Communication: Journalism Track
UIndy's award-winning journalism program prepares you to enter the evolving field of mass media and mass communication. The program fosters professional and academic growth through experiential opportunities in the profession. Reporting, writing and production skills lead you to adaptive careers in a field that's constantly changing. Due to the practical experience of working for The Reflector, UIndy's student-run online and print newspaper, recruitment editors from such media giants as the New York Times and Cox Media Group have said UIndy journalism students are well prepared for entry-level management positions.
Program Strengths
- Prepares you for engaging careers in print and digital mass media
- Provides experience in reporting, writing, editing, photography and layout/design
- Helps you develop strong interviewing skills
- Experiential learning course builds aptitude in design software, including InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator
- Newsroom technology includes MAC lab
A Curriculum For Tomorrow's Journalist
We know that to thrive in the journalism profession, you need to be able to juggle traditional news gathering and writing skills with the digital media skills necessary for the mobile world. Our curriculum reflects these necessities and gives you the confidence to produce compelling content that will stand out to editors and managers.
Here are some indispensable journalism skills and knowledge you'll receive at UIndy:
- Prioritizing and structuring information in your writing
- Writing with accuracy, clarity and brevity
- Mastering investigative reporting and interviewing techniques
- Producing web-specific content
- Communicating data through simple and informative visuals
- Understanding journalism legal practices
- Understanding newspaper print and online content distribution (800 copies of The Reflector are printed each issue)
Experiential Learning - The Reflector
In the experiential journalism course, students write and manage The Reflector, UIndy's online and print newspaper. In student manager and staff positions, you will be exposed to all facets of newspaper production.
The Reflector and The Reflector Online:
- Have won state, regional and national awards
- Operate without censorship
- Are published biweekly throughout the academic year
- Prepare students for engaging careers in mass media
- Provide experience in reporting, writing, editing, photography and page layout/design
Potential Careers in Journalism
- Multimedia journalist
- News (sports, entertainment, and feature) writer/reporter/editor
- Copywriter
- Digital media producer
- Magazine writer/editor
- Communications coordinator
Journalism might be for you if:
- You enjoy keeping up on the news
- You are interested in free speech and the public's "right to know"
- You want to improve your writing or interviewing skills
- You enjoy investigation and conducting research
Curriculum Guides
These curriculum guides outline the classes you'll need to take as a communication major with a track in journalism. The general education curriculum guide lists your class options and requirements to fulfill UIndy's general education requirements, while the communication curriculum guide lists the classes needed for the communication core and your track area. You'll need to look at both guides to get a complete picture of what classes you'll take at UIndy.