Journalism BA Degree Requirements (120 hours)

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Degree Plan (JOUBA)

General Education Curriculum

GEC 01. Written Communication (6 hours)

ENG 101 - Composition One 3 hrs.
ENG 102 - Composition Two 3 hrs.

GEC 02. Natural Science (8-10 hours minimum)

Select 2 courses with labs:

AST 111 - General Astronomy I 3 hrs. (Recommended) AND
AST 111L - General Astronomy I Laboratory 1 hr. (Recommended)
AST 112 - General Astronomy II 3 hrs. AND
AST 112L - General Astronomy II Laboratory 1 hr.
BSC 103 - Biology and Society 3 hrs. (Recommended) AND
BSC 103L - Biology and Society Laboratory 1 hr (Recommended)
BSC 110 - Principles of Biological Science I 3 hrs. AND
BSC 110L - Principles of Biological Science I Laboratory 1 hr.
BSC 111 - Principles of Biological Science II 3 hrs. AND
BSC 111L - Principles of Biological Science II Laboratory 1 hr.
BSC 250 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I 3 hrs. AND
BSC 250L - Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory 1 hr.
BSC 251 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II 3 hrs. AND
BSC 251L - Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory 1 hr.
CHE 104 - Chemistry and Our Environment 3 hrs. (Recommended) AND
CHE 104L - Chemistry and Our Environment Laboratory 1 hr. (Recommended)
CHE 106 - General Chemistry I 3 hrs. AND
CHE 106L - General Chemistry I Laboratory 1 hr.
GHY 104 - Weather and Climate 3 hrs. AND
GHY 104L - Weather and Climate Laboratory 1 hr.
GHY 105 - Land and Water 3 hrs. AND
GHY 105L - Land and Water Lab 1 hr.
GLY 101 - Physical Geology 3 hrs. (Recommended) AND
GLY 101L - Physical Geology Laboratory 1 hr. (Recommended)
GLY 103 - Historical Geology 3 hrs. AND
GLY 103L - Historical Geology Laboratory 1 hr.
MAR 151 - Introduction to Ocean Science 3 hrs. (Recommended) AND
MAR 151L - Introduction to Ocean Science Laboratory 1 hr. (Recommended)
PHY 103 - Introductory Physics 3 hrs. AND
PHY 103L - Introductory Physics Laboratory 1 hr.
PHY 111 - General Physics I 3 hrs. AND
PHY 111L - General Physics I Laboratory 1 hr.
PHY 112 - General Physics II 3 hrs. AND
PHY 112L - General Physics II Laboratory 1 hr.
PHY 201 - General Physics I with Calculus 4 hrs. AND
PHY 201L - General Physics I with Calculus Laboratory 1 hr.
PHY 202 - General Physics II with Calculus 4 hrs. AND
PHY 202L - General Physics II with Calculus Laboratory 1 hr.
PSC 190 - Living in a Material World 3 hrs. (Recommended) AND
PSC 190L - Lab for Living in a Material World 1 hr. (Recommended)

GEC 03. Humanities (9 hours)

ENG 203 - World Literature 3 hrs.

Select 2 courses, 1 History required

HIS 101 - World Civilizations: Beginnings to 1500 C.E. 3 hrs.
HIS 102 - World Civilizations: 1500 to the present 3 hrs.
PHI 151 - Introduction to Philosophy 3 hrs.
PHI 171 - Ethics and Good Living 3 hrs.
REL 131 - Comparative Religion 3 hrs.

GEC 04. Aesthetic Values (3 hours)

Select 1 course:

GEC 05. Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 hours)

Select 2 courses:

ANT 101 - The Human Experience: A Global Perspective on Human Diversity 3 hrs.
HHS 100 - Concepts of Wellness 3 hrs.
ECO 101 - Basic Economics 3 hrs.
GHY 101 - World Geography: Dynamics of a Changing Earth 3 hrs.
PS 101 - American Government 3 hrs.
PSY 110 - General Psychology 3 hrs.
SOC 101 - Understanding Society: Principles of Sociology 3 hrs.

GEC 06. Mathematics (3 hours)

Select 1 course:

MAT 100 - Quantitative Reasoning 3 hrs. ***
MAT 101 - College Algebra 3 hrs.
Higher-level MAT course

GEC 07. Writing-Intensive Requirement (Major Area)

MCJ 300 - Multimedia Journalism 3 hrs. (WI)
ENG 101 & ENG 102 prerequisites

GEC 08. Speaking Intensive Requirement (3 hours)

Select 1 course:

CMS 111 - Public Speaking 3 hrs. (SI)
CMS 305 - Interpersonal Communication 3 hrs. (SI)
CMS 320 - Professional Communication 3 hrs. (SI)
CMS 330 - Small-Group Communication 3 hrs. (SI)

GEC 09. Capstone Requirement (Major Area)

MCJ 406 - Journalism Workshop 3 hrs. (Capstone)
Must be taken Senior Year; ENG 101 & ENG 102 prerequisites

Note:

*This course satisfies both the GEC requirement and a program requirement for this major.

**This particular GEC course is recommended by this major.

***This course does not satisfy prerequisites for any other math course.

GEC 07 - GEC 09 courses are specific to this major.

For full description of the GEC, see here .

Program Curriculum

DEG 01. Major Area of Study Requirements (45 hours)

A “C” or better is required in all MCJ major courses.

MCJ 101 - Media Literacy 3 hrs.
MCJ 102 - Media Writing I 3 hrs.
MEA 101 - Audio Essentials 1 hr.
MEA 102 - Video Essentials 1 hr.
MEA 103 - Design Essentials 1 hr.
MCJ 203 - News Writing and Reporting 3 hrs.
MCJ 300 - Multimedia Journalism 3 hrs. (WI)
MCJ 302 - Photography for Journalists 3 hrs.
MCJ 304 - Broadcast Reporting I 3 hrs.
MCJ 310 - Digital and Social Media 3 hrs.
MCJ 406 - Journalism Workshop 3 hrs. (Capstone)
MCJ 454 - Media Law and Ethics 3 hrs.

MCJ Skills Electives, select 3 courses:

MCJ 301 - Feature Writing 3 hrs.
MCJ 303 - Investigative Strategies 3 hrs.
MCJ 311 - News Editing 3 hrs.
MCJ 312 - Graphic Design 3 hrs.
MCJ 341 - Photojournalism 3 hrs.
MCJ 344 - Audio Reporting and Podcasting 3 hrs.
MCJ 400 - Advanced Multimedia Storytelling 3 hrs.
MCJ 404 - Broadcast Reporting II 3 hrs.
MCJ 408 - Broadcast News Producing 3 hrs.
MCJ 425 - Data and Media Analytics 3 hrs.
MCJ 429 - Internship 3 hrs.

MCJ Values Elective, select 2 courses:

MCJ 355 - Gender, Race and Media 3 hrs.
MCJ 407 - Theories of Mass Communication 3 hrs.
MCJ 461 - Mass Media History 3 hrs.
MCJ 462 - Media Criticism 3 hrs.
MCJ 463 - Media Management and Economics 3 hrs.

DEG 02. Additional Requirements (12-21 hours)

Bachelor of Arts Requirements

One social science course in ANT, GHY, PS, SOC, CMS; Course must be different than the one chosen in GEC 05.
1 humanities elective course in ENG, HIS, FLM, WGS, PHI, REL, HUM (FLM 170 recommended); Course must be different than the one chosen in GEC 03.

Foreign Language Requirement:

12 hours in a single foreign language; fewer hours may suffice, but course level 202 must be completed.

DEG 03. Electives (19 hours)

Minor recommended

Reminder - USM requires all students to complete 45 hours at the 300-400 level.

A minimum of 72 hours of courses outside of Mass Communication and Journalism (MCJ), including 65 hours in the basic liberal arts and sciences, is required for this major. Choose electives as needed with advisor’s approval. (See Hours to Degree below.)

Hours to Degree

120 hours are needed to graduate with a BA in Journalism. At least 50 percent of the hours applied to a degree at The University of Southern Mississippi must be earned from a senior college, and 30 of these hours must be in courses numbered 300 or above. The student must earn at least 21 of the last 30 hours of course work and at least 12 hours in the major area of study from Southern Miss. See Residence Hour Requirements for more information.