Prospective Students
First-year Students or Transfer Student
If you are a prospective freshman, or a transfer or international student, please visit the Office of Admissions site for all the necessary information regarding admission to the university as well as to the College of Communication. Please note that the Office of Admissions solely handles admissions.
The School of Journalism does not assist in the admissions process; therefore, any questions regarding application to the university should be addressed to that office. The admissions site also has links to on-campus housing, financial aid, scholarships and other great resources.
Current UT Austin Students
If you are already a UT student and would like to transfer to the College of Communication and the School of Journalism, you must follow a separate application process. The College of Communication Office of Student Affairs (OSA), located in CMA A4.140, handles current student transfer applications. The applications are uploaded to the OSA Application site on Sep. 1 and Feb 1 of each year. The deadline is typically at the end of the corresponding month, and decisions are made at the end of the semester after grades are posted. If you have any questions regarding this process, please visit the OSA Application site. You may also reach them at 512-471-1553. Attend a College of Communication transfer information session before you apply.
Contact Theresa Thomas or Wendy Boggs, the journalism undergraduate academic advisors, as soon as you think you may apply to transfer to journalism. They will be able to provide you with the individualized advising you need. Before you may meet with a journalism advisor, however, you must attend an Internal Transfer Information Session.
Students who are transferring to the College of Communication from a flat-rate tuition-based college (i.e., Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences) will have an increase in their tuition. Please check “What I Owe” on UT Direct before your tuition is due.
After Getting Accepted
All students who apply to transfer and are accepted to the School of Journalism will be classified as pre-journalism majors. Before pre-journalism majors may register for most upper-division journalism courses, they must make a formal application for upper-division standing in one of the four areas of study within the School of Journalism: print, broadcast, photojournalism or multimedia. For more information about the four areas, please see information on their respective pages.
Recommended Communication/Journalism Courses
First Year
J310 Critical Issues in Journalism: Introduction to major issues facing news media in a democratic society, including ethics, institutions, effects and standards of press performance. No prerequisites.
One (1) Communication course outside journalism. Select from Radio/Television/Film, Communication Studies, Communication Sciences & Disorders, and Advertising.
Second Year
J315 News Media Writing & Editing: Introduction to the fundamental journalistic writing skills for the media and to fundamental copy editing, including selection, processing and display of news and other information; studies in news audience interests; readability, clarity, verification, and style. Prerequisite: J310 with a grade of at least C; a score of at least 45 on the Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation Test; and a score of at least 29 on the Word Processing Test. J315 is a prerequisite for all other journalism skills courses. Once you are in J315, you may need to apply for upper-division standing. This process will allow you to make the move from pre-journalism to journalism major.
One (1) Communication course outside journalism. Select from Radio/Television/Film, Communication Studies, Communication Sciences & Disorders, and Advertising .
J316 Photographic Communication (may be taken first or second year) for students interested in the photojournalism area of study. Introduction to photographic technique and recent trends, evaluation, visual design, and use of images in the media. Students must provide their own 35mm single-lens reflex camera that can be operated under manual mode and with off-camera flash. No prerequisite. J316 is a prerequisite for all other photojournalism courses. J316 and J315 are prerequisites for applying for upper-division standing in the photojournalism area. Note: This class is not necessarily recommended for non-photojournalism majors as it can be costly.
Other Course Information
All courses within the Bachelor of Journalism degree plan have prerequisites appropriate to their skill level; prerequisites may include testing, an interview, or other procedures in conjunction with an application process. The application process for upper-division standing, separate from the university admissions application, occurs when the student has met all requirements necessary to move from a pre-journalism major to a journalism major (normally during the semester in which the student will complete 60 hours). Information about these additional requirements and the application process is available from Theresa Thomas, the journalism undergraduate academic advisor.
Courses are divided into the school’s four areas of professional concentration: print journalism, broadcast journalism, photojournalism and multimedia journalism. Students are asked to select one of the four areas of study as part of the upper-division application. For more information about the four areas and sports journalism, please visit their respective pages.