Journalism About Journalism
About the Journalism program
Founded in 1914, the Journalism program is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Alumni include Pulitzer Prize winners, Nieman fellows and nationally known journalists.
The journalism major prepares students for leadership roles in rapidly changing media by requiring a strong core of journalism courses within the rich context of a liberal arts education. Courses are designed to foster analytical and critical thinking skills and to teach students to communicate effectively with a mass audience.
Our students learn the skills needed for success in their chosen field. They also learn about industry structures, ethics, and regulation. Our goal is for students in our classes to become skilled practitioners as well as critical thinkers – training for a first job AND a long-term career.
Journalism majors learn about media law, ethics and history, and about the media's role in an increasingly diverse society. The program emphasizes hands-on learning. Students select either a print or electronic emphasis in their professional skills courses, and all students learn basics of multimedia journalism. Majors choosing a print emphasis have the opportunity to write for a daily newspaper or the university's yearbook.
Students who select the electronic track gain on-air experience at the campus student radio station and report, anchor and produce a live newscast aired four days a week (Monday-Thursday) on a local cable channel.
We also have a number of active student organizations. These groups give students a chance to put what they’ve learned in class into practice, and also provide exposure to guest speakers and valuable networking opportunities.
Finally, students have the opportunity to work with several independent campus media organizations. UK’s award-winning daily newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel, is housed in our building; many of the Kernel’s editorial and advertising staff members are JAT students. UK’s yearbook, The Kentuckian, is also located in the Grehan Building and attracts many of our students as staff writers. And, there’s WRFL-FM, a student-run radio station. UK Student News Network is our live, daily newscast produced by students in the broadcast emphasis.
Graduates are prepared for jobs as reporters and editors for print, broadcast and on-line media, and for positions as assignment editors, producers, managing editors, publishers and new media entrepreneurs. Courses are also offered for students interested in specialized careers such as sports reporting, business writing, arts criticism or writing for the equine industry.
Details on program requirements can be found in the University Bulletin.
NOTE: All Journalism majors must complete at least 80 credit hours in courses outside the School of Journalism and Telecommunications. Of those 80 hours, 65 must be in liberal arts coursework.
JOU grads and Washington Post reporter Sally Jenkins spoke about sports reporting.
The sequence coordinator for Journalism is Prof. Scoobie Ryan ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). For questions about the Journalism major, contact either Prof. Ryan or Dr. Beth Barnes ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). Faculty members teaching Journalism include visiting lecturer Terry Anderson, Dr. Deborah Chung, Prof. Mel Coffee, Prof. Al Cross, Dr. Mike Farrell, Dr. Yung Soo Kim, Dr. Richard Labunski, Prof. Buck Ryan, Prof. Scoobie Ryan and Prof. Kakie Urch. You can read about them and their teaching, research and creative interests under the "About" tab.
