Incoming first-year and transfer students may declare journalism as a major upon entering the University. Students of sophomore standing or above who wish to declare a major offered by the Department of Journalism must have achieved a TCU cumulative GPA of 2.5 before they can declare a major inside the school. A journalism minor is offered through the department.
The BA with a major in journalism requires 124 hours with 33 hours of journalism, including JOUR 10113, JOUR 10203, JOUR 20003, JOUR 20203, JOUR 30204, JOUR 30543 and JOUR 40523. Students must take at least one class from the following: JOUR 40003, JOUR 40203, JOUR 40213, JOUR 40453, JOUR 40463, JOUR 40643, JOUR 40820 or JOUR 40983, meaning all journalism majors must have a minimum of one Capstone course. Also, students must take at least one class from the following: JOUR 10103, JOUR 30853, JOUR 40443, JOUR 40553, JOUR 40563, JOUR 40573, JOUR 40613, JOUR 40813, JOUR 40993, JOUR 50143, JOUR 50183, JOUR 50193 or JOUR 50523, meaning all journalism majors must have a minimum of one seminar course. Five hours of journalism electives complete the degree requirements. By combining electives and required courses, a student may earn certificates that accompany the BA degree and demonstrate advanced proficiency in a specific area of news media.
The BA degree in journalism requires proven competency at the fourth semester of college-level foreign language (the equivalent of 12 hours, which can be accomplished either through taking courses or testing out through examinations as required by the foreign language programs on campus). This requirement is consistent with international opportunities in emerging media.
A minor is required. Additionally, students may pursue a specialty by fulfilling requirements for a certificate in broadcast journalism, sports journalism or business journalism.
Students must declare their intent to earn specific certificates in the semester in which they intend to graduate and prior to the beginning of academic advising in that semester. Declaration is made in writing to the chair or the chair’s designee.
The Journalism minor takes a minimum of four semesters to complete. The Department of Journalism welcomes minors in journalism who are committed to significant journalism instruction while they specialize in majors that educate them in broad subject areas that may relate to news coverage. Students should recognize that it usually takes four regular semesters to complete the journalism minor. Students are strongly encouraged to become active in TCU student media.
22 hours in journalism, including JOUR 10113, JOUR 10203, JOUR 20003, JOUR 20203, JOUR 30204, JOUR 40523, And be enrolled in JOUR 30204 before enrolling in any elective course in the Department of Journalism.
The BS with a major in journalism requires 120 hours with 39 hours of journalism, including JOUR 10113, JOUR 10203, JOUR 10303, JOUR 20003, JOUR 30204, JOUR 40523 and JOUR 40983. Students must take at least one class from the following: JOUR 40203, JOUR 40453, JOUR 40463, JOUR 40483, JOUR 40643, or JOUR 40820, meaning all journalism majors must have a minimum of one upper-level reporting course. Also, students must take at least one class from the following: JOUR 30853, JOUR 40443, JOUR 40553, JOUR 40563, JOUR 40613, JOUR 40813, or JOUR 40993, meaning all journalism majors must have a minimum of one seminar course. Eleven hours of journalism electives complete the degree requirements.
A minor is required. Additionally, students may pursue a specialty by fulfilling requirements for a certificate in broadcast journalism.
Students must declare their intent to earn specific certificates in the semester in which they intend to graduate and prior to the beginning of academic advising in that semester. Declaration is made in writing to the chair or the chair’s designee.
The journalism minor is a complement to many majors and prepares students to apply journalistic skills to many fields, or produce journalism with an intense focus in another area. Minors will take several skills courses that provide them with experiential learning opportunities and can expect to create a significant body of work as part of the journalism minor. Minors must complete the four core courses of the minor and be enrolled in the Reporting before enrolling in any elective course in the Department of Journalism.
The Journalism minor takes a minimum of four semesters to complete. The Department of Journalism welcomes minors in journalism who are committed to significant journalism instruction while they specialize in majors that educate them in broad subject areas that may relate to news coverage. Students should recognize that it usually takes four regular semesters to complete the journalism minor. Students are strongly encouraged to become active in TCU student media.
22 hours in journalism, including JOUR 10113, JOUR 10203, JOUR 20003, JOUR 20203, JOUR 30204, JOUR 40523, And be enrolled in JOUR 30204 before enrolling in any elective course in the Department of Journalism.
In accordance with the requirement of the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC), the department of journalism at Texas Christian University in 2018 adopted an assessment plan to better help it track and enhance student success and concerns. The plan uses both direct and indirect measures of assessment to evaluate program effectiveness and determine areas that need strengthening. The plan is subject to periodic review and update. Overall, the areas being measured are reflected in the department’s Schieffer Seven, the learning outcomes members of faculty are expected to build into their respective courses and syllabi. The Schieffer Seven aligns with the revised 10-point “Professional Values and Competencies” recommended by ACEJMC.
In this Assessment Plan students are expected to develop competencies in the following areas:
This Assessment Plan uses both direct and indirect measures to determine program effectiveness and identify areas that need revisiting and strengthening.
These are quantifiable and knowledge-based measures of students’ competencies and learning outcomes across fundamental courses taken in the journalism department. The direct measures are based on a 100-point set of questions that are administered to entry-level student cohorts and again to exiting senior cohorts. The measures are administered to students each academic semester to gauge what they know getting into our program and what they learned leaving it. Students are duly informed that the questions are solely designed to obtain longitudinal data for our program accreditation and faculty evaluation, not for the purpose of class grades and GPA. Data collected are consequently tabulated, analyzed, stored and made available to faculty for deliberation at appropriate meetings. The questions were developed at the beginning of the 2017-2018 academic year, and are divided into four parts.
Part 1: Media Writing (64 Grammar and AP Style questions).
Part 2: Law and Ethics of Mass Communication (12 questions).
Part 3: Introduction to Journalism (12 questions on Theory and Concepts).
Part 4: Diversity & the Media (12 questions on DEI in relation to the media).
The indirect measures of assessment are derived from what students have achieved, awards won, exit survey of graduating students in our program, reports from internships, the capstone Signature Learning Activity, and other indicators of learning outcome.
This measure is our project-based, Multi-Platform Capstone/Signature Learning Activity class which was introduced in Fall 2021. In it, students are expected to choose their preferred topic as their project, and use all conceptual and skills competencies learned in our department to execute an independent project we call their Signature Learning Activity (SLA). Some of the projects are sent to some of our alumni for comments and feedback.
The department also regularly participates in TCU university assessment of required courses, which considers how students are mastering concepts in required courses and what instructors are doing to close possible loops that limit student comprehension and success.
Adopted 2018
