FAQ's

Students must complete at least 24 credits in journalism above the 1000-level. Fifteen of those credits are in required courses: Journalism 2000W (Newswriting I), Journalism 2001W (Newswriting II), Journalism 3002 (Journalism Ethics), Journalism 3020 (Law of Libel and Communications) and Journalism 3030 (Copy Editing I). Journalism 1002 (The Press in America) is a prerequisite for Journalism 3002. Students then choose additional journalism courses to suit their interests and career plans.

Yes, but at least 80 of the 120 credits required for graduation must be outside the major. Of those, 65 must be in liberal arts and sciences.

Students planning to pursue a career in broadcast journalism need the same training in reporting, writing, ethics and law that all journalists require. Those areas are covered by the major's required courses. In addition, broadcast journalism students should take Journalism 3040 (Radio and Television Newswriting), Journalism 3041 (Reporting and Editing Television News) and Journalism 4091 (Supervised Field Internship). They should also consider the following courses: Communication Sciences 1100 (Principles of Public Speaking) and Communication Sciences 4940 (Television Production). They also are urged to participate in the campus radio and television stations, WHUS and UCTV.

No. We teach only print and broadcast journalism.

Most journalism courses are junior-senior courses, which allows majors to concentrate on fulfilling their General Education Requirements in their first two years. In their first two years, journalism majors should plan to take Journalism 1002 (Press in America), which is a prerequisite for a required major course. In their sophomore year, they should take Journalism 2000W (Newswriting I), which is a prerequisite for all of our other writing courses. They also may take Journalism 2001W (Newswriting II).

Students may apply to become journalism majors after completing 39 credits. (Students in the Honors Program may apply after completing 23 credits.) Students who have a cumulative grade point average of 2.8 or more are admitted without testing. Students whose grade point averages are below 2.8 must pass a rigorous writing test.

Before starting the first semester, students usually are advised by staff members in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences advisory office. Those advisors show students the mechanics of the registration process and acquaint them with the General Education Requirements. Once on campus, pre-majors are advised within the department by a staff member who advises only pre-majors. When students are admitted to the major, they are advised by faculty members in the department. The student and his or her advisor discuss the student's interests and career goals and outline a plan of study and experiential activities designed to meet those goals and satisfy the requirements of the college and the department. The plan is kept in the student's permanent file in the department.

Each semester students refer to the plan of study when choosing courses for the next semester. The department provides ample opportunities for students to review their course selections with faculty members. When the courses are approved, the department allows the student to register online.

The department regularly communicates with its majors through e-mail. The department sends notices about scholarships, job fairs, special events, registration information, internships, etc. The university provides each student with an email account. The department also maintains a resource room for majors where information is available about academic and career opportunities.

It is very important that all students get some professional experience before they graduate. There are several ways to do this: summer jobs, part-time jobs, freelancing, a full-time job through the Co-operative Education program, paid internships or a credit-granting internship through the Journalism Department. Majors are not required to complete an internship before they graduate, but they are urged to get some kind of professional experience. Students should consult with their advisers about which type or types of experience are best for them. Before students work at a professional news organization, many choose to work on-campus in the news departments of the Daily Campus newspaper, WHUS radio or UCTV.

No. The Daily Campus is an independently operated, 10,000-circulation daily with its own offices at 11 Dog Lane. It has been in operation since 1896, fifteen years after the university was founded. The campus radio station, WHUS, and television station, UCTV, are also independent. Journalism majors are encouraged, but not required, to work at the newspaper, WHUS or UCTV.

Our alumni have done very well and we are very proud of them. Allow us to brag.

In Connecticut:

Alumni work at newspapers, specialty publications and broadcast newsrooms throughout the state, including: The Hartford Courant, The (Manchester)Journal Inquirer, The (Willimantic) Chronicle, The (New London) Day, The (Danbury) News-Times, The (Meriden) Record-Journal, The Bristol Press, The (Norwalk) Hour, The (Waterbury) Republican, The Middletown Press, The (New Britain) Herald, The New Haven Register, The Norwich Bulletin, The Connecticut Post, The (Torrington) Register Citizen, The Stamford Advocate, The Litchfield County Times, The Simsbury News, The Hartford Advocate, The (Colchester) Regional Standard, The Fairfield Citizen-News, The New Milford Times, The Darien Times, Imprint Newspapers, ESPN, WELI, WILI, WLIS, WTIC radio, WTIC-TV, WVIT-TV, the Connecticut Law Tribune, Soundings and Hartford Business Journal.

Several of our in-state alumni are successful freelancers. One writes full - time for The New York Times and The Boston Globe. One is a contributing editor to Connecticut magazine and writes frequently for The New York Times and other publications. Another has written two successful books on health issues, edits a subscription newsletter, writes for newspapers and magazines, and helped produce an award-winning, national public television documentary on women and heart disease.

Our alumni form a substantial network within the state, which helps with job placements. The department frequently gets calls from editors who want to hire our graduates. We maintain an online job posting and a Listserv for alumni.

Outside Connecticut:

Our graduates work for respected publications and broadcast facilities throughout the United States. Although it's difficult to keep track of alumni as they move around the country and the world, our records indicate that we have graduates working at: The New York Times, The New York Times Online, The Boston Globe, The Providence Journal-Bulletin, The (Lowell) Sun, The Bangor Daily News, The Orlando Sentinel, The (Los Angeles) Daily News, The Stockton (Calif.) Record, The (Antioch, Calif.) Ledger Dispatch ,The Durango (Colo.) Herald, The Dallas Morning News, The Detroit News, The (Johnstown, Penn.) Tribune-Democrat, The York (Penn.) Newspaper Co., The Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Journal, The Syracuse Herald-Journal, The Camden (N.J.) Courier-Post, The Daily Hampton (Mass.) Gazette, The Haverhill (Mass.) Gazette, The Philadelphia Daily News, The (Pottstown, Penn.) Mercury, The Savannah Morning News, Gazette Newspapers of Gaithersburg, Md., and The Key West (Fla.) Citizen , ABC News, WABC-TV in New York City, MSNBC, WGGB-TV in Springfield, Mass., WCVB-TV in Needham, Mass., WMAR-TV in Baltimore, WPTZ-TV in Plattsburgh, N.Y., WILK radio in Pittston, Penn., Time magazine, The National Journal, Family PC, Education Daily, Institutional Investor, Dow Jones & Co., Bloomberg News, MediaLink, International Voyager Media, Northeast Export magazine, Diagnostic Imaging magazine, ZD Internet magazine, Fabrics and Furnishings International in New York, City Limits magazine in Manhattan and Exchange Publications in Washington, D.C. Two alumni are full - time freelance foreign correspondents and authors covering the Balkans and the Middle East.