College of Communication and Information
School of Media and Journalism
www.kent.edu/mdj

About This Program

At Kent State, journalism students learn how to cover real stories that make a difference. Whether using a camera, a microphone, a smartphone or a laptop, you’ll develop critical skills to tell stories in all forms. Students graduate prepared to continue as journalists or apply these skills to other professions that value critical thinking, information gathering and the ability to make sense of it for others. Read more...

Contact Information

• Emily Metzgar | mdj@kent.edu |
  330-672-2572
• Speak with an Advisor
• Chat with an Admissions Counselor

Program Delivery

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Examples of Possible Careers

• Editor, copy editor or fact-checker
• Magazine writer/reporter
• Photojournalist or multimedia journalist
• Podcaster or radio host
• Reporter/journalist for web, television, audio, and newspaper
• Sports broadcaster or sportswriter
• Television anchor
• Television news producer

Accreditation

Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC)

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.

First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning a minimum 525 TOEFL score (71 on the Internet-based version), minimum 75 MELAB score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score or minimum 48 PTE Academic score, or by completing the ELS level 112 Intensive Program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Transfer Students: Students who have attended any other educational institution after graduating from high school must apply as undergraduate transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Former Students: Former Kent State students or graduates who have not attended another college or university since Kent State may complete the reenrollment or reinstatement form on the University Registrar’s website.

Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's Academic Policies.

Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the program's Coursework tab.

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

¹

A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement. If the course is not being used to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement, a minimum C- grade must be earned.

²

Courses taken as a Major Requirement may not also count toward Major Electives.

³

Courses taken as Advanced Major Electives may not also count toward Major Electives.

⁴

A maximum of 4 credit hours of Physical Activity, Wellness and Sport (PWS) courses may be applied toward the degree program.

Progression Requirements

• No grade lower than a C- in a MDJ course will be counted toward graduation or as a prerequisite for a subsequent class.

Graduation Requirements

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

University Requirements

All students in a bachelor's degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.

NOTE: University requirements may be fulfilled in this program by specific course requirements. Please see Program Requirements for details.

Kent Core Requirements

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduate of this program will be able to:

1. Create news and information content that effectively covers the diversity of groups in a global society and reflects appreciation for individual differences.
2. Utilize appropriate legal and ethical frameworks to guide creation of news and information content.
3. Effectively plan, research, gather, write and produce audience-focused news and information content that has impact.
4. Critically evaluate news and information sources and demonstrate an understanding of the impact media messages have on audiences and society.
5. Use appropriate and relevant technology to create and enhance news and information content and promote it to a variety of audiences.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of the business of media and apply skills in a practical setting.

Full Description

Journalists are reporters, watchdogs, storytellers. The Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism teaches students how to cover real stories that make a difference. Whether using a camera, a microphone, a smartphone or a laptop, students become journalists by doing journalism inside and outside the classroom.

Gaining critical skills that equip them for storytelling in all its forms, journalism students practice their craft in Kent State’s award-winning student media. Working with these outlets, students learn how to engage audiences where they “live,” on TV, radio, online, social media and in print.

Journalism students produce news and feature content on visual, digital and emerging platforms, and they apply what they’ve learned as part of the required professional internship.

With a grounding in ethics and an understanding of media’s role in democratic society, students graduate prepared to continue as journalists or apply their skills to other professions that value critical thinking, information gathering and the ability to make sense of it for others.

Students may apply early to the following master's degree programs and double count 9 credit hours of graduate courses toward both degree programs. See the Combined Bachelor's/Master's Degree Program Policy in the University Catalog for more information.

• Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies
• Master of Arts degree in Media and Journalism
• Master of Arts degree in Visual Communication Design
• Master of Library Information Science degree in Library and Information Science
• Master of Science degree in Emerging Media and Technology
• Master of Science degree in Health Informatics
• Master of Science degree in Knowledge Management
• Master of Science degree in User Experience