Degree Programs

"Now is a really exciting time to be going into journalism, to be looking into it as a future career area, partly because there is so much change. That means there is a lot of crisis out there but crisis brings opportunity. So I think news organizations and other organizations are more open than they ever have been to listen to young people, so the potential to make a difference is there," says Peggy Kuhr, dean of the University of Montana School of Journalism.

The School of Journalism examines the news media, emphasizing its history, privileges and responsibilities and provides instruction in skills required for careers with newspapers, radio and television stations, Web newsrooms, magazines, news services and related agencies.  About one-fourth of the work for the B.A. in Journalism or Radio-Television is taken in the School of Journalism (see our course list); the remaining credits required for graduation provide a background in the liberal arts, stressing history, government, economics, philosophy, literature, foreign language, psychology and sociology.

Newsrooms today are changing and so is the process of education at the University of Montana's School of Journalism.  As news media outlets evolve, overlap and create new opportunities for news delivery, UM's Journalism program is keeping up with the ongoing development.

"It's really to position ourselves so that we can reflect the change, whatever it is in the news media," Kuhr says of the journalism programs at UM. "The ideal is more flexibility and more preparedness for the real world.  It's kind of getting ready for a world that’s changing so that by the time you leave school you will still be prepared although the media landscape might be different than it is now."

Aside from a flexible approach to getting the skills that interest your journalistic passions, the program offers multiple advantages to becoming a professional in the field.  Each full-time faculty member has at least 10 years of practical experience in journalism and works closely with students in and out of the classroom.  Most class sizes are capped at no more than 20 students to maintain a personal setting and tight-knit community within the school.  And as students learning a profession, there will be no lack of hands-on opportunities.

"It's a place that's personal and challenging at the same time," says Ray Ekness, head of the RTV/Broadcast Department.  From smaller classrooms and close relationships with professors, to the opportunity of producing content that is seen in the community, UM’s School of Journalism is getting its students right into news coverage.

"You can take a little bit of everything, you can take online, take photo; you can work on traditional print class or broadcast class," says Ekness. "You can put your toe in each of the lakes until you find one that feels good, and then you can jump into that whole heartedly."

Journalism majors specialize in one of four emphases:

Print: Our print students spend their days poring over documents, attending rallies, reporting on crime and government and sports, and interviewing celebrities, international leaders, university presidents, and their fellow students. We teach the basics of reporting: getting the who, what, why, where, when and how questions answered. We also teach the finer points of writing and critical thinking.
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Photojournalism: In photojournalism you will learn how to handle a camera, how to develop and print in a dark room and on a computer, and how to select photos for publication so that they have maximum impact. From shooting to developing to printing to editing, our students learn to make images that tell stories and stun viewers. Our students also learn the ethics of photography and the history behind their craft.
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Radio/Television Production:
Whether using natural sound and interviews to produce a radio report or stunning visuals and tightly edited copy to create a television news segment, it’s always about storytelling. Radio-Television students use digital cameras, non-linear video editors and graphics programs to write, produce, direct, photograph and edit radio and television news stories, programs, documentaries, promotional announcements and commercials.
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Broadcast: Our graduates are the faces on TV, the voices on the radio, and the producers and reporters. Broadcast news students learn to combine words, pictures, voices and sound to tell stories. Trained in the use of digital technology, they combine high-tech equipment with down-to-earth storytelling.
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High School Preparation: In addition to University admission requirements, study of a foreign language is recommended.

See the J-School section of the current UM Catalog.