Bachelor of Arts in Journalism
Inform the public, advance dialogue, and strengthen civic engagement through journalism. Our award-winning faculty teach you to report without fear or favor, to ask tough questions, and separate fact from fiction.
Professor Jonathan Sanders working with students at the Javitz Lecture Center at Stony Brook University.
Strong journalism requires skilled reporting, ethical practice, and the ability to cover the full range of human experience: from breaking news on political and economic issues to in-depth features in arts and culture. At Stony Brook University's nationally accredited School of Communication and Journalism, you'll learn to investigate, verify, and report across multimedia platforms, leveraging opportunities to cover business, health, government, sports, science, and technology.
Through hands-on work in professional studios, training in news literacy and broadcast journalism, and access to internships that launch careers at major media outlets — from The New York Times to ESPN — you'll master the reporting craft needed for today's competitive media landscape.
Learn More About the Program
Explore Coursework
Engaging courses and a wide variety of elective offerings to fit your interests.
Explore how journalism training in reporting, multimedia storytelling, and critical thinking can enhance your future. Review our course offerings.
Meet the Faculty
Our faculty are prize-winning journalists with newsroom experience.
Areas of expertise include news literacy, broadcast and TV production, narrative journalism, national and international reporting, health and climate reporting, digital media, social inequalities, politics, and solutions journalism.
Accredited
Stony Brook's journalism program rivals Columbia, NYU, Northwestern and more.
SoCJ is nationally accredited by the ACEJMC, placing it among the elite programs in the United States. This accreditation means the curriculum, faculty, and resources meet the highest professional standards and rigor in journalism education.
become a Skilled Reporter, Ethical Storyteller, Trusted Journalist
The Bachelor of Arts in Journalism will prepare you to:
- Understand the pivotal role of journalism in strengthening democracy and advancing public knowledge.
- Deliver compelling stories that inform, engage, and give voice to diverse communities and perspectives.
- Master deep reporting techniques using data and multimedia tools.
- Develop news literacy, global awareness, and the ability to evaluate complex information.
- Apply journalistic principles, media law, and research-backed verification strategies in your work.
- Become a newsroom leader and cultivate the skills to launch a career as an anchor, broadcast producer, editor, reporter, radio host/producer and more.
Program Director
Irene Virag
Program Requirements and Coursework
An ideal double major or minor to complement economic, English, and political science majors.
Journalism majors at SoCJ benefit from the Center for News Literarcy and the Marie Colvin Center for International Reporting. Students also have the opportunity to accelerate their careers with the Fast-Track MBA program: a unique option for qualified majors to earn both a BA in Journalism and an MBA without any application fees, GMAT, or business background required. This 4+1 program is typically completed across 5 years. Questions about this program, should be directed to irene.virag@stonybrook.edu.
Journalism minors build critical thinking, professional writing, and digital content skills that distinguish them in today’s competitive job market. Whether your goal is to pursue science writing, data-driven reporting, or broadcast journalism, the program’s courses prepare you for leadership in the newsroom and beyond.
Advising Information for Current Students
The Department of Journalism works closely with Stony Brook's Academic Transfer and Advising Services (ATAS) to ensure a seamless advising experience from admission to graduation. In addition to our undergraduate program director, we also have a designated ATAS advisor who works directly with our majors and minors.
General information
Major and minor coursework require a grade of C or higher to count toward the major.
Required, elective, and concentration courses counting toward the major, minor, or SBCs are not eligible for G/P/NC.
meet with an advisor
Meghan Sweeney, M.S. Ed
Lead Academic Advisor
Plan your academic career and select courses for the upcoming semester.
Consider changes to your major, minor, or concentration.
Drop using the G/P/NC option or withdraw from courses.
Seek assistance when facing major academic, personal, family, or medical issues, including Academic Judiciary proceedings.
transfer students
Only courses that have been reviewed and approved by the university can be evaluated for credit in your major or minor.
To find out if your courses qualify, or to submit your course for evaluation, please visit the Academic Transfer and Advising Services (ATAS) Transfer Credit Information page.
Advising Questions
Please submit your advising and/or registration inquiry below before scheduling an appointment. Please note that not all inquiries require an advising appointment and may be handled via email. An advising team member will follow up with you about next steps.
Complete the Advising Inquiry Form
Advising Appointments
Should you require an in-person or virtual advising appointment, sessions with flexible meeting days and times are available through Navigate. Drop-in sessions are also available during the fall and spring semesters at the School of Communication and Journalism Student Services Center located on the fourth floor of the Melville Library, Suite N4016. Drop in hours vary by semester.
Become a journalist at SoCJ and go anywhere.
