Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism

Main Office
General Academic Building, Room 102

Mailing address:
1155 Union Circle #311460
Denton, TX 76203-5017
940-565-2205
Fax: 940-565-2370

Office of Student Advising
General Academic Building, Room 107
940-565-3365

Web sites: www.journalism.unt.edu

Dorothy Bland, Dean

Faculty

A career in journalism is exciting, dynamic and critical to the future of an informed and enlightened American society. The Mayborn School of Journalism provides students with the creative and critical-thinking skills to prepare them to work in the following fields:

news and sports reporting, writing, visual journalism (stills and video), design, and publishing for the Internet, newspapers, broadcast, magazines, books;
advertising in agencies, profit and non-profit organizations, and media;
public relations in agencies, corporations, government, and non-profit organizations;
web and desktop publishing; and
teaching in secondary schools.

The curriculum prepares students with broad and diverse skills for work in multiple media platforms; to develop their skills to analyze, evaluate and inform; and to consider the ethical implications of mass communication and its impact in today’s world. Students learn in multimedia labs using state-of-the-art computers, software and video equipment. The school emphasizes curriculum and career advising and mentoring by professionally trained faculty and staff.

The Mayborn School of Journalism comprises two concentrations: news and strategic communications.

The journalism major with a news concentration prepares students for careers in reporting, writing, editing and photojournalism (video and stills) for the Internet, television, newspapers, magazines and radio. With a strong focus on multi-platform journalism, students receive hands-on opportunities as news reporters, sports reporters, writers, photojournalists, designers, and editors for use online, on air and in print for the North Texas Daily, NTDaily.com, NTDaily TV, Denton Live, Hatch and other area media. Teacher certification is available in journalism.

The journalism major with a strategic communications concentration prepares students to work in advertising, public relations and integrated communication careers in a variety of settings: ad/PR/marketing agencies, corporations, non-profit agencies, government, public affairs and more. Students gain critical thinking skills, creative practice and professional experience by studying cases, developing campaigns and completing internships. To help real-world clients such as non-profit organizations, students create materials including advertisements for traditional and non-traditional media, newsletters, news releases, public service announcements, web sites and social media strategies. Students also gain experience through SWOOP, the student-managed advertising and public relations agency.

Vision statement

To create the most innovative professional and academic program while maintaining our journalism heritage.

Mission statement

To prepare students with ethical values, life-time communication and intellectual skills, as well as for successful careers in the professions represented by the school’s undergraduate departments and graduate degree programs.

Accreditation

The Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism is among the elite journalism programs that have earned national accreditation by the ACEJMC, the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. (University of Kansas School of Journalism, Stauffer-Flint Hall 1435 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045; telephone 785-864-3973; or visit www2.ku.edu/~acejmc/FULLINFO.HTML.)

Academic advising

Information about academic matters is available in the Office of Student Advising for the School of Journalism. Students will work with professional and faculty advisors concerning degree audits, application of transfer credit, individual career needs and general academic requirements.

Degree audit

Each student should have a degree audit prepared by the School of Journalism. This official degree audit should be made upon completion of the pre-major requirements, typically by the end of the sophomore year. Transfer students should have degree audits prepared during their first term/semester at UNT. Information is available from the Journalism Office of Student Advising office, GAB 107.

Programs of study

The program is divided into two concentrations: news and strategic communications. News includes news reporting (broadcast, print and web) and photojournalism (stills and video). Strategic communications includes advertising and public relations.

Core curriculum

Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree in the Mayborn School of Journalism must complete the University Core and the Journalism degree requirements shown below. Students should see the Office of Student Advising for their major for more information.

University Core Curriculum

English Composition and Rhetoric (6 hours): See approved list in the Academics section of this catalog.
Mathematics (3 hours): See “University Core Curriculum Requirements ” in the Academics section of this catalog.
Natural Sciences (6 hours): See “University Core Curriculum Requirements ” in the Academics section of this catalog.
United States History (6 hours): See approved list in the Academics section of this catalog.
Political Science (6 hours): See approved list in the Academics section of this catalog.
Visual and Performing Arts (3 hours): See approved list in the Academics section of this catalog.
Humanities (3 hours): See approved list in the Academics section of this catalog.
Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 hours): See approved list in the Academics section of this catalog.
Discovery (3 hours): See approved list in the Academics section of this catalog.
Capstone (3 hours): See approved list in the Academic section of this catalog.

Mayborn School of Journalism degree requirements

The following requirements are in addition to or a specification of the University Core Curriculum requirements for Bachelor of Arts degrees.

Mathematics (3 hours, also satisfies the university core): MATH 1680 or MATH 1681 . Students must follow all prerequisites as listed in this catalog.
Foreign Language (6–8 hours, or proficiency): two foreign language classes in the same language from 1010 and 1020 are required. Students may test out of these courses and still satisfy the requirement.
Social Science/Marketing (12 advanced hours): selected from 3000- or 4000-level courses in anthropology, economics, geography (regional science only), history, philosophy, political science, psychology, social work, sociology and MKTG 3650.

Major and minor

For requirements in the major and minor, students should consult “University Core Curriculum ” in the Academics section of this catalog, and department or division sections.

Other requirements

Elective hours as needed at either the lower level or advanced level to meet the minimum of 120 semester hours for graduation, including 42 advanced hours. Electives should be chosen in consultation with an advisor.

Internships

Students can gain additional experience through internships at newspapers, magazines, book publishing companies, television and radio stations, web companies, advertising and public relations agencies, and large and small businesses throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth region and the nation.

Because a journalism education provides students with strong writing, research and critical thinking skills, journalism graduates also find work at a variety of jobs outside the media industry or use the degree to enter graduate or law studies.

Mayborn Conference

The Mayborn School of Journalism hosts the nationally acclaimed Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference each year in July. For more information, go to journalism.unt.edu/maybornconference.

NT Daily

The award-winning North Texas Daily, UNT’s student newspaper in print and online, provides practical experience for students in both departments of the School of Journalism. The Student Publications Committee selects the editor each term/semester, and staff jobs are open to any UNT student. The Daily is published four days a week in the fall and spring terms/semesters and less frequently in the summer. The Daily has been providing news and entertainment to UNT students since 1948. For more information, contact the Daily’s advisor at 940-565-2205, or visit the Daily’s web site at www.ntdaily.com.

North Texas Daily TV

Beside working on the student-run newspaper NTDaily and NTDaily.com, students may also practice the skills they learn in journalism classes by working on the NTDaily TV newscast, sports talk shows and highlight shows, community affairs, and other local programs. The student-produced programming is shown on Denton Community Television (DCTV), the city’s public access channel which is operated on campus by the Mayborn School of Journalism. Students may also create and produce other programming of interest to the university community and residents of Denton.

SWOOP Agency

SWOOP is a student-managed advertising and public relations agency doing real work for real clients. Under the guidance of faculty with professional agency experience, students come up with big ideas that build their clients’ businesses while also building their resumes. Students work on a variety of projects in positions such as account management, account planning, media, public relations, copy writing, art direction and social media. Students may apply as volunteers or receive practicum credit.

Ad Team/National Student Advertising Competition

Ad Team is a group of dedicated students who come together to create, develop and execute an integrated communications campaign for a national client. This intensive immersion in an advertising campaign, under the guidance of veteran faculty, culminates in the American Advertising Federation’s National Student Advertising Competition where the Ad Team pitches its campaign to a panel of professional judges from the communications industry.

Hatch

Hatch is a student-run agency that offers real world experience for visual storytellers. Student photographers cover events, produce portraits, document anything from research to architecture and tell stories through multimedia video. The experience gives photojournalism students the opportunity to get hands-on training plus on-the-job work experience. The team includes photographers with diverse skills including studio and on-location lighting, documentary or editorial storytelling and more.

Display courses for Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism.