Undergraduate Overview

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication offers a liberal arts approach to professional training in a variety of mass communication careers, offering a Journalism Bachelor of Arts (J.B.A.) or Journalism Bachelor of Science (J.B.S.). Our home in the College of Letters and Sciences means students receive excellent training in fundamentals of media law and history, media institutions and influence, and a range of approaches to media research and inquiry, balancing strong social-scientific, humanistic and theoretical instruction with our skills training. Our mission is to produce well-rounded practitioners and citizens who are informed consumers of information, responsible producers of content, and passionate innovators of digital communication technologies.

Our curriculum’s near-equal mix of practice and theory, underpinned by our top research/graduate program, is unique among the top schools in our field. Students learn not only how to practice, but what that practice means to society, culture, behavior, health, politics and all areas of civic life. Our curriculum equips students with a deep understanding of the ever-changing landscape of digital media and the modern communication environment.
Before beginning to specialize in either reporting or strategic communication, all students must take gateway classes that introduce them to the field, teach them common practices used by professionals, and acquaint them with information collection and analysis techniques. Students learn to cull and synthesize information, write clearly and effectively, produce compelling media content, analyze data rigorously, and form sound communication strategies. We want reporting students to gain an understanding of the motives and goals of strategic communicators, and for strategic communication students to have a strong understanding of the norms and values of reporting.

They also receive rigorous and systematic training in theories and practices leading to effective and responsible communications, regardless of whether they are informative or persuasive.  At the same time, students enjoy the flexibility of developing specializations such as sports communication, digital marketing, or investigative reporting to prepare for their individualized career path, so that no two graduates of the program are identical.

With a dazzling array of local and campus media opportunities, students have ample opportunity to put their training and thinking into practice. These include dozens of award-winning advertising and public relations firms and multiple local newspapers and local broadcasters, as well as student publications The Badger Herald, The Black Voice, and The Daily Cardinal, WSUM student radio, no fewer than eight student-run magazines and journals funded by the Wisconsin Union Directorate. Internships are plentiful on our vibrant, research-rich campus and in and around the state Capitol blocks away. And our geographically diverse student population has carried our reputation far beyond the borders of Madison and Wisconsin, making our majors competitive for internships across the world.

The SJMC also has the school’s own award-winning student magazine, Curb, and award-winning student newscast, The Badger Report. There are also opportunities to extend learning beyond the classroom through student clubs and groups. SJMC houses one of the largest student advertising student organizations in the country – Ad Club, where students have the opportunity to work on real campaigns for actual clients through the Ad Club Agency>. Other student organizations include chapters of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) — which founded the university’s first student-run public relations firm, Bucky PR— and the Association of Women in Communication (AWC), and Association of Women in Sports Media (AWSM).

Learn more about student organizations and media