
The program introduces students to the professional responsibilities faced by journalists and news organizations with in-depth studies of the ethical and legal ramifications of news gathering and dissemination.
Students become versed in writing for different media outlets ranging from print to broadcast and web-based formats such as multimedia pages, blogs and podcasts. Students will actively engage in reporting and writing assignments in order to produce a professional portfolio that is tailored to their goals and enables them to compete for employment in the field of 21st century journalism. Graduates of the program will be prepared to embark on varied journalism career paths, including at newspapers and magazines, broadcast outlets, convergent newsrooms and new media entities.
Upon successful completion of the Bachelor of Arts in Digital Journalism, students will be able to:
To receive a Bachelor of Arts degree with a Major in Digital Journalism, students must complete at least 180 quarter units as articulated below. Forty-five (45) quarter units must be completed in residence at National University and 76.5 must be completed at the upper-division level. In the absence of transfer credit, students may need to take additional general electives to satisfy the total units for the degree.
Preparation for the Major (5 courses, 19.5 quarter units)
ENG 100 - Effective College English I (3 quarter units)
(Prerequisite: Placement Exam)
ENG 101 - Effective College English I (3 quarter units)
(Prerequisite: Placement Exam)
COM 100 - Introduction to Mass Communication*
or
COM 220 - Media Literacy*
MUL 200 - Communication Tools
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101 and COM 100/COM 103)
MUL 245 - Principles of Web Design
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101 and COM 100/COM 103)
*may be used to satisfy general education requirements
Requirements for the Major: Core Courses (14 courses; 63 quarter units)
JRN 300 - Multimedia Journalism Skills (Prerequisites: ENG 100/101)
JRN 301 - Copy Editing (Prerequisites: ENG 100/101)
JRN 305 - The Art of the Interview (Prerequisites: ENG 100/101)
JRN 310 - Convergent Journalism
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101, COM 100 or COM 220)
BRO 330 - Field Production I (Prerequisites: ENG 100/101)
JRN 330 - Investigative Reporting (Prerequisites: ENG 100/101)
JRN 335 - Beat Reporting (Prerequisites: ENG 100/101)
JRN 340 - Feature Writing (Prerequisites: ENG 100/101)
JRN 350 - Youth in the News (Prerequisites: ENG 100/101)
JRN 360 - Freedom of the Press: A Journey Through Cinema
(Prerequisites: ENG 100/101)
or
COM 380 - Democracy in the Information Age (Prerequisites: ENG 100/101)
JRN 420 - Journalism Ethics (Prerequisites: ENG 100/101)
JRN 421 - Legal Issues in Journalism (Prerequisites: ENG 100/101)
JRN 432 - Video Journalism (Prerequisites: ENG 100/101)
JRN 495 - Capstone Project in Journalism
(Prerequisites: COM 100 or COM 220, JRN 310, JRN 330, JRN 335, JRN 340, and BRO 330)
Upper-division Elective Courses (2 courses: 9 quarter units)
To complete the requirements for the major in journalism students must take two elective courses at the 300 and/or 400 level. Elective courses should be chosen based on student career plans and may be taken in any subject that provides the student with an expertise in a particular area or field of journalism: business, health, economics, ecology, etc. All journalism majors should seek the advice of the faculty advisor before selecting electives.
National University is an affiliate of the National University System.