Journalism & Communication for Online Media, B.S.

SUNY Morrisville has a long history of excellence in journalism education. The field of public communication comprises journalism, marketing, advertising, corporate and public relations, publishing, broadcasting, photography, and related disciplines. Online communication relies heavily on a strong background in writing—for print and broadcast—adapted to meet the demands of today’s communication technologies. It requires knowledge of elements of broadcasting and photojournalism, including audio and video editing.

This program endows students with a strong background in journalism, including advanced writing and reporting techniques. At the same time, it prepares them to work in digital video, audio, and still-photography production. It provides specialized technical instruction in the application of mass communication and journalism concepts to the World Wide Web. Graduates will be prepared to enter either Web or print communication and journalism. They will be well-prepared to provide content for print or online publications and to design and produce those publications.

Graduates of this program  are  fully  prepared  to  work both in the world of journalism and beyond. News agencies—especially newspapers—have a continuing need for Web content providers who can write news content. Marketing and advertising firms also rely on writers who can create Web sites and update them on a regular basis while supplying the content as well. Large corporations maintain sophisticated intranet sites as part of their internal communications programs, relying increasingly on content providers who can transfer their writing to the Web quickly and maintain daily and weekly updates. Students may work in any of these areas or for magazines, television and other media.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Be familiar with, and prepared to work in, fields related to journalism and public communication in Web-based media
• Be able to gather information from diverse sources and summarize that information in straight-news or feature-news formats, or in formats related to public relations or marketing, in Web-based media
• Be able to read, write, understand, analyze, and discuss complex issues and topics and to contribute to small- and large-group activities and initiatives in a diverse workplace
• Understand the relationship between print and online journalism and broadcasting, desktop publishing, and photojournalism
• Demonstrate an understanding of the laws and ethics pertaining to various public communication professions

Curriculum Requirements

A minimum of 122 credits is required for degree completion.

Suggested Course Sequence