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Academics|Degrees, Minors, Certificates|Bachelor of Science, Journalism
Degree Requirements

BS, Journalism: Degree Requirements

Overview

  • A minimum of 32 units must be completed at the college level. (Generally, 1 unit is the equivalent of 1 course.)
  • Of the 32 units, at least 20 must be earned in courses outside of the journalism program, and at least 12 must be earned in journalism program courses. Students with more than 32 units may take additional journalism units.
  • Normally students must take the final 16 units at Northwestern University in Qatar. Credit for summer work taken at other colleges or universities may be counted as part of the final 16 units if approved in advance.
  • No course may be counted in more than one requirement category.

Curriculum requirements

Arts and Sciences (20 units)

In order to ensure that graduates of the program have pursued liberal arts studies preparing them to be informed journalists, 20 of the required 32 courses must be in subjects other than journalism. Students should consult with their academic advisers about selecting the 20 courses in arts and sciences, which must include the following areas:

Distribution requirements (16 units)

  • Art or art history (1 unit): Courses in acting, art appreciation, or music appreciation also fulfill this requirement
  • Economics (1 unit): 1 course in Principles of Economics or equivalent
  • English 103-1: First-Year Writing, Semester-1
  • English 103-2: First-Year Writing, Semester-2
  • History (2 units): 2 courses, each treating a different era, area or topic
  • Literature (2 units): 2 courses, each treating a different genre or literary tradition
  • Political science (2 units)
  • Religion or philosophy (1 unit)
  • Mass Media & Society
  • Science, mathematics, or logic (2 units, one of which must be statistics)
  • Concentration (5 units):

    The concentration consists of five courses, including three 300-level courses. All five should be in one of the following areas: natural or life sciences, humanities, or social sciences. The concentration ensures that graduates have a deep understanding of at least one field other than journalism. Courses taken to fulfill the concentration may include courses taken to fulfill the distribution requirements listed above. It is the student’s responsibility to consult with an academic adviser early on to determine whether sufficient courses in a particular area are available to fulfill a concentration.

Journalism (minimum of 12 units)

Core (5 units)

  • JOUR 201 Editing, Writing and Multimedia Storytelling
  • JOUR 202 Introduction to 21st-Century Media
  • JOUR 203 Visual Journalism
  • JOUR 301 Enterprise Reporting in Diverse Communities
  • JOUR 370 Media Law and Ethics

Journalism Residency

Students choose one of the following programs for the Journalism Residency:

Newspaper/Online
  • JOUR 342 Advanced Online Storytelling (five-week intensive course)
  • JOUR 345 Journalism Residency in Newspaper/Online: Reporting (2 units; 10-week full-time internship)
Magazine
  • JOUR 321 Magazine and Feature Writing
  • JOUR 342 Advanced Online Storytelling (five-week intensive course)
  • JOUR 355 Journalism Residency in Magazine: Writing (2 units)
Broadcast
  • JOUR 323 Broadcast Production and Presentation
  • JOUR 342 Advanced Online Storytelling (five-week intensive course) or JOUR 368 Documentary
  • JOUR 365 Journalism Residency in Broadcast: Reporting (2 units)
Public Relations
  • IMC 331 Public Relations Strategies and Writing
  • JOUR 342 Advanced Online Storytelling (five-week intensive course)
  • JOUR 395 Journalism Residency in Public Relations (2 units)

Electives (3-4 units minimum)

The following journalism electives may not be offered every semester or even every year:

  • IMC 330 Principles of Public Relations
  • IMC 332 Case Studies in Public Relations and Integrated Marketing Communication
  • JOUR 250 Media Literacy
  • JOUR 321 Magazine and Feature Writing
  • JOUR 323 Broadcast Production and Presentation
  • JOUR 342 Advanced Online Storytelling
  • JOUR 368 Television Documentary
  • JOUR 381 Business Reporting
  • JOUR 390 Special Topics (including Field Reporting trips)

Grade Requirements

Students must achieve a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 in all non-journalism courses taken for a letter grade and a minimum GPA of 2.25 in journalism courses. In addition, all journalism students are subject to the following grade requirements:

  • The journalism GPA is an average of the grades (including F’s) in all journalism courses attempted.
  • Students who earn a grade of D or worse in a journalism course must retake the course until they have earned a C- or better, except JOUR 301, which students must retake until they have earned a grade of C or better.
  • When journalism courses are repeated, both grades are computed in the GPA; one course does not substitute for another.
  • Before starting the Journalism Residency, students must earn a grade of C or better in JOUR 301: Enterprise Reporting in Diverse Communities AND have a minimum GPA of 2.25 in journalism
  • Students may earn grades of C- or worse in no more than one-fifth of the courses taken for graduation.
  • All incomplete grades, unless made up satisfactorily by the end of the subsequent semester, are counted as Fs.
  • Students who do not meet the minimum GPA requirements are placed on academic probation. Continued poor performance will result in further academic disciplinary action, including academic probation or dismissal.
  • Students are required to take the following courses for letter grades (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D and F):

    • All distribution requirements
    • All courses in the liberal arts concentration
    • All journalism courses (except for the Journalism Residency and courses offered by the faculty under the P/N option)
    • Other courses may be taken pass/no credit (P/N) if that option is available. No more than two courses taken P/N may be counted toward the 32 units required for graduation (excluding the Journalism Residency). Only one course per semester may be taken P/N.