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The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University will merge its two journalism majors into one bachelor of science program.

The majors — broadcast and digital journalism and magazine, news and digital journalism — will not accept applicants following the fall 2024 admissions cycle.

The program will allow students to choose either BDJ or MND as tracks within the major, said Aileen Gallagher, Newhouse’s associate dean of academic affairs. The change will go into effect in fall 2025 and will not impact students who are currently enrolled in either major, she said.

Newhouse leaders said the change is reflective of evolving demands in the journalism workforce and the result of years of discussions with faculty, alumni and other stakeholders. Though the degree path will look different for future students, curriculum changes will be minimal and the BDJ and MND departments will remain separate.

Newhouse Dean Mark Lodato said the goal of the change is to better prepare students for the multiple forms of storytelling in the journalism industry.

“By creating this new degree framework, we’re better positioning our students for success, not only what they’re doing in the building, but positioning them for success in the way it’s perceived by others outside of the building,” he said.

Lodato said that when he arrived to lead Newhouse in 2020, conversations about the potential merging had already been underway since as early as the 1990s, though the process to implement the change formally has spanned the last three years. The decision also required approval by New York state, which took about a year, Gallagher said.

The new framework will retain several introductory courses that are currently shared between the two majors, and the separate tracks will each have three required courses. A secondary track, sports media, will also be available for the BDJ and MND tracks. Students will enroll in journalism-related electives to complete the new degree; for the sports media secondary track, the electives will all be sports related, Gallagher said.

The BDJ and MND departments’ organization will not change as a result of the combination, said Greg Munno, associate professor and interim chair of MND, which made the decision to change the degree program easier.

“It’s really important to students coming in how the programs are branded, that they have a very specific idea that they want to be on TV or that they want to work for a magazine,” Munno said. “Individual departments allow us to develop curriculum and market ourselves in a way that provides that differentiation and to be able to tailor programs to the interests of different groups of students.”

Though the current separate majors allow students to focus on targeted skills, Munno said the journalism industry may not understand the differentiated degrees, which could negatively impact graduates’ hiring prospects. Lodato and Munno said they’ve also seen many students explore learning across both BDJ and MND on their own and, with the new degree structure, students will be able to learn more cross-disciplinary skill sets.

In both current majors and future tracks, Munno said the underlying skills of journalism are the most important for students to have — including ethical considerations, accuracy and storytelling.

Lodato and Munno said the change will primarily impact how the school markets itself to prospective students. Moving into next year, Lodato said, the university admissions information will reflect the change. The Newhouse application process will not be affected.

“These different areas of journalism are so intertwined today that you need to be able to reinforce that within your curriculum, and you also need to be able to make that clear that you are doing so to external audiences,” Lodato said.

While it will take a few years to see how the change plays out, Lodato said he’s hopeful for the benefits it will bring. As journalism enrollment has declined across the country, Newhouse has seen rising levels, which Lodato said demonstrates the importance of maintaining strong and current education.

“My suspicion is, if anything, admissions and interest in journalism will rise as a result of this, because I think we’re sending a message that we are keeping our curriculum very up to date, that our faculty are well aware of the changing landscape and we are prepared to ensure that our students, and ultimately our graduates, are adaptable as well,” he said.

Published on August 25, 2024 at 11:21 pm

Contact Stephanie: spwright@syr.edu