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Journalism

Overview Degrees/Certificates Courses Faculty

Associate Degrees for Transfer

A.A.-T. in Journalism

The Journalism AA-T degree offers students the opportunity to take courses in media theories, news writing and reporting, and writing for publication, which readies them for the courses that offer hands-on experience at the award-winning, student-produced publications: The Connection, a biweekly print newspaper, and www.thecrcconnection.com, the daily online news outlet.

The Journalism AA-T degree is for students who have a goal of transferring to the California State University to attain a Bachelor of Arts or Science in Journalism for the purpose of becoming journalism or communications professionals. Some students pursuing this degree may plan to minor in journalism at a CSU. Lower-division requirements for the major and minor in Journalism may be completed through the Journalism AA-T degree.

The Journalism AA-T degree may be obtained by completing a total of 60 transferable semester units with a minimum 2.0 GPA, to include either the California State University General Education Breadth pattern or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum; students must also earn a grade of C or better in all the courses for the major as described in the Required Program. Upon successful completion of the degree requirements, students will be guaranteed admission to the CSU system with junior status and will not have to repeat lower division coursework. Students are encouraged to meet with a counselor to develop their educational plans as degree options and general education requirements vary for each university.

Catalog Date: January 1, 2025

Degree Requirements

Course Code Course Title Units
CORE COURSES:
JOUR 310 Mass Media and Society (3) 3
   or RTVF 300 Mass Media and Society (3)
JOUR 300 Newswriting and Reporting 3
JOUR 410 College Media Production I 3
ELECTIVE LIST A - at least 1 course from the following:
A minimum of 3 units from the following: 3
JOUR 351 Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques (3)
JOUR 411 College Media Production II (3)
ELECTIVE LIST B - at least 2 courses from the following:
A minimum of 6 units from the following: 6
JOUR 320 Race and Gender in the Media (3)
COMM 311 Argumentation and Debate (3)
COMM 363 Introduction to Communication Theory (3)
ECON 302 Principles of Macroeconomics (3)
   or ECON 304 Principles of Microeconomics (3)
ENGWR 302 Advanced Composition and Critical Thinking (3)
PHOTO 302 Beginning Digital Photography (3)
POLS 301 Introduction to Government: United States (3)
POLS 302 Comparative Politics (3)
STAT 300 Introduction to Probability and Statistics (4)
Total Units: 18

The Associate in Arts in Journalism for Transfer (AA-T) degree may be obtained by completion of 60 transferable, semester units with a minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.0, including (a) a minimum grade of "C" (or "P") for each course in the major or area of emphasis described in the Required Program, and (b) either the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or the California State University General Education-Breadth Requirements.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, the student will be able to:

  • Write clear and concise stories that adhere to journalistic conventions.
  • Conduct research and evaluate information using appropriate methods.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of basic news and feature writing in print, broadcast, and on-line media.
  • Evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy, fairness, appropriate style, and grammatical correctness.
  • Produce news and feature articles, photographs, and/or multimedia packages for publication in a newspaper or on-line publication.
  • Understand and apply the principles of the First Amendment and other laws appropriate to professional practice.
  • Apply ethical principles in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness, and diversity.
  • Identify and explain the processes, elements, history, theory, and effects of modern mass media in society.

Career Information

The AA-T degree in Journalism can provide students with the foundational knowledge necessary for transfer to a 4-year Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree program. Career opportunities for students who have earned BS or BA degrees in Journalism include but are not limited to: news reporter, news editor, broadcast news writer, broadcast news producer, online news editor, online news producer, advertising copy writer, public relations representative. Some careers may require additional training. NOTE TO TRANSFER STUDENTS: The Associate Degree for Transfer program is designed for students who plan to transfer to a campus of the California State University (CSU). Other than the required core, the courses you choose to complete this degree will depend to some extent on the selected CSU for transfer. In addition, some CSU-GE Breadth or IGETC requirements can also be completed using courses required for this associate degree for transfer major (known as “double-counting”). Meeting with a counselor to determine the most appropriate course choices will facilitate efficient completion of your transfer requirements. For students wishing to transfer to other universities (UC System, private, or out-of-state), the Associate Degree for Transfer may not provide adequate preparation for upper-division transfer admissions; it is critical that you meet with a CRC counselor to select and plan the courses for the major, as programs vary widely in terms of the required preparation.

Associate Degrees

A.A. in Journalism

The Journalism program is designed to train students in the writing, reporting and critical thinking skills required for jobs in the news media or for transfer to a journalism program at a four-year institution.

Highlights include:
* Hands-on experience publishing the college's award-winning newspaper, The Connection. The newspaper showcases students' work in writing, photography, editing, graphic illustration and publication design
* Hands-on experience producing the newspaper's award-winning website. The website allows students to publish breaking news, showcase photo galleries, and post audio and video clips to accompany stories.
* Instruction and practice in desktop publishing, digital photography and graphics applications in the department's Macintosh laboratory or in the campus PC computer laboratory
* Opportunities to attend state journalism conferences, compete for awards in writing, photography, editing and graphic art, and qualify for scholarships
* Opportunities for internships at newspapers, magazines, websites, broadcast television stations, and in public relations firms


Note to Transfer Students:
If you are interested in transferring to a four-year college or university to pursue a bachelor’s degree in this major, it is critical that you meet with a CRC counselor to select and plan the courses for your major. Schools vary widely in terms of the required preparation. The courses that CRC requires for an Associate’s degree in this major may be different from the requirements needed for the Bachelor’s degree.

Catalog Date: January 1, 2025

Degree Requirements

Course Code Course Title Units
JOUR 310 Mass Media and Society (3) 3
JOUR 300 Newswriting and Reporting 3
JOUR 404 Editing and Production 3
JOUR 410 College Media Production I 3
PHOTO 301 Beginning Photography (3) 3
   or PHOTO 302 Beginning Digital Photography (3)
A minimum of 9 units from the following: 9
CISC 305 Introduction to the Internet (1)
CISC 306 Introduction to Web Page Creation (1)
JOUR 330 Computer Familiarization (2)
   or CISC 302 Computer Familiarization (2)
JOUR 320 Race and Gender in the Media (3)
JOUR 340 Writing for Publication (3)
PHOTO 400 Digital Imaging (3)
JOUR 301 Advanced Newswriting and Reporting (3)
Total Units: 24

The Journalism Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree may be obtained by completion of the required program, plus the local CRC General Education Requirement, plus sufficient electives to meet a 60-unit total. See CRC graduation requirements.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, the student will be able to:

  • PSLO 1: Write clear and concise stories that adhere to journalistic conventions.
  • PSLO 2: Conduct research and evaluate information using appropriate methods.
  • PSLO 3: Demonstrate an understanding of basic news and feature writing in print, broadcast, and on-line media.
  • PSLO 4: Evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy, fairness, appropriate style, and grammatical correctness.
  • PSLO 5: Produce news and feature articles, photographs, and/or multimedia packages for publication in a newspaper or on-line publication.
  • PSLO 6: Understand and apply the principles of the First Amendment and other laws appropriate to professional practice.
  • PSLO 7: Apply ethical principles in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness, and diversity.
  • PSLO 8: Identify and explain the processes, elements, history, theory, and effects of modern mass media in society.
  • PSLO 9: Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of mass media theories, concepts, and practices as they relate to gender, ethnicity, and class constructs.

Career Information

Career Options Journalist; Newspaper Reporter; Magazine Editor; Editor; Columnist; Desktop Publishing Specialist; Public Information Officer; Web Writer/Editor/Producer; Script Writer; Copy Writer; Broadcast News Writer; Broadcast News Producer. Some career options may require more than two years of college study. Classes beyond the associate degree may be required to fulfill some career options or for preparation for transfer to a university program.