College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Journalism

News-Editorial

Students concentrating in news-editorial prepare for careers as reporters, writers and editors for local, regional, national and international publications. These students are intellectually curious and enjoy being "in the know" and uncovering the "back story" when it comes to cutting-edge and breaking news events and issues. News-editorial students learn to probe and investigate when gathering information and to write with precision, using concise language and structure. Indianapolis, the nation's 25th largest media market, provides students with numerous opportunities for developing and refining reporting and news writing skills.

General Requirements and Credit Hours

Number Course Name Credit Hours
EN 102 Freshman Writing Seminar 3 hrs
ID 103 Humanities Colloquium 3 hrs
SH 102 Public Speaking 2 hrs
ID 201 Change and Tradition (1st Semester) 3 hrs
ID 202 Change and Tradition (2nd Semester) 3 hrs
PE 101 Lifetime Fitness (no substitutions) 1 hr
PE 102 Physical Education 1 hr
  Language of Choice* 6 hrs
Total: 22 hrs

* 6 hours of foreign language credit at the 200- or 300-level; courses are offered at the 100-level for students in need of preparation for more advanced study. Although 100-level courses do not satisfy the foreign language requirement, they do count toward the degree.

Distribution Requirements and Credit Hours

Division Area Credit Hours
Division I Humanities 3 hrs
Division II Fine Arts 3 hrs
Division IV Natural Science 5 hrs
Division V Quantitative and Formal Reasoning 3 hrs
Total: 14 hrs

School Requirements and Credit Hours

Number Course Name Credit Hours
JR 107 Introduction to Mass Communication 3 hrs
JR 112 Writing for Print Media 3 hrs
JR 212 Newswriting and Reporting* 3 hrs
JR 311 News Editing* 3 hrs
JR 350 Internship* 3 hrs
JR 412 Reporting Public Affairs* 3 hrs
JR 414 Mass Communication Law** 3 hrs
JR 415 History and Literature of Journalism 3 hrs
JR 416 Mass Communication in Society** 3 hrs
JR 417 International Communication Systems 3 hrs
  School Electives 9 hrs
Total: 39 hrs

* Make sure you complete the prerequisites (noted on the Journalism Course Listings page or in the Butler Bulletin) before enrolling for these courses.
** Interchangeable courses that may be taken either in the fall or spring semester.

Electives (A minor is recommended): 45 hrs

Total hours from all required courses: 120 hrs

Students may be graduated upon completion of 120 semester hours, including the core curriculum, 40 hours of upper-division work, foreign language and computer competency requirements, and a major in the college.

The Journalism major will serve an internship in areas corresponding to their interest under professional supervision sometime during the junior or senior year. It is a very important part of the curriculum and is integrated into the program because of the university's location in Indianapolis and its wide selection of intern opportunities.

School electives include feature writing, editorial writing, sports journalism, news photography, introduction to public relations, case problems, public relations techniques, research methods in public relations and advertising, principles of advertising, advertising copywriting, advertising practices, design and production in public relations and advertising, web design and sports marketing.

Sample plan of study for the News-Editorial concentration area.