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Although many of you came here to learn how to be reporters, photojournalists and editors, the department faculty, as well as the best minds in journalism education and the profession, believes the best way to prepare journalists is to expose them to as much knowledge about as many subjects as possible. (Indeed, we applaud students who pursue minors or double majors in other subject areas.) That's why 90 (including 48 units of required General Education courses) of the 124 credits you need to earn a degree in journalism are comprised of courses outside the major.
Of those 90 credits, 65 must be in liberal arts and sciences courses. Liberal arts and sciences are generally defined as courses that teach you about something. Non-liberal arts and science courses are those that teach you specific skills, excluding foreign language courses. Most journalism classes teach you specific skills and therefore, are not considered liberal arts and science courses. On the other hand, most General Education courses are because they teach you about something.
This doesn't mean you can't take courses outside the major that are not liberal arts and sciences, but it does mean you should keep the requirement in mind when selecting courses outside the major. A good way to do that is to count up the number of units you have taken outside the major that are not liberal arts and science courses. If they comprise more than 25 units (roughly eight, three-unit classes), you might be in trouble and should consult an adviser as soon as possible. If you are unsure whether the course you want to take fits the liberal arts and sciences definition, consult the course description in the university bulletin.
Journalism Courses Outside the Major:
Unfortunately, any skills courses taken in the Department of Broadcast, Electronic and Communications Arts (BECA) will not count toward the major, even as electives. That's because our program is accredited and the broadcast journalism program in BECA is not. To keep our accreditation status, students can only take journalism classes within the department. The same apples to classes that teach skills similar to journalism, such as how-to photography classes taught in the Art Department. Again, you are not prohibited from taking these courses. They just won't count toward your degree.
Physical Education Courses:
The department will accept no more than six units of physical education classes as credit toward the major.
General Education:
We advise majors against enrolling in journalism skills classes before completing Segment I: Basic Subjects and Segment II: Arts and Sciences of the General Education requirements. (Indeed, one of the prerequisites for Journalism 221: Newswriting is a grade of B or better in a college-level composition class, a segment I GE course.) A list of recommended Segment I, II and III courses can be obtained in the department office.
To ensure, you are progressing with your General Education coursework, we urge you to make an appointment with a General Education adviser for the College of Humanities in the Advising Center located in ADM 212. The phone number is (415) 338-2101.
Nine-unit, Non-journalism Block:
Of the 90 non-journalism units you must take, nine must be comprised of upper-division courses taken in one department. Sometimes, students confuse this requirement with Segment III: Relationships of Knowledge, the upper-division General Education requirement. They aren't necessarily the same because most Segment III clusters are comprised of courses taught in different departments. However, if you know what you're doing, you can double up on these requirements. To be sure, consult and adviser beforehand.
Writing Coach Program:
Every student enrolled in a writing class is eligible to receive a writing coach to work with them for one hour a week. Almost 100 journalists in the Bay Area volunteer their time to be coaches and mentors. You can arrange for one of them to work with you by visiting the department's Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism (HUM 307). The Center was created five years ago to provide support and professional development for all journalism majors.
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