Major Requirements * Admission Policy and Procedure * Facilities

Mission Statement

The JMC program strives for excellence in the delivery of a
professionally oriented mass communications education, steeped in the
liberal arts and dedicated to the ideals of free expression. To that
end, we promote the following:
* effective writing and editing;
* critical thinking;
* ethical decision making;
* multicultural and global awareness;
* the ability to use appropriate techniques and technology.
Furthermore, we promote faculty research and service that integrates the
mission of the program, the school, and the university.

The journalism major requires completion of 120 semester hours of course work. Which include general education requirements (about 40 hours), major requirements (about 30 hours), minor requirements (about 18 hours) and free electives (about 32 hours). See catalog for specific requirements. Required courses in the major include 12 semester hours of core classes and about 18 semester hours of courses specific to one of three emphasis areas, news-editorial, telecommuniations, and public relations and advertising media. An internship is strongly recommended.

Download: Application Form

To become a major in the journalism and mass communications program, you first become a pre-JMC major. This is done by filling out a Change of Major/Minor form, available from the School of Communication. The pre-major should be declared in the freshman or sophomore year. Application for admission to full JMC-major status should take place during the sophomore year. It is important to note that the JMC major is a two-year program beyond the time at which a pre-major is admitted with full JMC major status. Whether admitted as a sophomore, junior or senior, the newly admitted JMC major will often need two full academic years to complete the major course requirements. In particular, seniors and transfer students who are considering applying to become JMC majors are advised that it is not usually possible to complete the process of application to the major and all the required coursework in fewer than four regular semesters. Students may apply to become a JMC major after completing JMC 100 and 30 hours of undergraduate semester credit. To apply:

Complete and submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended other than UNC, if any, with the form noted above. Mail or deliver the materials noted above to the School of Communication, Candelaria Hall, Room 1265, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO 80639

When you hand in your application, you must also register for a scheduled essay session. The days and times of the essay sessions may change by semester. Your application must reach the school office by the deadlines indicated below:

Fall semester deadline: Oct. 15

Spring semester deadline: Feb. 15

No admission decisions are made during the summer.

Students are permitted to apply to the major only once a semester, for only one emphasis per semester.

Should the number of qualified applicants exceed space available in required courses, the School of Communiation will admit only those students ranking highest in cumulative grade point averages. JMC majors may not take the Media Studies minor. Students cannot declare a minor until they have been admitted to the major.

JMC majors must complete courses for only one JMC emphasis, and changing from one emphasis to another after admission to the major may be prohibited by the program. The JMC program is committed to liberal arts education. For this reason students majoring in JMC are not permitted to apply more than 30 hours with a JMC prefix toward meeting the required 120 semester hours for graduation. Students taking more than 30 hours in JMC will need 90 hours outside of JMC in order to graduate, making the total number of hours needed for graduation exceed 120. JMC majors are also required to take 65 hours of the total 120 needed for graduation in liberal arts courses outside the JMC program.

Mildred Hansen Journalism Writing Center
Candelaria Hall, Room 1140
The Mildred Hansen Journalism Writing Center was opened in the fall of 1999. It is equipped with 25 powerful Macintosh G5 personal computers with 19-inch color monitors and Zip drives. Software includes: Microsoft Word for writing assignments, Microsoft Excel spreadsheet program, Power Point for developing presentations, Adobe PhotoShop for manipulating photographs, Adobe PageMaker and Quark Xpress for publication design.

All stations are linked to the Internet to allow students high speed access to information used in researching news stories, public relations or advertising campaigns. All UNC students are given free e-mail accounts which can also be accessed from each station.

The lab also has two high-speed, high quality black and white laser printers, and a full-color laser printer. Other equipment includes: two scanners and a projection system that permits the instructor to show examples from his or her computer or any computer in the lab on a large screen in the front of the room. Videos or images from any flat-surfaced medium can also be projected on to the screen. A wall-mounted monitor is wired to local cable television to allow students to view reports of breaking news events.

The lab which was constructed using funds generated by the University student technology fee and the Mildred Hansen Endowment. These funds will ensure that the lab will be regularly updated with new technological and software innovations insuring students are learning from software and hardware used in contemporary mass media.

The lab is open for general use when not being used for scheduled classes. Lab hours are 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 12 to 5 p.m.

The JMC Television Studio
Candelaria 1315
The JMC Television Studio offers students a variety of equipment and laboratory space to learn fundamentals of video production. The 2,000 square foot lab includes a three-camera, color studio with a news set, a separate control room with numerous format capabilities and non-linear video editing capabilities, a computer station for video graphics production, an audio booth, five video editing stations, and an audio production room. A conference room doubles as a classroom and meeting room for planning programs and making assignments.

For more than a decade, the studio has served as the production facility for student programs cablecast to the Greeley community as well as the UNC campus.

The Reading Room
Candelaria 1265
The School of Communication's reading room is where students can read, study, view breaking news on a cable-connected televison monitor or meet to discuss group projects. A variety of newspapers and books are available for student use.