Journalism, B.A., with a Specialization in Sports Journalism

This specialization is intended to train sports journalists of the future, and includes study of the kinds of data, statistics, modern analytics, and social media that are playing a growing role in sports of all kinds. The 37-hour sports journalism specialization is within the journalism major and includes all the core requirements of that major with specific course selections in Skills and Topical Studies and six related hours of sports-related coursework outside Journalism substituted for Journalism electives.

Admission and Degree Requirements

Strong writing skills are essential to the student’s success in the division’s journalism curriculum and later in the profession of journalism. Students may enroll in journalism classes as first-year students.

Those seeking permission to major in journalism must have completed 24 hours of study, which may include transfer hours. Students must also have achieved a minimum grade point average of 2.500 in the following courses, with no grade lower than C+ in any one of them:

• WRTR 1312  (or equivalent)
• JOUR 2103   
• JOUR 2302   
• MSA 2305   

Notes:

• Students must declare the major or minor before taking JOUR 2312 .
• Students transferring from other universities must have completed equivalent courses and obtained the equivalent GPA and minimum grades in those courses before they can declare a Journalism major.
• The Journalism Division has a focus on and commitment to diversity, recognizing the need for diversity in media and communications in the 21st century.
• All journalism majors must declare and complete a second major or a minor of their choosing. The fashion media major does not meet this requirement.
• Required courses must be passed with a grade of C- or better to count for credit toward the major in journalism.

SMU Degree Requirements

An SMU undergraduate degree requires a minimum of 120 credit hours and must include completion of the University’s Common Curriculum, one major and a combination of electives and/or other majors or minors. Completion of certain majors requires more than 120 hours to finish the degree. The credit hours within this curriculum are distributed as follows: