School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Communication

Program Options

  • Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication (B.A.J.M.C.) with a major in Communication

The information on this page pertains to program requirements for students who matriculated in the 2023-2024 academic year.  View requirements for previous catalog years here.

Program Overview

Current students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC), who are within three semesters of graduation and having difficulties aligning their educational goals with any of our on-campus majors, may petition to pursue a Communication major.  The proposed Communication major should be distinctive from current on-campus majors, while consisting of courses that meet the minimum Communication major requirements and support the student’s future professional goals.

All petitions must be submitted prior to the first day of class for their last semester.  Students will be given a decision within five business days of submitting their complete Communication Major Petition.


Degree Requirements

  • Meet all requirements of the Drake Curriculum
  • Maintain a 2.0 grade point average during the first 30 credit hours
  • Maintain a 2.25 grade point average at Drake after the 30th credit hour
  • Maintain a 2.25 grade point average in SJMC course work after the 30th credit hour
  • A minimum of 15 upper-level SJMC credit hours

Students should work with their advisers to ensure selection of courses best-suited to their educational and career objectives.  Please see Graduation Requirements and Regulations sections of the catalog for additional information.


Communication Major Requirements

Course Credits
JMC 030 - Mass Media in a Global Society 3
JMC 031 - Multimedia Lab 1
JMC 040 - Pre-Professional Workshop 1
JMC 041 - Financial Fundamentals for Communication Professionals 1
JMC 054 - Reporting and Writing Principles 3
JMC 055 - Digital Media Strategies 3
JMC 058 – Foundations of Visual Communication, or
JMC 059 – Visual Communication Methods
3
JMC 104 - Law and Ethics 3
A minimum of one course from each SJMC curriculum focus area (Writing and Creation, Multimedia Skills, Research and Analytics, and Strategy and Execution) 12
One capstone experience (pre-reqs for the coordinating capstone are required)  
JMC 145 – Advertising Campaign Capstone 3
JMC 146 – PR Campaign Strategy 3
JMC 147 – SPC Capstone 3
JMC 159 – Online Communication Capstone 3
JMC 172 – Journalism Capstone 3
SJMC Electives 8-9
JMC Total Credit Hours 41
TOTAL 120

The information in this catalog does not constitute a contract between the university and the student. The university reserves the right to make changes in curricula, admission policies and processes, tuition and financial aid, academic standards and guidelines, student services and any other regulations or policies set forth in this catalog without giving prior notice.