Journalism AA Degree Program

Journalism Associate in Arts Degree Program

Related Degrees & Certificates

Program	Units
AA-T Associate in Arts Degree for Transfer
Journalism for Transfer	60 units
CA Certificate of Achievement
Journalism	18 units

Career Opportunities

Working in journalism provides a unique opportunity to answer pressing questions, channel valuable information to the public and seek out and expose the truth. A degree or certificate in journalism can also prepare you for a range of careers in the communications field including in social media management, public relations, marketing, advertising and government. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, news analysts, reporters and journalists make an average of $62,400; in the San Francisco area, they average $81,080 per year. Salary ranges for other communications jobs vary widely.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students completing this program will be able to:

Define how convergence has impacted journalism, particularly print journalism, and identify ways to adapt practices and content to that impact.
Effectively communicate information through a variety of platforms, including the Internet and mobile computing.
Write publishable articles.

Program Overview

The Journalism program seeks to prepare students to enter the workforce in journalism and its related fields (such as public relations and advertising) and to offer opportunities to students making a career switch or needing to meet the changing technological demands of the field. The program also seeks to prepare students to transfer to four-year institutions as journalism majors and to train students to be media-literate members of the community.

Instruction is supplemented by hands-on experience working for the student newspaper, The Skyline View, and its online and social media accounts. Students in the program publish Viewpoint magazine in the spring. Students also attend local and regional conferences and have opportunities to pursue internships and jobs in the field.

The degree and certificate programs prepare the student for such careers as print, online and broadcast reporting, writing, and editing; technical writing; copyediting; social media management; marketing; advertising; public relations; and communications.

Note: A grade of C or better is required in all Journalism courses applied to the major for both the Associate Degree and the Certificate.

Program Requirements

Required Core Courses		Units
JOUR 110	Mass Media and Society	3 units
JOUR 120	Writing and Reporting for the Media	3 units
JOUR 320	Beginning Newspaper Staff	3 units
JOUR 330	Intermediate Newspaper Staff	3 units

Plus a minimum of 12 units from the following:		Units
ART 351.1	Black and White Photography I	3 units
BCM. 225	Spreadsheets I: Excel	1 unit
BCM. 226	Spreadsheets II: Excel	2 units
ENGL 161	Creative Writing I	3 units
JOUR 121	Advanced Writing and Reporting for the Media	3 units
JOUR 340	Intermediate Advanced Newspaper Staff	3 units
JOUR 350	Advanced Newspaper Staff	3 units
JOUR 695	Independent Study in Journalism	0.5 - 3 units

Total Required Major Units: 24

And required General Education coursework and electives as needed to meet the minimum 60 units required for the Associate degree.

Please refer to the AA/AS Degree Requirements for more information.