Admissions

Missouri Journalism Undergraduate Program    [Full Index]

Undergraduate Advising

Carla Jerome Beckmann Undergraduate Advising Staff Jill McReynolds Undergraduate Advising Staff Pat Sternberg Undergraduate Advising Staff Shawn Wallace Undergraduate Advising Staff

Effective Fall Semester 2006

Students must be admitted to the School of Journalism to pursue the bachelor of journalism degree. Students are admitted in one of two categories:

1. Directly Admitted Students. A freshman applicant will be directly admitted to the School of Journalism if he or she meets standard MU admissions requirements and any one of the following three criteria:
   
   
   • Ranks in the top 10 percent of his or her high school class.
   • Scores 29 or higher on the ACT Composite.
   • Scores 1280 or higher on the math-verbal portions of the SAT.
   
   The University of Missouri-Columbia does not use the relatively new SAT or ACT essay examinations in its admissions process.
   
   
2. Pre-Journalism A&S Students. Students accepted by MU who do not meet one of the criteria for direct admission are admitted as pre-Journalism students in the College of Arts and Science and apply for admission to Journalism as the student is completing the fourth journalism course, which is either J2000, Cross-Cultural Journalism, or J2100, News. That usually occurs in the second semester of the sophomore year as the student is completing 60 credits and all other requirements.

Note: All undergraduate admissions to MU are handled by the Office of Admissions, not the School of Journalism, and no exceptions are made to the standards for direct admission to Journalism. A student either meets one of the admissions standards or does not. There is no appeals process for direct admission.

However, once accepted to MU as a pre-Journalism student, the student may continue to take the ACT or SAT to try to improve his or her score. If the student receives the necessary score for direct admission, once the score is received by the Admissions Office the student may request a change of admissions status. The new test score must be received by the Admissions Office at least one month before the student is to begin classes at MU. Similarly, a student who was admitted outside the top 10 percent of his or her class but who subsequently achieves top 10 percent standing at the end of the senior year of high school may request a change of admissions status. No change is possible later than one month before the student begins classes at MU.

Directly Admitted Students
Pre-J A&S Students

• Advance automatically to upper-class status in Journalism if they maintain a cumulative MU GPA of 3.0 or higher upon completion of 60 credit hours and fulfill all other requirements.
• Are guaranteed admission to the upper-class emphasis area of their choice provided they maintain a cumulative MU GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• Have access to a far larger portion of the School of Journalism's freshman scholarship pool. The School of Journalism annually awards about $200,000 in scholarships to incoming freshmen in addition to scholarships awarded by the Admissions Office and others. To apply for all scholarships, including those offered by the School of Journalism, apply through the Office of Financial Aid. Priority consideration is given to those who apply by Dec. 1.

To continue to enjoy these benefits, directly admitted students are expected to maintain an MU cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Those without GPAs of at least 3.0 after completion of 60 credit hours lose these benefits and will be placed in a pool with pre-journalism students and considered individually for upper-class status through a process outlined below.

Unlike directly admitted students, pre-Journalism A&S students:

• Are not guaranteed to advance to upper-class status in Journalism even if they maintain a cumulative MU GPA of 3.0 or higher upon completion of 60 credit hours and after fulfilling all other requirements. Students in this category instead are accepted on a space-available basis. However, to date no one who has earned a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher has been rejected, and space has been available. The School merely reserves the right to reject students should overcrowding occur in the future.
• Are not guaranteed an emphasis area of choice even with an MU cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Admission to the emphasis area of choice is dependent upon space availability.
• Have access to fewer scholarships from the School of Journalism. The school has only four scholarships available to pre-Journalism Arts and Science students. That's because most scholarships are designated for "Journalism students," and pre-Journalism A&S students have not yet been accepted to the School of Journalism. To apply for all scholarships, including those offered by the School of Journalism, apply through the Office of Financial Aid.

The School of Journalism is eager to accept hard-working pre-Journalism students who earn their way into upper-class status. Many do just that.

Admission to Upper-Class Status and Emphasis Area

Students who do not meet the criteria for direct admission and directly admitted students who have not maintained a cumulative MU GPA of 3.0 or higher must apply for upper-class status upon completion of 60 credit hours and fulfillment of all other requirements for upper-class status. Committees of faculty in each emphasis area will review applications for admission, and admission will be by emphasis area based on space available in that program.

GPA alone will not be used to evaluate the applications of pre-Journalism students and directly admitted students with GPAs below 3.0. In addition to GPA, the committees will consider a student's stated desire to work in the fields of journalism or strategic communication, demonstrated commitment to journalism or strategic communication (as evidenced by work with student or professional media, high school activities or participation in journalism student groups), needs of the profession, etc. For example, it is possible for a student with a 2.87 GPA who has demonstrated strong commitment to the field to be selected over one with a 2.95 GPA who has shown no similar commitment. Students applying through this process must submit brief letters of application (not to exceed two pages) stating a case for admission to an emphasis area.

The School will attempt to match interests of students applying through this process with openings in the School's various academic disciplines. The School does not guarantee first choice of sequence to students admitted through this process. It may be necessary from time to time to limit enrollment in high-demand areas.

Students who are rejected for upper-class status through this process must transfer to another MU division and will no longer be considered Journalism or pre-Journalism students. If, however, a student subsequently spends a semester taking non-journalism courses and raises his or her MU cumulative GPA above 3.0, the student may reapply. No such application will be accepted after a student has completed 80 or more hours of college credit.

Transfer Student Admissions Standards

Transfer students who have completed 60 credit hours and the necessary coursework but who do not have a 3.0 GPA at MU are placed in the same pool of applicants as pre-journalism students and will be considered using the same process. Criteria used in evaluating these applications are similar to those for pre-journalism applicants and direct admits who did not maintain 3.0 GPAs. The Admissions Committee will review the student's MU GPA as well as a student's stated desire to work in the fields of journalism or strategic communication, demonstrated commitment to journalism or strategic communication (as evidenced by work with student or professional media, high school or junior college activities, or participation in journalism student groups), needs of the profession, etc. A transfer student in this category also must submit a brief letter of application (not to exceed two pages) stating a case for admission.

Unless otherwise specified by a formal articulation agreement that allows additional hours, up to 64 credits may be transferred from two-year colleges at any time before graduation. Students must also complete 30 of their last 36 hours in MU coursework. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions, not the School of Journalism, determines transfer equivalencies for the University. Transfer students from other accredited schools and colleges in Missouri should check the MU Web site to see how coursework will transfer to MU or contact the Office of Admissions. Students also should contact an advisor to see how these courses would apply toward a degree at MU. A course taken on a pass/fail basis is accepted only if the MU grading system also allows pass/fail grading in that course. The School of Journalism does not count any journalism course from another institution toward the bachelor of journalism degree either as a requirement or an elective, even if MU accepts the course in transfer. Many communications courses are similarly rejected and may not be used toward graduation requirements even as electives. Some other courses also may not count toward the degree. See the Undergraduate Handbook for additional guidance.

Honors Eligibility Upon Admission

Most directly admitted students, and a few pre-Journalism students in the College of Arts and Science, qualify for admission to the Honors College. Upon admission as freshmen, directly admitted students are designated Journalism Scholars if they earn a composite ACT score of 29 or higher (1280 or higher on the SAT) and rank in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating classes. Students who meet those criteria qualify for automatic admission to the Honors College but must request honors eligibility by filling out a simple application at the Honors College Web site. A student must be admitted to the Honors College to be designated as a Journalism Scholar. Those who score a 29 on the ACT but do not rank in the top 10 percent of their high school classes may petition for honors eligibility by completing the form and writing a brief essay. Decisions to award honors eligibility are made by the Honors College and not the School of Journalism.

Journalism Scholars with ACT composite scores of 33 or higher (1460 or higher on the SAT) and who rank near the top of their high school classes are designated Walter Williams Scholars. More about both scholars programs may be found on this Web site.

Designation as a Journalism Scholar or Walter Williams Scholar is noted in the program when a student participates in Commencement exercises.

Missouri School of Journalism Undergraduate Handbook Starting Your Program Freshman/Sophomore Pre-Sequence Requirements Junior/Senior Sequence Requirements Graduation Academic Policies Admissions Directly Admitted Students Pre-J A&S Students Admission to Upper-Class Status and Emphasis Area Transfer Student Admissions Standards Honors Eligibility Upon Admission Financial Aid/Scholarships Sample Eight-Semester Programs Convergence Journalism Magazine Journalism Newspaper Journalism Photojournalism Radio-Television Journalism Strategic Communication Computer Requirements Journalism Scholars Walter Williams Scholars Agricultural Journalism Journalism Minor for Non-Journalism Students Student Groups Pre-Sequence Requirements Students Admitted to MU Fall Semester 2008 or Later Students Admitted to MU Fall Semester 2005 or Later Early Enrollment Programs Convergence Journalism Photojournalism General Education Requirements Applying for a Journalism Sequence Internships for Pre-Journalism and Pre-Sequence Students Student Groups BJ Degree Requirements After Admission to Sequence Sequence Requirements Convergence Journalism Magazine Journalism Newspaper Journalism Photojournalism Radio-Television Journalism Strategic Communication Upper-Level Non-Journalism Requirements Visual Literacy Off-Site Programs New York Program Study Abroad Washington Program Options Dual Degrees Internships for Journalism-Sequence Students Minors for Journalism Students Student Groups Senior Assessment Graduation Application Latin Honors Kappa Tau Alpha Journalism Career Center Master's Degree Five-Year BJ/MA Program Two-Year MA Program Advising for Journalism Students Standards for Academic Performance Dean's List Course Exceptions: Credit That Will Not Count Toward BJ Degree Exam Credit Transfer Credit Independent Study Personal Benefit Hours Sensitivity in a Multicultural Environment Media Policy Undergraduate Handbook PDF File: 754K Updated May 9, 2008 University of Missouri-Columbia Undergraduate Links How to Apply Costs, Financial Aid, Scholarships International Students Advising Info from the Provost Freshman Interest Groups myZou Campus Writing Program The Honors College Student Life