The pathway below represents an efficient and effective course taking sequence for this program. Individual circumstances might require some changes to this pathway. It is always recommended that you meet with an academic counselor to develop a personalized educational plan.
The courses have been intentionally placed and should be prioritized in
the order
in which they appear. If you are unable to take all the courses in
a semester, you
should prioritize enrolling in the courses in the order below.
Some courses have
been noted as “Appropriate for Intersession” 
. Should you need (or want) to take
classes
in the summer and/or winter intersessions,
the program recommends these courses as appropriate for the condensed
schedule of
the intersessions.
Some pathways combine a “Certificate of Achievement” and an “Associate
Degree”. If
you are pursuing only the Certificate of Achievement, you are only
required to take
the courses marked “Program Requirement” 
.
All pathways include at least one “Gateway Course” 
which introduces you to the program and/or field of study and helps you
decide if you want to continue with this Academic and Career Path.
Most Associate degrees (though not Associate Degrees for Transfer)
require satisfying the SMC Global Citizenship requirement. If the Program
Requirements do not include a “Global Citizenship course” 
, be sure to select a General Education course that also satisfies Global Citizenship.
The Associate in Arts in Journalism for Transfer (AA-T) involves the methods and techniques for gathering, processing and delivering news, and prepares students to be professional print and multimedia journalists. Included is instruction in news writing and editing, reporting and multimedia story production, professional standards and ethics and journalism history and research. Careers in this field include book editor, copywriter, film critic, foreign correspondent, freelance writer, online editor, multimedia story producer, journalist, magazine editor, news anchor, newspaper editor, publicist, sportswriter and technical writer.
Upon completion of the Associate in Arts in Journalism for Transfer (AA-T), students will have a strong academic foundation in the field and be prepared for upper division baccalaureate study. Completion of the degree indicates that the student will have satisfied the lower division requirements for transfer into journalism or similar majors for many campuses in the California State University system.
Upon completion of the program, students will:
- Upon completion of the program, students will be able to produce essential nonfiction storytelling techniques in print and multimedia formats, demonstrate the ability to work as a team member to collaborate on media production across several formats, and demonstrate an understanding of the ethical and legal issues affecting journalists.
Icon Key
-
Gateway Course
-
Program Requirement
-
General Education -
Appropriate for
Intersession
-
Available Online -
Global Citizenship
Semester 1
15 Units
An introductory course in planning stories, news gathering, organizing and writing news across multiple platforms. Students learn to report and write news stories based on their own reporting, including original interviews and research, and how to use AP style. Stories include both news and features, and may include covering events, public lectures, meetings and other local stories. Students will be made aware of legal and ethical issues related to journalism.
- Skills Advisory: ENGL 1
This course introduces aspects of communications and the impact of mass media on the individual and society. The survey includes newspapers, magazines, radio, television, cable, motion pictures, online media, advertising, public relations, theories of communication, and mass communication modes, processes and effects.
- 4G: Interdisciplinary, Social & Behavioral Sciences
- D7 - Interdisciplinary Social and Behavioral Science
- Area II-B: Social Science (Group B)
This introductory course in rhetoric emphasizes clear, effective written communication and preparation of the research paper.
- Prerequisite: ENGL 21B or
- Prerequisite: ENGL 22
- Prerequisite: ESL 19B or
- Prerequisite: Group A on the Placement Test
- 1A: English Composition
- A2 - Written Communication
- Area IV-A: Language and Rationality (Group A)
This course provides an exploration of intellectual, psychological, social and physical factors that impact lifelong learning, well-being and success. Topics include motivation and self-efficacy; critical thinking, academic integrity and active study strategies; health issues and lifestyle choices; relating to others as a global citizen; written and oral communication; time management; career exploration; and educational planning.
- E - Lifelong Understanding and Self-Development
CSU GE Area A1 Course 3 units
Semester 2
15-18 Units
Student media practicum and lab where students produce media content with a journalistic focus that is distributed regularly to the campus community. Students work on regular news and feature assignments to produce content across multiple platforms, including print, online, visual (photography) audio, video and emerging formats. Includes practical experience in design, visual storytelling, digital media production, and multimedia reporting. Student produced media with students as production leaders is central to the class.
An intensive preparation for calculus. This course is intended for computer science, engineering, mathematics and natural science majors. Topics include algebraic, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions and their inverses and identities, conic sections, sequences, series, the binomial theorem and mathematical induction.
- Prerequisite: MATH 20 and
- Prerequisite: MATH 32
- Skills Advisory: Eligibility for ENGL 1
- 2A: Mathematic
- B4 - Mathematics/Quantitative Thinking
- Area IV-B: Language and Rationality (Group B) Option 1
This is a terminal mathematics course for liberal arts and social science majors. Topics include sets and counting, probability, linear systems, linear programming, statistics, and mathematics of finance, with emphasis on applications.
- Prerequisite: MATH 18 or
- Prerequisite: MATH 20 or
- Prerequisite: MATH 49 or
- Prerequisite: MATH 50
- 2A: Mathematic
- B4 - Mathematics/Quantitative Thinking
- Area IV-B: Language and Rationality (Group B) Option 1
This course is a preparatory course for students anticipating enrollment in Math 28 (Calculus I for Business and Social Science). It is not recommended as a terminal course to satisfy transfer requirements. Topics include algebraic, exponential and logarithmic functions and their graphical representations, and using these functions to model applications in business and social science.
- Prerequisite: MATH 20
- 2A: Mathematic
- B4 - Mathematics/Quantitative Thinking
- Area IV-B: Language and Rationality (Group B) Option 1
This course covers concepts and procedures of descriptive statistics, elementary probability theory and inferential statistics. Course content includes: summarizing data; computation and interpretation of descriptive statistics;; classical probability theory; probability distributions; binomial, normal, T, Chi-square and F distributions; making inferences; decisions and predictions. This course develops, analyzes, and interprets confidence intervals for population parameters, hypothesis testing for both one and two populations, correlation and regression, ANOVA, and test for independence. This course develops statistical thinking through the study of applications in variety of disciplines. The use of a statistical/graphing calculator and/or statistical analysis software is integrated into the course.
- Prerequisite: MATH 20 or
- Prerequisite: MATH 18 or
- Prerequisite: MATH 49 or
- Prerequisite: MATH 50
- 2A: Mathematic
- B4 - Mathematics/Quantitative Thinking
- Area IV-B: Language and Rationality (Group B) Option 1
Any MATH course for which one of the above is a prerequisite
An intermediate news writing and reporting class with a focus on public affairs beats, including local and regional governments, police, schools, courts and other civic agencies. Legal and ethical aspects of the profession are covered. Students will cover both on- and off-campus assignments and topics and explore reporting across multiple platforms
This course provides an introduction to multimedia storytelling with a nonfiction focus. Students learn how to produce multimedia content such as digital videos, audio slideshows, blogs, web pages, podcasts and other emerging digital media content. The course trains students to produce multimedia content for an online news site such as The Corsair, but is also useful for students with a more casual interest in multimedia production. Students also learn about ethical and social issues affecting multimedia storytelling.
This survey course in basic news photography is designed for journalism or photography majors and students interested in having work published in magazines and newspapers. Students learn basic camera and storytelling techniques, photo composition, and picture layout principles. A 35-mm single-lens reflex camera with manual focus capability is required. Photography 13 is the same course as Journalism 21. Students may earn credit for one, but not both.
- Prerequisite: PHOTO 1
This course provides advanced instruction for student editors of the Corsair newspaper and its online edition. Students assign and copy edit stories and photos, work with writers and photographers on their assignments, design pages, "package" stories with graphics and photos, and solve ethical problems using accepted professional practices. Students will comprise the editing staff of the Corsair, including the editor in chief, page editors, copy editors, graphics editor, photo editor and online coordinator. Journalism 17 students may be concurrently enrolled in either Journalism 16 or Journalism 22/Photography 14. Journalism 17 may be repeated once for credit.
- Skills Advisory: JOURN 1
This is a survey course of basic principles and objectives of public relations, including publicity and promotion techniques. Emphasis is on the tools, such as media and publication, in planning public relations programs. This course is the same as Journalism 43. Credit may be earned for either, but not both.
ENGL 2 Recommended for transfer
See the full list: CSU GE Area A3 Course
US History recommended
See the full list: CSU GE Area C2 Course
Semester 3
15 Units
POL SC 1 recommended for CSU
See the full list: CSU GE Area D Course
CSU GE Area B1 Course 3 units
Transferable Elective Course 3 units
Transferable Elective Course 3 units
Semester 4
15-16 Units
CSU GE Area B3 Course 4 units
CSU GE Area C1 Course 3 units
CSU GE Area F Course 3 units
JOURN Course recommended
JOURN Course recommended