Journalism AA-T Degree
College of the Desert’s Journalism program offers an Associate in Arts in Journalism for Transfer, also called the Journalism AA-T Degree. Students earning this degree are well prepared for career fields in radio and television broadcasting, newspaper and magazine writing and production, motion picture, television and video production. The program is designed to train students how to write, report and think critically. The study of Journalism covers the collection, writing, editing and presentation of news or news articles in the media. It is designed to train graduates to be ethical, objective, and critical writers, with the skills and knowledge needed to pursue careers working for newspapers, magazines, broadcast stations and publishing outlets in the online community, and any setting that involves the relaying and reporting of information.
The Journalism AA-T degree is intended for students who plan to complete a bachelor’s degree in a similar major at a CSU campus. Students completing this degree are guaranteed admission to the CSU system, but not to a particular campus or major. This AA-T degree requires students to complete 60 CSU transferable units including completion of Cal-GETC and 18-19 units in the major with a cumulative GPA of 2.0. Title 5 requires that students must earn a minimum "C" (or "P") in all courses required for the major or area of emphasis. There are no additional graduation requirements. Students should consult with a counselor when planning to complete the degree for more information on university admission and transfer requirements.
Learning Outcomes
Upon satisfactory completion of this program students will be able to:
- Explain basic skills and techniques to report and write to a diverse audience across multiple platforms using proper, grammar, punctuation, word usage and spelling, sentence and storytelling structures that adhere to the Associated Press style.
- Analyze the vital role journalism plays in a democracy, the First Amendment, media history and current trends in the industry.
- Apply personal and professional standards, ethics and media law, especially in journalism practices.
- Be prepared to transfer to a university or four-year college with a major in journalism, public relations or a related field.
Program Requirements
| Course Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Required Core Courses | Units | |
| MC 001 | Introduction to Mass Media | 3 |
| J 003A | News Reporting & Writing | 3 |
| J 004A | News Media Production | 3 |
| List A | ||
| Select one course from the following: (3 units) | ||
| MC 005 | Introduction to Public Relations | 3 |
| J 004B | Intermediate News Media Production | 3 |
| J 006 | Introduction to Multimedia Storytelling | 3 |
| J 007 | Introduction to Photojournalism | 3 |
| List B | ||
| Select two courses from the following: (6-7 units) | ||
| ART 030A | Beginning Black & White Photography | 3 |
| COMM 025 | Argumentation and Debate | 3 |
| ECON 001 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| or ECON 002 | Principles of Microeconomics | |
| PHIL 010 | General Logic | 3 |
| POLS C1000 | American Government and Politics | 3 |
| PS 002 | Introduction to Comparative Governments | 3 |
| SOC 003 | Fundamentals of Statistics | 3-4 |
| or STAT C1000 | Introduction to Statistics | |
| SOC 004 | Sociological Analysis& Critical Thinking | 3 |
| Required Subtotal | 18-19 | |
| Cal-GETC 1 | 34 | |
| Transferable Electives (as needed to reach 60 transferable units) 2 | ||
| DEGREE TOTAL | 60 | |
Please refer to Associate Degree for Transfer (SB 1440).
1 Units for the major may be double counted for Cal-GETC, confer with a Counselor.
2 Elective units to reach 60 unit total must be CSU transferable, confer with a Counselor.
