Journalism

Degrees/certificates at a glance

left and right arrows icon Direct Transfer Agreement - Associate in Arts - DTA

Program Length

6 quarters

Start Quarter

Fall, Winter, Spring

Location

Spokane Falls Community College

Financial Aid Eligible

Yes. Read more about Financial Aid.

Direct Transfer Agreement - Associate in Arts - DTA

If you are inquisitive, can think on your feet, and like to write, a degree in journalism could be for you.

In this program, you’ll learn news writing, research and interviewing techniques and multi-media news production. The program also builds your critical-thinking skills and your understanding of how the media impacts your life and perceptions about society. While a student, you could help publish The Communicator, SFCC’s student newspaper, and gain hands-on experience in writing, editing, photography and layout.

Whether you want to become a reporter or work in corporate communications, this program will help you build the journalistic skills to tell others’ stories across a variety of mediums, including print, broadcast, TV and online.

The Communicator

Get hands-on journalism experience writing for the Communicator! The Communicator is an award-winning, student-run publication that covers news, sports and the arts.

See the Latest Issue Here

What You’ll Learn

Design, construct, and disseminate publications and content in various media formats
Communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. Graduates will be able to use AP style and the inverted pyramid writing style to effectively and concisely communicate ideas to a general audience.
Identify, access, organize, summarize, evaluate and analyze relevance of researched information from a variety of valid sources to be used in news articles and professional presentations including public relations communications and marketing
Organize and deliver information in an easy-to-understand manner with an awareness of different audiences
Adapt thinking and communication behaviors to fit the needs of the specific context, media, and audience
Identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems
Apply active listening and interviewing skills to give full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times while interviewing

You and your advisor will use this program map as a starting point to create a personal education plan customized to your needs. We meet you where you are and help you reach your goals.
Need more details? Check out the degree worksheet for the AA-DTA degree and work with your advisor to make sure you’re ready to transfer in Journalism. Course descriptions and course learning outcomes can be found in our online catalogue.

Program Map for

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Total Credits: 90

First Quarter

Course ID

Course Title

Credits

ENGL& 101

English Composition I

GUID 105

Student Success

JOURN 101

College Newspaper Production I

JOURN 110

Mass Media

Total Credits

Second Quarter

Course ID

Course Title

Credits

JOURN 102

College Newspaper Production II

JOURN 220

Introduction to News Writing

Choose 1 course from:

ART& 100

Art Appreciation

FILM 141

Introduction to Film

FILM 236

The Documentary Film

MUSC& 105

Music Appreciation

Choose 1 course from:

MATH& 107

Math in Society

MATH& 146

Introduction to Statistics

PHIL& 120

Symbolic Logic

Total Credits

Third Quarter

Course ID

Course Title

Credits

JOURN 103

College Newspaper Production III

Choose 1 course from:

HLTH 101

Health and Wellness

HLTH 104

Stress Management

HLTH 270

Nutrition for Fitness

Choose 1 course from:

ANTH& 100

Survey of Anthropology

ANTH& 206

Cultural Anthropology

PSYC& 100

General Psychology

SOC 221

Race and Ethnic Relations

SOC 230

Sociology of Gender

Choose 1 course from:

BIOL 110

Insects and People

BIOL& 160

General Biology with Lab

BOT 112

Survey of the Plant Kingdom

BOT 130

Mycology

ENVS& 101

Intro to Environmental Science

Total Credits

Fourth Quarter

Course ID

Course Title

Credits

JOURN 201

College Newspaper Production IV

Choose 1 course from:

HUM 107

Introduction to Cultural Studies

HUM& 101

Introduction to Humanities

PHIL 110

Introduction to Ethics

PHIL& 101

Introduction to Philosophy

PHIL& 115

Critical Thinking

Choose 1 course from:

HIST& 116

Western Civilization I

HIST& 117

Western Civilization II

POLS 125

Introduction to Global Issues

POLS& 101

Intro to Political Science

POLS& 202

United States Government

Total Credits

Fifth Quarter

Course ID

Course Title

Credits

JOURN 202

College Newspaper Production V

Choose 1 course from:

ANTH& 205

Biological Anthropology

BIOL 107

Dinosaur Paleontology

CHEM 116

Reactions: Our Actions and Inactions

GEOL 116

Environmental Geology

Choose 5 credit from:

ART 101

Fundamentals of Drawing

DRMA 107

Theatre Production

1 - 5

MUSC 145

Concert Band

1 - 3

PE 106

Yoga Fitness

PHOTO 101

Introduction to Photography

Total Credits

Sixth Quarter

Course ID

Course Title

Credits

JOURN 225

Multimedia Journalism

Choose 1 course from:

ANTH& 205

Biological Anthropology

MATH& 107

Math in Society

MATH& 146

Introduction to Statistics

PHYS 100

Introductory Physics

Choose 1 course from:

ECON 100

Fundamentals of Economics

ECON& 202

Macro Economics

Total Credits

Maximum estimated costs for completing this program

Tuition
Resident

$

9,544
Non-Resident

$

17,651
International

$

21,823
Books

$

2,250
Course Fees

$

147
Institutional Fees

$

1,511

The amounts listed for tuition and lab & course fees reflects a maximum estimated cost and may be lower based on courses selected.
The amount listed for books is a maximum estimated cost based on the price of new textbooks purchased during the previous school year. Costs may be lower based on student choices and availability (used books vs new, rental vs purchase).
For more information about costs, visit our page How Much Does It Cost?

Heather Bellerud
VPAA Pathway Specialist
Heather.Bellerud@sfcc.spokane.edu
509-533-3195

Bio

Heather Bellerud – Guided Pathways Specialist, Visual, Performing, and Applied Arts

Heather Bellerud (she/her) joined the staff at SFCC in December 2016, shortly after moving to Spokane with her family. She has a broad range of experience in education and the arts; she has worked as a cultural and natural resource interpretive ranger for the National Park Service in New Mexico and Arizona, taught art and environmental education in Colorado and Western Washington, and managed museum education programming for school and family audiences. Heather is an artist, a gardener, a bit of a bookworm, and a cargo bike nerd. She is happy to be serving as a Guided Pathways Pathways Specialist in the Visual, Performing, and Applied Arts Pathway.

Ashley DeMoville
Dean Visual/Perform Arts
B.A., University of Hawaii; M.F.A., Victoria University of Wellington New Zealand; Ed.D., University of Southern California
Ashley.DeMoville@sfcc.spokane.edu
509-533-3339

Bio

Ashley DeMoville became the dean of visual and performing arts in July of 2023. Dr. DeMoville brings more than 20 years of experience working in the theater and more than 10 years of experience as an arts educator and leader in higher education. She came to SFCC in 2017 and has served as the Director of Drama and Chair for the Department of Communication Arts, Modern Languages, Film, and Drama. She is also active in multiple regional theater organizations and is currently Co-Chair of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, Region VII.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from the University of Hawai'i at Mnoa, a Master of Fine Arts in Directing from Victoria University of Wellington, and a Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California.
Jason Nix
Journalism
A.A.S., Wallace State Community College; B.A., M.A., Auburn University; additional studies: Poynter Institute for Media Studies
Jason.Nix@sfcc.spokane.edu
509-533-3791

Communicator Online; English 101 ; Media Writing; English 131: Introduction to Literature

Bio

Jason Nix – Journalism Instructor

Jason Nix has been a faculty member at Spokane Falls Community College since 2005. Previously, he was an award-winning reporter for newspapers in Alabama and Georgia. Jason also worked as a freelance reporter in the Dominican Republic, where he served as the English language coordinator for a private bilingual high school. He is a graduate of Auburn University and has completed additional training at the University of Southern California and the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. He is a 2004 National Endowment for the Arts fellow.