Undergraduate journalism education is back

Nearly three decades after it was discontinued, undergraduate journalism education returned to UC Berkeley over the summer, sparking great enthusiasm both on campus and off.

According to David Thigpen, director of undergraduate programs at the School of Journalism, 155 students enrolled in the new summer minor and certificate program. “We are thrilled at such a high level of student interest in the first outing of this brand new curriculum,” says Thigpen, who began developing the program in 2015 after discussions with undergraduates, Journalism School faculty and campus administrators, and research into the national media market. The new program, called Journalism in the Digital Age, is a project of the Graduate School of Journalism.

The program has attracted interest from all over campus, drawing students from political science, biology, history, Latin American studies, psychology, engineering and business. About 80% of the summer enrollees were Berkeley undergrads. Visiting students came from Canada, Turkey, Norway, Japan, India, China, Brazil, Singapore and elsewhere. Says Edward Wasserman, dean of the Graduate School of Journalism, “Such a large and diverse enrollment is validation that the skills we teach in the Journalism School remain vital to a wide audience. The success of this program also reflects the high confidence students have in our faculty.” Enrollment at five of the six courses offered during the summer was at or near capacity.

The summer minor focuses on intensive hands-on training in digital journalism skills: news reporting and writing, video, audio and still photography, social media, multimedia, coding and other web skills. The curriculum is designed for students of all majors who seek to improve their communications skills regardless of whether they aspire to careers in journalism.

Enrolled students participated in a variety of exciting class work. In Reporting & Writing students roamed the campus conducting live interviews and returned to their classroom for guest lectures by prominent professional journalists and newsmakers. In Social Media & Journalism students learned methods to build their online followings. In Multimedia they created short video projects, and in Investigative Reporting students used their skills to delve into restaurant food safety issues.

Journalism instruction was first introduced at UC Berkeley in fall 1936 and became an academic major in 1940. A decade later a Master of Journalism degree was added. In 1978 the undergraduate major was discontinued for good, and resources were shifted to the highly successful graduate program. Since then a small number of undergraduate journalism courses have been offered but no degree program. Berkeley’s is the only graduate-level professional journalism degree program in the UC system.

The success of the summer program bodes well for an academic field that is undergoing change. In a fast-moving media environment, it is critical to address student interests today while also teaching skills that will be relevant in the future. “Our work has relevance that goes beyond the campus,” says Thigpen, who reported for Time Magazine and taught at the University of Illinois before joining the Berkeley J-School in 2014 as a lecturer. “The ubiquity of phones and other digital devices gives everyone a voice, but using that voice skillfully and responsibly remains a challenge for many. Training students how to become better communicators is important not just in academia and the workplace but in society.”

Student enthusiasm for the journalism curriculum was apparent in exit surveys conducted by the School at the end of summer. “Thank you for a summer to remember and for this opportunity!” wrote one student. “I’m glad I was able to take advantage of this program before my senior year at Cal.” Said another: “My communication skills improved greatly! In fact, I believe the multimedia story I worked on helped me obtain a job at a non-profit that focuses on helping non-citizens.” Said a third: “I learned how to write more concisely and was introduced to filmmaking. I also improved my photography skills.”

Undergraduate journalism is offered in partnership with UC Berkeley’s Summer Sessions, and debuted as the university’s first ever summer-only minor. The program is open to all Berkeley students, all UC system students, and all college graduates or college-enrolled students around the world. The program awards a minor degree and a certificate upon completion of five courses and fifteen units of credit. Media Studies majors may use journalism courses for credit toward their major.

The summer journalism program was developed and launched with a grant from the Heising-Simons Foundation of Los Altos, Cal. Enrollment for next summer’s classes opens Feb. 1, 2017.