Kent State University's School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) offers majors that prepare students for careers in the professional world of the media. We stress practical training at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The University's core curriculum gives students a strong background in the liberal arts to complement the school's professional training.
As part of the cousework of all majors, students must complete professional internships in their fields of study. We also bring the professional world into the school through the campus daily newspaper, the Daily Kent Stater, and the online KentNewsNet, the campus radio station, Black Squirrel Radio; the student-run television station, TV2; the campus magazine, The Burr and the online magazine, The CyBurr; the student-run advertising agency, Handsome Duckling; and the student-run public relations agency, PRKent.
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication offers students a selection of 9 specialized majors, all of which lead to a Bachelor of Science Degree. Students may also choose to minor in an area outside of the JMC School.
All degrees and requirements described on this web site are summarized from the official University Undergraduate Catalog. You may download the Catalog in PDF format for more detailed requirements.
For the Advertising, Electronic Media Production, Media Literacy, Public Relations and Photojournalism Minors, please click here.
Within the 124 total hours required for graduation, 80 hours must be in coursework outside Kent JMC, with 65 of those 80 hours in liberal arts and science courses. A minimum of 39 upper-division hours is required. The maximum JMC credits permitted are 44 hours. Students electing minors that are not liberal studies in nature may need to complete more than 124 hours.
A 2.75 grade point average overall at Kent State and a 2.75 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. In addition, no grade lower than a C- (1.7) in a journalism and mass communication course will be counted toward graduation or as a prerequisite for a subsequent class.
Students must pass the school's grammar test (GUP) test before enrolling in many JMC courses. The GUP test is given twice during the required JMC Media Writing course. If the test is not passed in Media Writing, the student may sign up for an additional test for $5 in the Main JMC Office (Franklin Hall 201).
Students must earn a B- (2.7) or better in JMC 20004 Media Writing to move on in their major. If they fail to earn a B- (2.7) or better in JMC 20004 after two attempts, they are not permitted to continue in the JMC program.
All students must complete at least one upper-divison course designated as "writing-intensive" with a grade of C (2.0) or better.
All students must complete a two-course Diversity Requirement as described on Pages 89-91 of the Undergraduate Catalog.