Journalism (BA)

Prepare for the future of news. You’ll become a first-rate journalist, and a future decision-maker, capable of thinking critically and leading journalism in new directions. In our program, you can learn a range of current production skills, cover the same events as working journalists, do internships that give you valuable newsroom experience, and graduate functionally bilingual.

Your professional training balances practical skills with theory and analysis. Our production workshops apply newsroom standards to every assignment, and our seminars focus on the social, economic, political and ideological contexts in which journalism is practised.

You’ll benefit from small class sizes and state-of-the-art facilities that replicate modern newsrooms. We equip you with the storytelling tools you need to work in journalism and to adapt to this ever-changing profession.

You’ll graduate a skilled journalist, able to think critically about your profession and our society.

A Bachelor of Arts degree takes a minimum of three to four years (90 – 120 credits) of full-time study, depending on your academic background.

Program option

• Major in Journalism (45 credits)

To graduate with a Major in Journalism, you must demonstrate a working knowledge of French. This can be demonstrated in two ways:

1. A test of oral proficiency (interview) in French to be taken during your first year of study
   OR
2. Pass course FRAN 305  (note that you may be required to take prerequisite courses prior to FRAN 305)

You are not required to demonstrate working knowledge of French if:

• You attended a French-language high school (you must provide a copy of your transcript from the school and not the government)
  OR
• You attended a French CEGEP
  OR
• You are an international student paying international student fees up to your time of graduation.

Students in the 45-credit BA Major must declare a second major or a minor in another discipline (such as history or political science).

Courses

Co-op program and internship opportunities

Internships for credit
Upper-year undergraduates may undertake a practicum at a recognized media outlet, under the supervision of a senior journalist and with permission of the Department’s undergraduate program director for course credit.

Paid internships
Opportunities for paid internships in journalism and related fields are available to students on a competitive basis. Former students have interned at a plethora of sites, including The Montreal Gazette, Sportsnet, The Eastern Door and CJAD.

After graduation, you’ll join the ranks of successful alumni who inform and entertain hundreds of thousands of readers, listeners and viewers every day. They report everywhere, from Afghanistan to London. They write about arts and culture, cover local beats for community newspapers, anchor and produce broadcasts, and establish blogs on innumerable topics.

But you are not bound to the field of journalism. Your journalistic skills might take you down many possible career paths, including:

• Print, broadcast or web-based media
• Law
• Diplomacy
• Public relations and corporate communications
• Advertising