Bachelor of Journalism: Program Details

In the four-year Bachelor of Journalism program, students complete 60 credits, with 12 credits required in each of the first and second years, and 18 credits required in each of the third and fourth years.

Total credits for degree = 120

Years 1 and 2 program and course description

In first and second year courses, the program emphasizes composition skills and media /communication literacy. The curriculum emphasizes the basics of reporting, writing and storytelling in different media formats and an introduction to the theoretical and historical foundations of journalism. First and second year courses will be offered every year.

Years 3 and 4 program and course description

The emphasis in the senior years enables students to develop expertise in multi-media and multi-format journalism. Students will also have more opportunity to concentrate on developing expertise in specific reporting subjects or beats, reinforced by additional course work in other disciplines. Upper-level journalism courses will rotate every two years to offer more choice. Two senior core courses (JOUR 3700: Media Law and Media Ethics, and JOUR 3520: Research Methods) and some writing-intensive and production courses will be offered every year. Journalism students will be advised to complete a senior project course (JOUR 4750). The Beat Reporting course (JOUR 3230) is a shell course, covering the basics of beat reporting while enabling students to specialize in subjects of their choice.

Recommendations for elective courses

Both journalism courses and electives are selected in consultation with the program chair. Students should use their electives to develop a particular specialty, or help fill in gaps in their general knowledge. For instance, students seeking to enhance their writing skills may develop a concentration in courses offered through the English Department. Similarly, the Departments of Philosophy, History, Geography, Sociology, and Political Science offer a number of 3000 and 4000 level courses that would enable students to enhance their knowledge of Canadian history, politics, and social structure. These requirements reflect the value that TRU places on a broadly-based education in the Humanities, the Sciences and Social Sciences, and Business. In addition to the list of recommended Communication and New Media courses noted in the chart below, we recommend that students in the Bachelor of Journalism program select a wide range of courses, in particular those with depth in Canadian content, and several writing-intensive courses.

Program structure and course schedule

The boxes that follow detail the journalism courses and their distribution over the four-year period of the degree program. Students entering the program at the third year have different program requirements as explained in a separate box. The Bachelor of Journalism with a Concentration in Public Relations has different program requirements.