Admission Requirements

Becoming a journalism major

To begin course work in the field of journalism, you initially need to be admitted to Missouri State. Before completing 75 credit hours, you must also be admitted to a degree program.

Departmental admission requirements

All students majoring in the Department of Media, Journalism & Film (except for those seeking a major in Electronic Arts) must satisfy the following requirements before they can be admitted to the program. (In most cases, these requirements should be met by the time the student has completed 75 hours of coursework.)

  1. Complete a minimum of 30 credit hours.
  2. Have a combined grade point average (Missouri State and transfer) of 2.30 or higher.
  3. Complete COM 115 and ENG 110.
  4. Complete the following departmental preadmission core courses and the appropriate major-specific course with at least a C- in each of these courses.
    1. Departmental preadmission core: MED 120(3), 130(3), 220(3)
    2. Required major-specific course:
      Journalism major - JRN 270(3)
      Non-Comprehensive Mass Media major - MED 274(3)
      Comprehensive Mass Media major - MED 365(3)
  5. Achieve a combined GPA of 2.70 or higher across any three of the four preadmission courses (MED 120(3), MED 130(3), MED 220(3), and the appropriate major-specific course). To achieve the 2.70 GPA, a student may retake any of these courses only once and may retake no more than two of these courses.
  6. Submit application for admission and receive approval by faculty advisor and Head of the Department of Media, Journalism & Film.

Restriction

Departmental majors may not take a second major within the department.

Specific admission requirements

A student must achieve a combined GPA of 2.70 or higher across any three of the four preadmission courses [MED 120(3), MED 130(3), MED 220(3) and JRN 270(3)] along with a combined GPA of 2.30 or higher to be admitted to this major.

The admission process

To gain full admittance into the xxx program, follow the steps below:

  1. Declare or change your major to journalism by visiting the Academic Advisement Center, University Hall 109
  2. Meet with your assigned advisor to discuss admission requirements and to develop a plan of study
  3. Complete the program’s admission requirements
  4. Work with the department of media, journalism and film to complete the Application to a Degree Program form to update your record

When you declare your major, you will be listed as a pre-major until you satisfy all admission requirements.