REGINA - The University of Regina is bringing back the Bachelor of Arts for journalism while adding more content to the previous program.
On Wednesday, the U of R faculty attended a media conference to discuss the program's relaunch. Shannon Dea, dean of the U of R faculty of arts, spoke about the changes in the revitalized program.
“We redesigned the program based on a strategic model developed through an external unit review conducted in 2018 and 2019. As a result, the new undergraduate degree program, Bachelor of Arts in journalism, news media, and communication, was established.”
In 2022, the U of R paused the journalism program to update its courses and flexibility that is more reflective of the modern-day journalism world.
With the changes, the new program will add communications, so students can now study courses like Indigenous communication arts, political science, English, sociology, film, and creative technologies.
Dea called the new program “a balance” between journalism and communication. The U of R noticed alumni would go into communication jobs before returning to the school to take journalism. “Now, students can get the education and training they need right from the start,” said Dea.
Previously, students had to take a pre-journalism or already have a degree in the field to enrol in the j-school at U of R. Now, a student coming out of high school can take the program for the upcoming fall semester.
These changes have played a part in the high enrolment in the program, with 34 students already choosing the program as their major.
The news of the revitalized program comes as jobs in the journalism industry continue to plummet from massive layoffs.
When asked about the state of jobs in journalism, Dea said, “that's one of the reasons that we created the program as a journalism and communication program. We want people to feel confident majoring in the program, knowing that it will support them through a varied and flexible career. That gives them, we hope, the kind of insurance that allows them to study journalism, which allows them to keep the industry alive and ethical and evidence-based.”
Dea and the U of R hope the revitalized program better prepares students for news, communication and cultural industries as their industries continue to change.
