BA in Journalism Requirements
The Bachelor of Arts in Journalism is designed for students seeking contemporary news careers. These could be in multimedia, TV/Radio, digital/online, or print. The journalism program offers students a strong foundation in skills relevant to today’s digitally-mediated newsrooms and audiences, along with an informed appreciation of public affairs, and a firm grasp of media history that informs the present. These objectives draw upon the inclusive knowledge architecture of the liberal arts. The program encourages and supports student learning through mandatory internships with established media outlets and a variety of other interactions with professional media institutions. For those interested in pursuing higher education, the major also prepares students for graduate study in related communication fields, law, the humanities, and the social sciences.
Learning outcomes for this program include:
- Students are able to demonstrate their journalistic skills by producing high-quality, professional, and ethical journalistic products.
- Students are able to demonstrate complex, detailed, and critical thinking about journalism as both a cultural practice and professional endeavor.
- Students understand, and can describe, the principles of professionalism, their personal career development goals, and the experience of producing journalism, public relations, marketing, or professional communication, through reflection upon internship experiences.
Download a PDF of the curriculum here.
For majors who declared BEFORE Fall 2019, please visit this page for major requirements.
Overview of Degree Requirements
- Minimum number of credits required to graduate: 120
- Minimum number of credits required to complete the major: 30
- Minimum Cumulative GPA required to graduate: 2.0.
- Minimum Grade requirements for courses to count toward major: A grade of C- or better is required for all CMJ courses to fulfill a major requirement.
- Other GPA requirements to graduate: A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 (“C”) in the major.
- Required Course(s) for fulfilling Capstone Experience: CMJ 489
- Residency Requirement: 24 credits of CMJ courses must be taken at the University of Maine.
Journalism Major Requirements
For students transferring equivalent courses from other colleges, the faculty will determine equivalency (if any) of transfer courses in the discipline. Some CMJ courses require the completion of one or more prerequisite courses.
Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in CMJ 136 in order to continue in the Journalism major and to take the following CMJ courses: CMJ 237, CMJ 332, CMJ 351, CMJ 434, CMJ 435, CMJ 481, CMJ 484 and CMJ 489, as well as CMJ 395.CMJ 332, CMJ 351, CMJ 434, CMJ 481, CMJ 484 and CMJ 489, as well as CMJ 395.
A grade of C- or higher is required in all CMJ courses submitted to satisfy departmental requirements for the major.
Course Requirements: 5 courses (16 credits)
| CMJ 136 | Journalism Writing and Editing | 3 credits |
| CMJ 211 | Journalism and Media History | 3 credits |
| CMJ 237 | Journalism Across Platforms | 4 credits |
| CMJ 375 | Journalism and Media Law | 3 credits |
| CMJ 489 | Seminar in Media Ethics and Issues | 3 credits |
Internship Requirement: (3 credits)
| CMJ 395 | Student Media Practicum | 1-3 credits |
| CMJ 495 | Internship | 1-3 credits |
*Please note: Students can take up to nine credits of either CMJ 395 or CMJ 495 (or a combination of both), but only three of those credits will count toward their major. The additional six hours of CMJ 395 or CMJ 495 will count toward the required 120 credit hours for a Bachelor’s degree as elective credits but will not meet any specific requirement in CMJ.
Professional Course Requirement: 2 or more courses (6 or more credits)
| CMJ 332 | Public Affairs Reporting and Research | 3 credits |
| CMJ 351 | Audio and Video Production | 4 credits |
| CMJ 434 | Editorial and Opinion Writing | 3 credits |
| CMJ 481 | Digital Journalism | 4 credits |
| CMJ 484 | Investigative Journalism | 3 credits |
| CMJ 489 | Seminar in Media Ethics and Issues | 3 credits |
Electives: (Up to 6 credit hours may be taken to complete 30 credit hours required)
| CMJ 111 | Introduction to Journalism | 3 credits |
| CMJ 261 | Photographic Reporting and Storytelling | 3 credits |
| CMJ 314 | International Media | 3 credits |
| CMJ 330 | Copy Editing | 3 credits |
| CMJ 367 | Public Relations | 3 credits |
| CMJ 380 | Advertising, Media and Society | 3 credits |
| CMJ 391 | Topics in Journalism | 3 credits |
| CMJ 435 | Feature Writing | 3 credits |
| CMJ 471 | Future of News | 3 credits |
| CMJ 491 | Advanced Topics in Journalism | 3 credits |
| CMJ 500+ | Requires department approval | 3 credits |
Additional credits: Students may also take additional credits in department courses beyond the 30 required for the major, but must take at least 60 credit hours outside of CMJ courses.
Suggested Sequence for Required Courses in a Journalism B.A.
First Year – First Semester
- ENG 101: College Composition (3 credits)
- Electives/General Education Requirements (12 credits)
First Year – Second Semester
- CMJ 136: Journalism Writing and Editing (3 credits)
- Electives/General Education Requirements (12 credits)
Second Year – First Semester
- CMJ 237: Journalism Across Platforms (4 credits)
- Journalism Electives (3 credits)
- Electives/General Education Requirements (9 credits)
Second Year – Second Semester
- CMJ 211: Journalism and Media History (3 credits)
- Journalism Professional Course (3-4 credits)
- Electives/General Education Requirements (9 credits)
Third Year – First Semester
- Journalism Professional Course (3-4 credits)
- Journalism Elective (3 credits)
- Electives (9 credits)
Third Year – Second Semester
- Journalism Professional Course: 3-4
- CMJ 375 – Journalism and Media Law Credits: 3
- Electives (9 credits)
Fourth Year – First Semester
- CMJ 495: Internship (1-3 credits)
- CMJ External Requirement (9 credits)
- Electives (6 credits)
Fourth Year – Second Semester
- CMJ 489: Seminar in Media Ethics and Issues (3 credits)
- Electives (12 credits)
Note: Elective credits may be used to meet remaining General Education, college, B.A., or department requirements. Students may also take additional credits in department courses beyond the 30 required for the major, but must take at least 60 credit hours outside of CMJ courses.