Briar Cliff University - The Catholic Franciscan Learning Place

Journalism and Mass Communication

Bachelor of Arts

The journalism and mass communications major combines the skills demanded of the modern journalist, including radio, television, print, public relations, photography, advertising, graphic design and social media. Our curriculum is centered around the fact that the media industry is both converging and ever-evolving.

The BCU mass communications program enablesyou to enroll as a freshman in a series of beginning-level courses: Introduction to Mass Media, Visual Communication and the BCU-Radio practicum. We then begin to shape your writing skills. As a sophomore, you will enter our newswriting sequence (print and broadcast). At the beginning of your junior year, now that you have mastered the art of writing, you enter the advanced level coursework in media ethics and law, computer graphic design and video production. By the end of your junior year, as a pre-professional, you are ready for courses that are more advanced and internships. By the time you graduate, you will have the beginnings of an impressive resume, a media portfolio and practical experience in the field. Upon graduation, you will have the basic tools, talent and experience necessary to be highly competitive for the many entry-level media slots.

Every mass communications student will gain experience writing news, feature stories and editorial articles on deadline for the Cliff News student publication. They will also learn to write, announce and produce for KLIF, the university’s on-air radio station, and Cliff News TV, Briar Cliff’s student video department.