School of Journalism and Mass Communications

Office: Dwight Bentel Hall 105

Telephone: 408-924-3240 (Voice); 408-924-3229 (Fax)

Professors

Richard Craig
Scott Fosdick
Diana Stover
Phylis West-Johnson, Director

Associate Professors

Mathew Cabot
Duane Michael Cheers
John Delacruz
Diane Guerrazzi
Timothy Hendrick
Robert Rucker

Assistant Professors

Shaun Fletcher
Nisha Garud-Patkar
Tina Korani
Cathy Zongchao Li

Overview

Founded in 1936, the School of Journalism and Mass Communications is the largest school of its kind in Northern California. In 2012, the journalism program was ranked among the top two in California, and the top 50 in the U.S. It is also nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC). We offer undergraduate degrees in advertising, convergence journalism and public relations, and a master’s degree in mass communications. Timely, ethical and responsible visual storytelling utilizing new technologies is the focus in all our degree programs. We offer students access to scholarships, regional and global internships, and competitive prizes unavailable to students in non-accredited programs. Our faculty are experienced multimedia journalists, photographers, writers, graphics designers and advertising, public relations, and social media executives. Our graduates have won six Pulitzer Prizes and excelled in careers as online content producers, publishers, editors, news directors, and communication executives.

Students who wish to change their major at SJSU to one of those offered in the JMC School must fulfill department-specific coursework and GPA requirements as specified on the department website.

Honors Program

Majors with a 3.2 GPA overall and a 3.5 GPA in advertising, journalism, or public relations at the end of their junior year (at least 90 units completed of which 30 are in the major) are eligible to apply for the Honors Program in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Application must be made to the Director of the School no later than the first semester of the senior year. The School will limit those admitted to the Honors Program each year to no more than 10 percent of the number of its graduates in the previous academic year. Once admitted to the Honors Program, students must maintain at least a 3.2 GPA overall and at least a 3.5 GPA in their major. They must take a graduate-level seminar that has been approved by the graduate coordinator. To receive honors, students, as part of the seminar requirements, must complete and present a seminar paper and must receive a 3.0 or better grade in the course.

Programs

Courses

Advertising

Journalism

Mass Communication

Public Relations