The School of Journalism and Mass Communication offers professionally oriented programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels to prepare students for positions in mass communication.

The school’s responsibilities include training students for careers, providing leadership for persons currently working in the mass media and helping to increase public awareness of the role of the media.

The curriculum is designed to provide students with the benefits of both a strong liberal arts education and professional training. Journalism and mass communication requirements make up approximately 25 percent of the students’ program, with requirements in other areas and elective courses constituting the other 75 percent.

Faculty members have substantial professional experience in the mass media in addition to teaching and academic qualifications. Also, a number of area professionals teach as adjunct faculty.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication provides professional service and leadership through seminars and professional workshops for journalists. Faculty members are active in a number of professional organizations and serve as consultants to groups in mass communication.

Journalism and mass communication majors supplement their coursework with an internship in their field of specialization. Other opportunities for practical experience include news, production, management, sales, performance and advertising positions on the campus newspaper, the Daily Kent Stater, and its online edition; the campus television station, TV-2; the campus radio station, Black Squirrel Radio; and the campus magazine, the Burr, and its online edition.

Students also may participate in student chapters of six national professional organizations: American Advertising Federation, Journalism and Mass Communication Honorary Kappa Tau Alpha, Public Relations Student Society of America, National Association of Black Journalists, Society of Professional Journalists and the Association of Women in Communications.

Programs leading to the Bachelor of Science degree are available for students interested in a variety of electronic media. The students may look to possible careers as radio-television performers, program production personnel, producers, broadcast sales promoters and advertisers, and broadcast copy and script writers. Other options include careers in nonbroadcast and new media utilization of audio and video communication in industrial training and in public communication. Careers are applicable to both commercial and public broadcasting operations.

B.S. degree programs also are available for majors in advertising, electronic media, news, public relations and visual journalism.

Students who major in the news sequence select one of three areas of study: newspaper journalism, magazine journalism or broadcast journalism.

Students in any journalism and mass communication major may elect a minor outside or within the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

In each of the baccalaureate degree programs, students must satisfy the 36-hour minimum stipulated in the Liberal Education Requirements.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication is accredited nationally by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. In addition, the school holds memberships in the Ohio Newspaper Association, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Broadcast Education Association and the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication.

For more than 50 years, the school has sponsored the Northeastern Ohio Scholastic Press Association to encourage and guide the practice of journalism at the secondary school level.

Graduate programs leading to the Master of Arts degree also are available. These are described in the Graduate Schools Catalog.

Admissions Policy

Students first entering the university, whether from high school or transferring from another institution, are admitted directly into one of the nine JMC majors/concentrations. A Kent State GPA of 2.75 must be maintained to continue taking JMC courses.

Current Kent State students wishing to pursue a major in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication must have a GPA of 2.75 or higher to be admitted directly into one of the nine majors/concentrations.

Current Kent States students with a GPA lower than 2.75 (but 2.0 or higher) may be admitted as pre-journalism and mass communication majors.

Current and transfer students can declare a major or pre-major in 201 or 328 Franklin Hall. It is strongly recommended that student meet with a JMC academic advisor when declaring. To schedule an appointment go to jmc.kent.edu and follow the Make an Advising Appointment links.

School Requirements
Students must complete the following requirements for graduation in all journalism and mass communication programs.

Students must pass the school’s grammar usage and punctuation test before enrolling in any of the following JMC courses: 26001 Newswriting, 30004 Writing for Electronic Media, 30034 Programming for Electronic Media, 31002 Advertising Copywriting, 31003 Advertising Media Planning, 32001 Photojournalism I, 40006 Law of Mass Communication, 40010 Ethics and Issues in Mass Communication, 44040 Concept Psychographics and 46001 Information Graphics.

Within the 124 total hours required for graduation, 80 hours must be in coursework outside the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, with 65 of those 80 hours in liberal studies courses.

Students electing minors that are not liberal studies in nature may need to complete more than 124 hours.

A 2.75 overall GPA at Kent State and a 2.75 GPA in JMC courses are required for graduation for both JMC majors and minors. A 2.75 overall GPA is also required to enroll in JMC courses. Students who fall below a 2.75 overall will be allowed to remain in JMC courses for which they are already registered for one more semester. They will be given one semester to bring their overall GPA up to the school minimum. Failure to do so will result in not being permitted to enroll in JMC courses until their overall GPA reaches the school minimum. In addition, no grade lower than a C- (1.70) in a JMC course will be counted toward graduation or as a prerequisite for a subsequent class.

Students must earn a B- (2.70) or better in JMC 20004 Media Writing to move on in their major. If they fail to earn a B- (2.70) or better in JMC 20004 after two attempts, they are not permitted to continue in the journalism and mass communication program.

Writing-Intensive Course Requirement
Refer to this Catalog for specific information on the writing-intensive course requirement.