Journalism, E. W. Scripps School of

Scripps College of Communication
200 Schoonover Center for Communication
20 E. Union St.
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: 740.593.2590
Fax: 740.593.2592
http://www.scrippsjschool.org
info@scrippsjschool.org

Robert Stewart, Ph.D., Director
Eddith Dashiell, Ph.D., Associate Director for Undergraduate Studies
Michael Sweeney, Ph.D., Director of Graduate Studies

Bachelor of Science in Journalism

Ohio University’s E. W. Scripps School of Journalism is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. It is one of a limited number of accredited schools and departments of journalism in the United States.

Mission

The E.W. Scripps School of Journalism is committed to providing an education that emphasizes professional excellence, critical thinking, and social responsibility. To maintain and enhance our democratic society and the free exchange of ideas, journalism must be built on the principles of truth, accuracy, and independence. Our faculty search for these principles, our students strive for them, and our alumni live them. Through a blend of professional education, practical experience, and intellectual exploration, we teach journalism in a way that it can be applied to many professions and to a rewarding life in a multicultural and fast changing world. Whether it’s telling a story, building a brand, or engaging in research, we prepare students for their chosen professions now and as those professions change in the future.

Adopted April 24, 2013

Program Overview

Journalism is a profession that incorporates knowledge from various disciplines, as well as critical thinking and practical application skills. At the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism, the curriculum blends a strong liberal arts foundation with professional skills courses.Two tracks are offered, both leading to the Bachelor of Science in Journalism degree: news and information (encompassing broadcast news, magazine journalism, news writing and editing, and online journalism) and strategic communication (encompassing advertising and public relations). Journalism students also can develop their own programs of study. The Carr Van Anda track, named after New York Times managing editor Carr Van Anda, allows juniors with a 3.0 accumulative GPA in all work to elect an approved sequence of courses in journalism to go along with the journalism core courses.

Hands-on Opportunities

A basic philosophy of the School is that students benefit from hands-on media experience while working toward their degrees. A variety of opportunities are available on campus: ATHENSi.com, a portal website; WOUB News, news programs broadcast on the University’s AM, FM and television stations; The Post, the independent daily campus newspaper; Southeast Ohio, the school’s laboratory magazine; the Athena, the University yearbook; The Ohio Journalist, the school’s alumni publication; and numerous Web and print magazines published by student organizations on campus. Strategic communication students also gain hands-on experience through ImPRessions, a student-run public relations agency, and the National Student Advertising Competition, an annual contest in which students create a campaign for a national client, among other opportunities. Online journalism experience is available for students through virtually any department or agency on campus or in the community. Students also work on the staffs of local newspapers and University publications. [read more]

Internships

Consistent with its policy of combining classwork with practical training, the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism requires each student to complete an advisor-approved internship. Internships provide varied hands-on experiences in media-related organizations and are located throughout the nation. In addition, the school’s Institute for International Journalism has helped more than 300 Ohio University journalism students complete John R. Wilhelm foreign correspondence internships in about 30 countries since the program began in 1970.

Technology Highlights

Knowing how to use the latest technology is an important element within any journalism career. The E. W. Scripps School of Journalism is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and provides courses and practical experience to help students gain the skills that journalists and strategic communication professionals need in the digital age. We also use the latest technology to communicate news and information to our students and alumni. The school was the first journalism program in the world to develop an iPhone app that provides information about our program (named JSCHOOL). Utilizing the app, as well as our website, Twitter, Facebook and multiple RSS feeds, we demonstrate how to provide news-on-demand about the school, internship and job listings, as well as faculty and student blogs.

Admission Requirements

First-Year Admission

The E.W. Scripps School of Journalism strives to admit the best academically and professionally qualified freshmen. The school considers the following criteria in granting admission:

· Strength of high school curriculum

· Performance in high school curriculum

· High school class rank (if your class ranks)

· High school grade point average

· ACT and/or SAT scores

Students demonstrating notable talent or experience, as well as applicants from historically underrepresented populations, are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants are encouraged to include in their application essay information about all media-related experience, as well as participation in the school’s High School Journalism Workshop, if applicable.

Instead of reporting minimum test scores and GPA requirements, we report the middle 50% range to give a more accurate picture of the students who we are admitting. Our incoming freshmen class will be made up of students who are in the top 25% with higher scores as well as students in the lower 25% with lower scores. See the university-wide profile for comparison.

For example, the middle 50% of the school’s admitted freshman classes for the fall of 2012 and 2013 had:

· High school class rank: top 7-34%

· ACT composite scores: 24-28

· SAT composite scores (Math + Critical Reading): 1050-1250

· High school grade point average: 3.64 (4.0 scale)

NOTE: Students who attended our High School Journalism Workshop and earned Ohio University credit should indicate on the freshman application that they previously attended Ohio University (they should use the traditional application for incoming freshmen, despite the credit hour earned as a high school students).

Change of Major/Minor/Certificate Policy

Transfer students are admitted to the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism twice each year. The policy applies to all transfers from other departments at Ohio University, as well as from other colleges and universities. Transfer students will be considered only when they have completed at least 30 semester hours, with a minimum 3.0 GPA. In addition to grades, consideration will be given to journalism courses taken, journalism experience or background in a program offered by the School (professional or college), test scores, letters of recommendation, personal statements of intent, and work samples. Applicants for transfer must use the School’s Application for Transfer form, which is available on the “Admissions Information” section of the school’s website. Official transcripts, letters, and other supporting documents must be attached to the Application for Transfer at the time of its submission.

Transfer applications are accepted – no later than September 28 for transfer in spring semester and February 15 for transfer in fall semester. Application for transfer can be made only once per academic year. Applications must be received by the above dates. Late applications will not be considered. A special faculty committee will conduct evaluations and recommendations. The School’s director and associate director will make final decisions.

External Transfer Admission

Programs

Bachelor of Science in Journalism

Other Programs

Journalism Minor