Department of Journalism

Undergraduate Degree(s):

Journalism has been taught at Texas Southern University since the Texas Legislature passed enabling legislation for the creation of the university in 1947. Many of its graduates have gone on to form a cadre of African American journalists who fill a void in American newsrooms, public relations agencies, government entities, and other innovative organizations across the nation.

The Department of Journalism is one of four departments in the School of Communication, which includes departments of Communication Studies, Entertainment and the Recording Industry Management, and Radio, Television and Film. Journalism majors may choose from three concentrations:

advertising/public relations.
print journalism, and
broadcast journalism

Graduate students may also earn a master’s degree in Communication with concentrations in one of four areas:

Health Communication
Media Studies/Research and Theory
Organizational Communication
Sports and Entertainment Managment

Or an M. A. in Professional Communication and Digital Media

Journalism majors must take a series of courses required of all School of Communication students. These include:

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
COMM 130	Introduction to Communication Studies	3
COMM 200	Intro to Media Research Tech	3
COMM 332	Computer Applications in Communication	3
COMM 430	Experiential Learning	3

Mission and Goals

The journalism department is dedicated to educating students to communicate information and ideas that enable people to fulfill their responsibilities as citizens in a diverse, democratic society and to protect their rights and interests as individuals. To that end, the department's mission is to offer theory-based, professionally current instruction in journalism, including journalistic writing and editing for print, broadcast, and the Internet; newspaper and digital production; and public relations and advertising.

Our goals are to provide a high-quality education for demanding communications professions; to instruct students in the mechanics of and the reasons for contemporary journalism practice; to provide high quality academic and career counseling; to provide useful services to journalists and other professional communicators in our region; to conduct research in journalism and mass communication; to serve society by educating enlightened, ethical, well-prepared journalists and other communicators, and to stimulate and participate in professional development and research designed to enlarge our understanding of journalism in society.

Faculty members with both professional experience and academic knowledge emphasize the fundamentals of news gathering and storytelling in the digital age.

The skills students learn in the classroom are strengthen through their participation in KTSU2, the School of Communication’s multimedia student run digital and streaming operation.

Degree Concentrations

The Department of Journalism offers three degree concentrations: print journalism, broadcast journalism and advertising/public relations. All three concentrations require students take three reporting classes: introductory, intermediate and advanced. All students are required to take classes in news editing, law and the media and computers in communication.

Broadcast journalism majors take introductory, intermediate and advanced classes in broadcast journalism as well as classes in the Radio, Television and Film Department.

Print journalism and advertising/public relations majors are required to have a minor. Often they choose RTF in order to enhance their technical and digital skills. Broadcast journalism majors must take 19 hours of production classes in the Radio, Television and Film Department and are not required to a minor.

On average, 150 students enroll as journalism majors. An estimated two-thirds are taking the broadcast journalism concentration. The other third is divided between print and advertising/public-relations concentrations. Only grades of C or better in School classes and in English are accepted for the major or minor in journalism.

Student Success as Measured by Student Learning Outcomes

The Department of Journalism created a comprehensive assessment plan designed to measure student achievement that adheres to accrediting institutions' requirements. There are three goals:

Writing and Storytelling Learning Goal: Students will demonstrate the ability to gather factual story elements, and to evaluate and express them in logical, narrative forms for multiple media platforms and audiences.
Media Technologies and Production Learning Goal: Understand the creation of media content in the context of technology and production. Identify transformations in audiences, engagement, and business practice over time. Grasp the significance of advances in mass communication technology for cultural production in domestic and global media markets from the printing press to the latest digital platforms.
Research Learning Goal: Engage in in‐depth research and demonstrate an ability to accurately evaluate and use data (statistical and qualitative) in the presentation of information and images for the public.

The Department of Journalism also requires students to successfully pass capstone courses in each concentration. The concentrations are Advertising and Public Relations, Broadcast Journalism, and Print. Students must also complete an internship in their respective concentrations.

Our students have access to a rich variety of resources including:

Award-winning faculty who are industry experts, working professionals, and accomplished scholars, including local, regional and national award-winners.
Alumni who are national and international journalists, multimedia content creators, influencers, content branded creators, analytics managers, idea inventors, producers, digital and public relations practitioners.
State-of-the-art television, film and radio facilities including KTSU2, the School of Communication’s multimedia student run digital and streaming operation and radio station, KTSU 90.9 FM.
Unparalleled real-world experience on and off-campus, including hundreds of internship opportunities within 30 miles of Houston, the 4th largest in the U.S.

Journalism Courses

JOUR 130 Intro To Journalism (3 Credits)

Lecture: 3, Lab: 0

Introduction to Journalism (3) Survey of history, theory, aesthetics, and economics of print media; special emphasis placed on the development of electronic news operation. Three hours of lecture per week.

Prerequisite(s): ENG 131 (may be taken concurrently) or ENG 132 (may be taken concurrently)