Journalism and Multimedia Arts

Chairperson: Michael J. Dillon, Ph.D.

The Department of Journalism and Multimedia Arts empowers students to become skilled, effective, ethical and thoughtful civic communicators in a wide variety of media.
Students learn media theory - so they can understand the complex roles, functions and ethical obligations of media organizations and professionals - and the practical skills that enable them to become successful media practitioners.

The JMA curriculum is firmly embedded in the Duquesne University mission of Education for the Mind, the Heart and the Spirit and committed to the idea that communicators can and should use their knowledge and skills to make positive contributions to their communities. Courses in Media Ethics and Technology are department keystones.

Students in our department master multimedia storytelling techniques that serve Journalism, Advertising, Public Relations and Web and Multimedia Design and Development. Students learn not only how to tell stories, but to understand what makes a story worthwhile and how to engage a variety of broad and targeted audiences with multimedia storytelling. Today's media professional must be versatile. It's no longer enough to just write, or just master photography or videography. Instead, media professionals, whether working in journalism, advertising or public relations must produce stories that are suited to a wide variety of platforms, including social media.

We are an agile and ambitious department and seize opportunities to mirror and even outpace fast-changing paradigms and techniques in media industries. For example, our Multiplatform Journalism Major, which recently debuted, is among the first of its kind in the country and prepares students to work in traditional print and broadcast media, but also Web, social media and Foundation Journalism. Our Advertising and Public Relations Major teaches foundational principles of persuasion but takes into account new approaches in social media and "Advergaming."

Our departmental approach is collaborative, with faculty and students working together to create synergies in understanding and application of theory, social trends and multimedia technology.

Upon completing the program, students will possess a thorough understanding of media forms and delivery systems that will enhance their power as citizens and position them for careers in the ever-expanding universe of media industries.

Students majoring in Journalism and Multimedia Arts can choose to major in the following:

  • Digital Media Arts
    • Multimedia Development Concentration
    • Web Development Concentration
  • Multiplatform Journalism
  • Public Relations and Advertising

Basic Requirements

A minimum of 36 department credits is required for all majors in the Journalism and Multimedia Arts Department. All students will take 12 credits of specified departmental core classes that emphasize the values and responsibilities of modern communicators and technologists, and 24 credits of Journalism and Multimedia Arts courses in the student's area of study, and a minimim of 84 additional credits. Students must have at least 120 credits to recieve the bachelor's degree. Prior to scheduling each semester, students must meet with their departmental mentor to help formulate their curriculum.

Digital Media Arts Undergraduate Major – Multimedia Development Concentration

Multimedia is the skillful merging of computers, creative talent, some programming, asset management, the use of advanced software for the creation of digital sound, video, 3-D modeling and animation, design principles and project management. The major focuses on new media, organization and display of information, and development of interactive applications. Students develop their creative and artistic talents, and also learn technical dimensions of multimedia development.

Students will be able to:

  • Edit digital photographs.
  • Create and manipulate images for a variety of platforms.
  • Create digital videos for web and mobile devices.
  • Create and design web sites.
  • Apply graphic design principles.
  • Create and manipulate digital sound.
  • Create 3D models and animation.

Digital Media Arts Major – Multimedia (36 credits)

  • JMA 240 – Media and Society*
  • JMA 260 – New Media Production*
  • JMA 324 - Principles of Audio and Video
  • JMA 340W - Writing for Advertising and Copywriting
  • JMA 402 - Visual Design & Layout
  • JMA 405 - Graphic Design Process
  • JMA 440 - Professional Development & Project Management
  • JMA 465W – Media Ethics*
  • JMA 473 – Media Law and Regulation*
  • JMA Elective Courses (9 Credits) Students will select electives after consultation with their department mentor.

*All majors in the Journalism and Multimedia Arts Department will take 12 credits of departmental core courses.

Digital Media Arts Undergraduate Major – Web Development Concentration

The Web Development concentration allows students to pursue an aesthetic and usability approach to Web design and/or programming. Students learn graphic design and interface usability for the development of attractive and functional Web pages. They also learn programming languages for the Web, database applications, and other server technologies to build Web-based applications.

Students will be able to:

  • Evaluate web site usability.
  • Optimize media for Web delivery.
  • Understand and apply Web design standards.
  • Create database driven dynamic websites.
  • Create sites that incorporate evolving Web capabilities.
  • Develop interactive client-side interfaces.

Digital Media Arts Major - Web Development (36 credits)

  • JMA 226 - Intro to Web Design & Development
  • JMA 240 – Media and Society*
  • JMA 260 – New Media Production*
  • JMA 318 – Web DesignJ
  • JMA 440 - Professional Development & Project Management
  • JMA 465W - Media Ethics*
  • JMA 472 - Client-Side Scripting I
  • JMA 473 - Media Law and Regulation*
  • JMA 475 - Database for Web Development
  • JMA Elective Courses (9 Credits) Students will select electives after consultation with their department mentor.

*All majors in the Journalism and Multimedia Arts Department will take 12 credits of specified departmental core courses.

Multiplatform Journalism Undergraduate Major

The Multiplatform Journalism curriculum prepares students to work as multimedia journalists across a wide variety of platforms - from online news sites to traditional print and broadcast outlets. Today's journalist must be multifaceted. A reporter at an online news outlet might, in a single day, shoot video, produce an audio story and write several iterations of a story for a Web site and social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Conversely, a reporter at a broadcast station or cable outlet might produce both visual and written versions of a story. Multiplatform Journalism equips students with the knowledge and skills to produce content for any platform - and to seize opportunities as new platforms emerge. In this program, you'll learn to interview, research, report, write, shoot and edit audio and video, create graphics and master social media.

Students will be able to:

  • Understand the importance of news and the role it plays in our civic and political culture.
  • Develop the ability to evaluate the newsworthiness of events.
  • Study and internalize the public service functions and ethical obligations of journalism.
  • Develop and apply a variety of reporting techniques, including interviewing, database research and use of public records.
  • Produce multiplatform stories for news, sports, entertainment, and various niche genres.
  • Learn and practice narrative, video, audio and graphical storytelling techniques that are applicable across a wide variety of platforms, including print, broadcast, Web, social media and emerging Web-based and mobile platforms.
  • Learn within an ethos of adaptability so that as media platforms and techniques change, students are able to change with them - and possess the theoretical knowledge and practical flexibility to lead that change.

Multiplatform Journalism (30 credits)

  • JMA 240 – Media and Society*
  • JMA 260 – New Media Production*
  • JMA 465W – Media Ethics*
  • JMA 473 – Media Law and Regulation*
  • JMA 177 - 0 Credits: Language for Journalists
  • JMA 200W: Multiplatform Newsroom 1
  • JMA 300W: Multiplatform Newsroom 2
  • JMA 324: Principles of Audio and Video
  • JMA 341: Video Newsgathering and Field Production
  • JMA 360W: Multiplatform Editing
  • JMA 469W: Magazine Journalism OR JMA 471W: Investigative Reporting OR JMA 426: Television News Reporting
  • JMA Elective Courses (6 Credits) Students will select electives after consultation with their department mentor.

*All majors in the Journalism and Multimedia Arts Department will take 12 credits of departmental core courses.

Public Relations and Advertising Undergraduate Major

Courses provide students with a thorough grounding in the fundamental skills and practices of Public Relations and Advertising. Courses establish a theoretical understanding of these fields as the primary means of persuasion in modern life, and emphasize their crucial role in culture. Students explore the dynamics that govern the development of Public Relations and Advertising, engage in critical evaluation of industry content, develop solid strategies and assessment tools, and acquire hands-on production skills. As students move through the program, they gain professional experience with on-campus and professional media agencies.

Students will be able to:

  • Create a wide variety of advertisements for magazines, newspapers and television.
  • Manage advertising and public relations campaigns.
  • Create campaigns for non-profit institutions.
  • Plan events.
  • Understand and apply international advertising and public relations media needs.
  • Account for cultural differences and how they impact advertising or public relations.

Public Relations (36 credits)

  • JMA 240 – Media and Society*
  • JMA 260 – New Media Production*
  • JMA 465W – Media Ethics*
  • JMA 473 – Media Law and Regulation*
  • JMA 243 - Introduction to Public and Media Relations
  • JMA 200W - Multiplatform Newsroom 1
  • JMA 410 - PR Strategies and Case Studies
  • JMA 418W - Public Relations Campaigns 
  • JMA 467 - Media Research Methods
  • MKTG 271 - Introduction to Marketing
  • JMA Elective Courses (6 Credits) Students will select electives after consultation with their department mentor.

*All majors in the Journalism and Multimedia Arts Department will take 12 credits of departmental core courses.

Advertising (36 credits)

  • JMA 240 – Media and Society*
  • JMA 260 – New Media Production*
  • JMA 465W – Media Ethics*
  • JMA 473 – Media Law and Regulation*
  • JMA 220 - Introduction to Advertising
  • JMA 340W - Writing for Advertising and Copywriting
  • JMA 422 - Advertising Strategies and Case Studies
  • JMA 419 - Advertising Campaigns, Writing and Production
  • JMA 467 - Media Research Methods
  • MKTG 271 - Introduction to Marketing
  • JMA Elective Courses (6 Credits) Students will select electives after consultation with their department mentor.

*All majors in the Journalism and Multimedia Arts Department will take 12 credits of departmental core courses.

Media & Sports Concentration (12 credits)

Media and Sports are individually two of the most important industries and leisure time activities in modern life.  Collectively, media and sports are an increasingly important area of study with programs added to the curricula of major Universities and research institutes around the globe. Among the issues studied by these entities are these:

  • In a time of increasing media options, sports content consistently demonstrates its ability to create a desirable audience for the media industries. Sports content is, in fact, the exemplar of the type of content necessary to the economic viability of many media outlets.
  • While media outlets use and sometimes need sport for viability, modern sport is almost completely reliant on media coverage to exist in its present form.
  • The "marriage" of sports and media, while sometimes dysfunctional, has transformed into a set of near symbiotic relationships to the degree where it is difficult to distinguish sports and media as separate.
  • * The messages that sports convey through media can have both cumulative and more direct effects on society. Examples abound, but include conceptions of race, gender, violence, individual vs. group action, and power,

The primary purposes of the Media & Sports Concentration are to provide:

  • Understanding major issues and opportunities in sports media.
  • Practical hands-on work in media and sports including video and audio production, marketing and strategic media practices (e.g., public relations and advertising), and sports writing and reporting.

Media Sports

  • JMA 434 Media & Sports
  • JMA 435 Media Sports Practices
  • And in consultation with your departmental mentor, any two of the following:
    • SOCI 380 Sports in Society
    • JMA 380 Sports Reporting I: Sportscasting
    • JMA 381 Sports Reporting II: Sportswriting
    • JMA 485 Special Topics (when topic is Sports-related)

Requirements for a Second Major within the Department

Students who complete the requirements for one of the majors within the Journalism and Multimedia Arts Department can complete the requirements for a second JMA bachelor’s degree by taking an additional 24 credits. These credits fulfill the requirement in the College that a student must have a minor or second major.

Double Major with English

Students can double major in Multiplatform Journalism, Digital Media Arts, Advertising and Public Relations, and English.  If the first selected major is English, 30 credits are required in English and 30 credits are required in each of the majors listed above from Journalism and Multimedia Arts.  If the first selected major is one of the Journalism and Multimedia Arts majors, 36 credits are required in Journalism and Multimedia Arts and 24 credits are required in English.

Requirements for a Minor in Journalism (18 credits)

Within JMA

Multiplatform Journalism Core (3 Credits)

  • JMA 177 - Language for Journalists (0 Credits)
  • JMA 200W - Multiplatform Newsroom 1 (3 Credits)

Option 1 (9 Credits)

  • JMA 300W - Multiplatform Newsroom 2
  • JMA 360W - Multiplatform Editing
  • JMA 469W - Magazine Journalism OR JMA 471- Investigative Reporting

Option 2 (9 Credits)

  • JMA 341- Video News Gathering and Field Production
  • JMA 367- Radio Writing and Production
  • JMA 426- Television News Reporting

JMA Elective Courses (6 Credits)

Outside JMA

Department Core (6 Credits)

  • JMA 240- Media and Society
  • JMA 465W- Media Ethics OR JMA 473- Media Law and Regulations

Journalism Core (3 Credits)

  • JMA 177- Language for Journalists (0 Credits)
  • JMA 200W- Multiplatform Newsroom 1 (3 Credits)

Option 1 (6 Credits)

  • JMA 300W- Multiplatform Newsroom 2
  • JMA 360W - Multiplatform Editing

Option 2 (6 Credits)

  • JMA 341 - Video Newsgathering and Field Production
  • JMA 426 - Television News Reporting

JMA Elective Courses (3 Credits)

Requirements for a Minor in Digital Media Arts (18 credits)

Within JMA

Web Concentration Core (9 Credits)

  • JMA 226- Introduction to Web Design and Development
  • JMA 318- Web Design
  • JMA 331- Interactive Applications

Multimedia Concentration Core (9 Credits)

  • JMA 333- Photography 1
  • JMA 430- Digital Imaging for Multimedia
  • JMA 402- Visual Design and Layout

JMA Elective Courses (9 credits)

Outside JMA

Multimedia Concentration Core: (9 Credits)

  • JMA 240- Media and Society
  • JMA 260- New Media Production
  • JMA 465W- Media Ethics OR JMA 473- Media Law and Regulations

JMA Elective Courses (9 credits)

Requirements for a Minor Public Relations & Advertising (18 credits)

Within JMA

PR/Ad Core (12 Credits)

  • JMA 220 - Introduction to Advertising OR JMA 243- Introduction to Public and Media Relations
  • JMA 340W - Writing for Advertising and Copywriting (Suggested for Advertising Concentration) OR JMA 200W - Multiplatform Newsroom 1 (Suggested for PR Concentration)
  • JMA 418W- Public Relations Campaign OR JMA 419- Advertising Production
  • JMA 467 - Media Research Methods

JMA Elective Courses (6 credits)

Outside JMA

Department Core (9 Credits)

  • JMA 240- Media and Society
  • JMA 260- New Media Production
  • JMA 465W- Media Ethics OR JMA 473- Media Law and Regulations

Major Core (9 Credits)

  • JMA 220 - Introduction to Advertising OR JMA 243- Introduction to Public and Media Relations
  • JMA 340W - Writing for Advertising and Copywriting (Suggested for Advertising Concentration) OR JMA 200W- Multiplatform Newsroom 1 (Suggested for PR Concentration)
  • JMA 418W - Public Relations Campaign OR JMA 419 - Advertising Production

The 4 – 1 Master's Program

Qualifying students take 12 graduate credits while an undergraduate. Those 12 credits will apply to the undergraduate major and to the Master of Science in Media Arts and Technology. After completing the Bachelor’s Degree program, students take an additional 24 graduate credits to fulfill the requirements for the degree.

Criteria and Eligibility

  • Students must be a JMA undergraduate major and have completed at least 15 credits in the major.
  • Students should apply to the program when they have completed 75 credits.
  • Students will not be formally accepted into the program until they have completed 90 credits.
  • Students may not take graduate courses until approved by their mentor and advisor.
  • Students must have an overall GPA of at least 3.25.
  • Students must have at least a 3.75 GPA in the major.

To continue in the Master’s Degree Program, students must have completed the four indicated graduate courses with “B’s” or better by the time they have completed their undergraduate program; then, they fulfill the remaining credits during the fifth year. 

Internship Opportunities and Practical Experience

Nearly all jobs require experience and the internship program in the Department of Journalism and Multimedia Arts is designed to provide students with a supervised observation/experience in areas such as advertising, public relations, social media, video production, marketing, and journalism, promotions/event planning. The Department has numerous corporate and non-profit sponsors in the Pittsburgh area, and has placed students in internships from New York to Los Angeles.

In addition to the internship program, the Department has significant on-campus organizations that provide excellent opportunities to gain practical experience and build a multiplatform portfolio.

Transfer Credits

No more than 12 transfer credits in Journalism and Multimedia Arts can be applied to the major.