1511 University Ave.
478 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309
Academic Year Represented
2023
Mission Statement
The Department of Journalism is founded on the principle that a well-informed and engaged public is essential to democracy—perhaps more so now, at a time of dizzying change, than it has ever been; and that, in the face of this change, Journalism retains a unique role in contributing to civic life and to the quality of public discourse. We put this principle to work by helping students become constructive participants in an ever-evolving global media landscape, where distinctions between producers and consumers of content have blurred. More specifically, we prepare them, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, for careers in Journalism and other fields of public communication. We train students to gather information from a diversity of sources, to analyze it critically, and to report what is significant, through stories and other media forms across multiple platforms. As part of this work, we encourage ethical awareness so that students will think independently, being prepared to reflect on and to help shape media practices and norms rather than take them at face value.
Technology/Equipment/Facilities
The Journalism department, reflecting the current state of the industry, trains students to report across platforms using a variety of technological tools. While we recognize that not every student will be equally adept in photography, videography, writing and/or on-camera performance, realities require that students need to at least have a working knowledge of various storytelling approaches.
Undergraduate Degrees Offered
BA in Journalism
Graduate Degrees Offered
MA in Journalism PhD in Journalism Studies
Majors
Journalism
Tracks within Majors
N/A
Internships Accepted for Credit
Internships are required of all undergraduate majors and encouraged for all MA students
Internships Facilitated
We facilitate internships across all storytelling organizations. They are approved by the department and college to make sure they align with the educational mission of the department.
Experiential and/or Immersion Programs for Credit
We offer numerous experiential learning programs. It is an essential part of our undergraduate and MA curriculum.
Online Options
We have a select amount of classes offered in various online modalities, particularly are summer offerings which are almost all online.
Study-Abroad Options
There are a couple study-abroad options for students in JRNL, though none administered by the department. Students can go to Paris with our strategic communication department, but also to other places and receive journalism credit.
Graduate Programs
N/A
Department Budget
$2,600,000
Amount Spent per Student
$7,738
Undergrad Student Fees
$20,038
Undergraduate Student Fees Exclusive of Housing and Meal Plan
$3,088
Undergraduate Student Fees for Housing and Meal Plan
$16,950
Undergrad In-State Tuition
$12,384
Undergrad Out-of-State Tuition
$40,750
Average Undergraduate Financial Aid
Average Undergraduate Student Debt
Graduate Student Fees
$None
Graduate In-State Tuition
Graduate Out-of-State Tuition
Average Graduate Financial Aid
Average Graduate Student Debt
Total Accredited Unit Enrollment
366
Undergraduate Enrollment
336
Graduate Enrollment
30
Number of In-State Students
168
Percentage of In-State Students
53
Number of International Students
3
Percentage of International Students
1
Male
126
Female
196
Not Specified
White
242
Black
12
Asian
17
Hispanic/Latino
35
Pacific Islands or Native Hawaiian
4
Native American or Native Alaskan
6
Other
6
Average Size of Skill Based Classes
18
Average Size of Non-Skill Based Classes
35
First Year Student (Freshman) Retention Rate at University
98
Four Year Completion Rate
87
Six Year Completion Rate
86
Full-Time Employment within Six Months of Graduation
83
Full-Time Employment Within Field of Study
100
Part-Time Employment Within Field of Study
Full-Time Employment Not In Field of Study
Part-Time Employment Not In Field of Study
Attending a Graduate Program
Unemployed
Unknown Status
Full-Time Faculty
16
Part-Time Faculty
15
Faculty with Tenure
7
Faculty on Tenure Track
10
Untenured Part-Time Faculty
15
Untenured Full-Time Faculty
9
Percentage of Faculty within Scholarship or Research Field
63
Male
8
Female
8
Unspecified
White
12
Black
1
Asian
2
Hispanic/Latino
1
Pacific Island or Native Hawaiian
Native American or Native Alaskan
Other
Faculty-to-Student Ratio for All Classes
Faculty-to-Student Ratio for Skill Classes
Comments on Quantitative Numbers
It is incredibly difficult to come up with numbers for some of these questions with any kind of accuracy. The vast majority of our graduate students, for example, do not pay anything to be here. It is also very difficult to get a real number for tuition since Colorado has many different tuition plans. We are also one department in a small college, which means so many of our classes have far more than just journalism majors.