Curriculum

Our program takes three semesters to complete, plus a summer internship.  You will be part of a cohort of students who will progress through the program together. Many of our classes are required, but you also have the opportunity to take three electives to pursue an area of special interest.
Fall Semester #1 (Late August to mid-December)

Jour 784: Environment of the West (3 credits)Analysis of the most pressing environmental issues in the West, as seen through the expertise of scientists, policy makers, citizen advocates and journalists.

Jour 720: Journalism and Democracy (3 credits)Analysis of the democratic implications of journalism.

Elective<: Courses could include Environmental Law, Policy, Science, Writing, GIS, or other related courses. Prior approval is required.

Spring Semester: Mid-January to mid-May

Jour 655: Fundamentals of Participatory Journalism (3 credits). Introduction to the concepts and tools of interactive participatory journalism including social networking, interactive publishing, and other new forms of media.

Jour 656: Fundamentals of Interactive Narrative Journalism (3 credits). Study and production of convergent media to create documentary forms of journalism incorporating a variety of multimedia tools.

Elective (3 credits)Summer Internship (150 hours)

  3-credit internship working in a professional news organization. 

Fall Semester #2 (Late August to mid-December)

Jour 723: Interactive Publishing (3 credits)Students will conceptualize, produce and evaluate various forms of advanced interactive journalism in a newsroom environment with teams and deadlines.

Prerequisites: Journalism 655, Journalism 656, and Journalism 657

Jour 657: Fundamentals of Exploratory Journalism (3 credits)Analysis and production of exploratory journalism using the tools and concepts of computer game design. 

Jour 796: Professional Paper (3 credits)Students will finish writing their professional paper under supervision of their graduate committee. Once the paper is completed, students will participate in an oral defense to demonstrate their conceptual mastery of the material in the graduate program.Plus one elective (3 credits