News-Editorial | Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism

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Undergraduate Programs

Undergraduate Programs | Admission | Advertising Program | Journalism Program
Public Relations Program | JQE | Graduation Requirements

Students who enter the School of Journalism beginning in Fall 2009 should follow the program requirements for the journalism program instead of the news-editorial program.

About Our News-Editorial Program

At the P.I. Reed School of Journalism (SOJ), news-editorial students learn by doing. The major’s capstone course requires students to write for state and regional newspapers as part of a special WVU student bureau. The program, which offers areas of emphasis in news and visual journalism, emphasizes hands-on learning and one-on-one instruction from experienced professionals.

Students also participate in immersion projects that deepen their writing and interviewing skills. Students documented the struggles of cancer patients through photography and writing in the book, “Cancer Stories: Lessons in Love, Loss and Hope.” Students also reported and produced multimedia stories for the School’s interactive website, “Starting Over: Loss and Renewal in Katrina’s Aftermath,” Students learn from a news-editorial faculty that includes a George Polk Award-winning investigative journalist, a former Associated Press war correspondent, a former Washington Post reporter, published fiction and nonfiction authors, photographers, designers, and former and current reporters and editors.

Students intern at the nation’s top newspapers and wire services, in addition to regional and local publications. Students also work for The Daily Athenaeum, the independent campus newspaper. Because of the SOJ’s hands-on curriculum and strong ties with alumni, newsroom managers, and publishers, students land jobs in publications throughout the state and nation.

News-Editorial Program Requirements

News-editorial majors earn a Bachelor of Science in Journalism, News-Editorial (BSJ) degree upon successful completion of the program.

To graduate, all School of Journalism (SOJ) majors must complete a minimum of 128 credit hours.

In addition to required SOJ core and news-editorial program courses, students must select either the news area of emphasis or visual area of emphasis (AOE) and fulfill the associated course requirements. Students must also take a specified number of courses outside the SOJ. They are also required to complete a minor (or second concentration) and fulfill General Education Curriculum (GEC) requirements approved by the SOJ.

Students in the news-editorial program are also required to publish at least 500 column inches of bylined writing or 30 bylined photographs in the news media. Other types of news media publications (e.g., infographics, online multimedia, blogs) may be accepted as well. Students should consult their program chair about this graduation requirement.

Finally, the SOJ’s accreditation guidelines require that students take a minimum of 80 hours outside the SOJ, 65 of which must be liberal arts courses. Typically, students meet those requirements through the GEC and minor courses but should consult with their academic advisor to insure they are on track to graduate.

Students should refer to following documents when planning their schedule:

• News-Editorial Program Requirements and Sample Schedule
• News-Editorial Curriculum Sheet
• Minors and Second Concentrations

For more information, contact the SOJ’s Student Services Advisor David Becker at (304) 293-5868 or David.Becker@mail.wvu.edu.

P.I. Reed School of Journalism
P.O. Box 6010 | 1511 University Ave.
Morgantown, WV 26506-6010
Phone: 304.293.3505 | Fax: 304.293.3072
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