Other Areas of Interest

Share This...

The bachelor’s degree in journalism is a broad-based liberal arts and sciences degree. Students must have at least 116 credits in areas other than journalism. A second major or a minor is a good way to obtain these credits. Journalism faculty members have suggested electives, minors or second majors in the following areas: 

  • Advertising: poetry, creative writing, theater/acting, logic, ethics, electronic media production, reporting, magazine, marketing, consumer behavior, management and human behavior, public relations, media management, financial accounting, management and organizational behavior, human resources management, management communication, entrepreneurship.
  • Communication Studies: political science, sociology, social anthropology, women’s studies, ethnic studies, international studies.
  • Journalism (Electronic Media, Magazine, News/Editorial): creative writing, poetry, library research, graphic design, political science, history, economics, international studies, theater/acting, literature and other arts, law, philosophy, sciences, sociology, or courses in a field that reflects the student-writer’s interest (e.g., environmental studies, political science, art, women’s studies).
  • Public Relations: political science, sociology, psychology, business, marketing, environmental studies, international studies, nonprofit administration.

Contact the appropriate department about the requirements needed for the second major or minor. Remember that as a bachelor’s student, you are essentially fulfilling two sets of requirements: the university’s general-education requirement and your major (i.e. journalism) requirements. When you add a second major or a minor, you are adding a third set of requirements. To complete your degree, you must complete all the requirements for all the majors, minors, etc. you’ve declared.

Also remember that journalism awards both the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science degrees. Not all majors do. Thus, if you are considering a second major, check to see what degree that major awards. For example, the English major awards only a Bachelor of Arts degree. If you want to double major in English and journalism, you have to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Note: Students who plan to pursue a minor or second major in business, dance, music, art, community arts, non-profit administration, photography, digital arts, art history or education should make certain that they include in their planned programs the 94 College of Arts and Sciences credits required of all journalism students.

Minors to consider
The UO Catalog has a complete list of minors. Journalism students do not need a minor to graduate but many consider adding one (or more) to their programs. Here are some of the more popular minors for journalism majors:

In addition to the minors listed above, these subject areas also work well with journalism: anthropology, computer science, English, ethnic studies, religious studies, economics, history, mathematics, philosophy, psychology, theater arts, women and gender issues, any foreign language, or any science (chemistry, biology, physics, human physiology, etc.).

Tips on managing a minor

  • Declare the minor as soon as possible so you can track your progress on your Degree Audit Report.
  • Seek advising for the minor in the minor's department. Understand the minor requirements and get a sense of when specific courses will be offered. Some courses are only offered once a year.
  • When you apply for your degree, make sure your minor is listed on your student records. If it is not, your degree will be awarded without it.
  • Check with the appropriate department about grading options. Although a lot of courses can be taken pass/no pass, most minors will require that their courses be taken graded and that a certain grade is earned (usually at least a C-).