Media and Journalism

MEDIA AND JOURNALISM MAJOR

 

Core   Areas of study
  • *MEJO 121: Intro to Digital Storytelling
  • *MEJO 153: Writing & Reporting
  • *MEJO 340: Intro to Media Law (Journalism Focus) or *MEJO 341: Intro to Media Law (Advertising and Public Relations Focus)
  • *Choose one: POLI 100, 130, 150, PWAD 150, POLI 202, 203 or 205 (old POLI 101)
 

*Choose one

Please note: The curriculum information above applies to students who entered the University in Fall 2017 or later. For information on curriculum requirements for students who entered the University prior to Fall 2017, please speak with an academic advisercheck the school specializations archive or consult the appropriate Office of the University Registrar Undergraduate Catalog.

MEJO major admissions FAQs

 

UNC-Chapel Hill undergraduate students who will have completed 45 or more cumulative credit hours (by the end of the semester in which they apply) and are in good academic standing are eligible to apply to the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media's MEJO major.

* NOTE: Transfer students and Undergraduate Assured Admission Program students who were accepted directly to the school do not need to complete the application. These students are required to attend a mandatory New Student Orientation session as the final step in the admissions process.

Students can check their completed credits in ConnectCarolina.

To view completed credit hours:

  • Log in to the Student Center of ConnectCarolina
  • Click on My Academics
  • Select View my internal transcript
  • Scroll to the bottom of your Internal Unofficial Transcript to see cumulative totals

Cumulative credit hours include hours currently in progress. To apply for the undergraduate MEJO major, students will have to have completed 45 cumulative credit hours — including both transfer credits and credits earned while enrolled at UNC-Chapel Hill — by the end of the semester in which they submit their application.

Your academic standing is based on grades, hours attempted, hours passed and the number of semesters completed. The full policy is outlined here: studentsuccess.unc.edu/good-standing.

Students can check their academic standing (academic eligibility) in ConnectCarolina. Academic standing at the end of each semester indicates your eligibility for continued enrollment; therefore, all undergraduate students are expected to review their standing each term.

To view your academic standing:

  • Log in to the Student Center of ConnectCarolina
  • Click on Other Academics
  • Select Grades from the pull down menu
  • Select the current term
  • Locate your Academic Standing below the summary of your Term Statistics

If you are a degree-seeking student, your academic standing will be listed as one of the following:

  • Good
  • Warning
  • Suspension
  • Not Calculated (This status appears for a limited number of study abroad students. For these students, eligibility will be posted at a later date.)

For full definitions of each status and additional information on undergraduate academic eligibility, visit studentsuccess.unc.edu. If you have a status of Warning or Suspension, you will receive additional communication from the Office of Undergraduate Retention.

  1. Apply and receive acceptance to UNC-Chapel Hill
    • Pre-declare your major "Media and Journalism" to stay informed.
  2. Submit an Apply for Major/Minor Change request, located in the Other academic dropdown menu on the left side of the Student Center of ConnectCarolina
    • UNC undergraduate students who will have completed 45 or more cumulative credit hours (by the end of the semester in which they apply) and are in good academic standing are eligible to apply to the UNC School of Media and Journalism's MEJO major.
    • Please declare your intent to change your major to "Media and Journalism" at least one business day in advance of the deadline in order to access and complete the application on time.
    • Regardless of if the student has already pre-declared "Media and Journalism" in ConnectCarolina, this change request must be submitted to trigger the application email.
    • Once your change of major request is submitted and processed, you should receive an email within 24 hours with a link to activate your account and begin the undergraduate MEJO major application.
    • Be sure to check junk/clutter email folders for response from SLATE in case it does not land in your inbox.
  3. Submit the MEJO major application
    • Current UNC students must submit an application between July 1 and Sept. 15 to be considered for spring enrollment
    • Current UNC students must submit an application between Nov. 1 and Jan. 15 to be considered for fall enrollment
  4. Receive notice of acceptance via email and confirm by submitting Accept, located in the Other academic dropdown menu in the Student Center of ConnectCarolina
  5. Attend a New Student Orientation session

* NOTE: Transfer students and Undergraduate Assured Admission Program students who were accepted directly to the school and pre-declare MEJO upon enrollment at UNC do not need to complete the application. These students are required to attend a mandatory New Student Orientation session as the final step in the admissions process.

All applicants will be notified within one month of their application deadline. 

  • Students who apply by Sept. 15 will be notified by Oct. 15 for spring enrollment
  • Students who apply by Jan. 15 will be notified by Feb. 15 for fall enrollment

Applications are processed based on the closest upcoming enrollment deadline.

* NOTE: Transfer students and Undergraduate Assured Admission Program students will receive notification in mid-April from the UNC Office of Undergraduate Admissions regarding acceptance to the school. 

Each student must officially accepted his or her enrollment offer via the Student Center of ConnectCarolina. Upon accepting the decision, second majors and minors will also come forward as long as the student meets the UNC rule of three (two majors/one minor, one major/two minors, etc).

The student must then attend a New Student Orientation. This mandatory orientation is held in the semester prior to enrollment and is required for all incoming MEJO majors prior to admittance to the school. Orientation dates will be listed on the school calendar. Though multiple New Student Orientation sessions will be scheduled each semester, students are only required to attend one full session to be fully admitted to the school. 

Students who are not accepted are welcome to reapply for a future enrollment period.

Students with 75 or more cumulative credit hours should speak with Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies Charlie Tuggle before applying for the undergraduate MEJO major.

INTRA-TRANSFERRING INTO MEJO: The school no longer accepts intra-transfer requests into the school. Students must apply for admittance.

INTRA-TRANSFERRING FROM MEJO: Regularly enrolled students who decide to change their major program of study — which necessitates a transfer to one of the other schools or colleges in the University — should go to the Academic Advising to request a transfer out of the MEJO major.

For more information on Intra-University Transfer procedures, visit the Office of the University Registrar website.

No. Undergraduate students can major OR minor in the school, but not both. Similarly, students must choose one of the areas of study to pursue and cannot "double major" within the school. To explore other parts of the curriculum, undergraduate students are encouraged to participate in a certificate program or maximize elective credit hours in courses not listed in their area of study's academic worksheet.

Laptop:

All undergraduate students must have a laptop for class use that meets or exceeds Carolina Computing Initiative minimum specifications. Students eligible for federal aid are encouraged to take advantage of the CCI Laptop Grant program to meet this requirement.

If you are pursuing a degree in media and journalism, the school has suggested the following information for your computer choice:

Many of the school’s courses include audio, video and graphics components. The school recommends — but doesn’t require — a laptop more suited to these tasks such as the Macbook Air 13”.

Students planning to pursue advanced school courses with intensive video editing, motion graphics, animation, 3D modeling, etc. should consider a more powerful computer such as a Macbook Pro 13” with Touch Bar and Touch ID.

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Other equipment:

The school Equipment Room lends photo-, video- and audio-journalism equipment to students enrolled in specific courses. Equipment check-out is done online using a tool called Connect2. You can access the new online tool at equipmentroom.mj.unc.edu and login with your ONYEN. If you are not affiliated with the School of Media and Journalism and wish to check out equipment, check the Media Resources Center at the Undergraduate Library.

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Through Excel@Carolina, the UNC Office of Undergraduate Admissions is able to connect select first-year students (about 10% of admitted students) with resources including assured admission programs, honors, research, service and more.

Assured admission into the school allows priority registration in "MEJO 153: Writing and Reporting" and "MEJO 121: Introduction to Digital Storytelling" during the student's first semester and priority registration in first-level courses in subsequent semesters. Taking these courses earlier than others allows students to unlock and access more of the school’s curriculum prior to graduation.

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Assured Admission Program students do not need to complete the undergraduate MEJO major application but will need to attend a New Student Orientation session in their first semester at Carolina for admission to the school.

If an Assured Admission Program student is not accepted directly into the school or chooses to pre-declare another major upon enrollment at UNC, he or she will need to complete the MEJO undergraduate application in a subsequent semester to be considered for school enrollment.

Transfer students who were accepted directly to MEJO upon enrollment at UNC do not need to complete the application but will need to attend a New Student Orientation session for admission to the school.

If a transfer student is not accepted directly into the school or chooses to pre-declare another major upon enrollment at UNC, he or she will need to complete the MEJO undergraduate application in a subsequent semester to be considered for school enrollment.

Yes. The school offers undergraduate certificate programs in Business Journalism and Sports Communication.

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Yes. Students majoring outside the school can earn a minor in the school. Program acceptance is limited to 35 juniors and seniors collectively to prevent registration pressure on required courses for majors. Interested students who have a minimum 3.4 GPA must apply between Nov. 15 and Jan. 15 of their sophomore or junior year.

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For questions or concerns regarding the MEJO major application process, please contact [email protected].

For informal advice from a fellow student, consider speaking with an Hussman Ambassador by scheduling a Peer-to-Peer Advising session.

For formal academic advising needs, UNC students not yet admitted to the school should meet with General College academic advising in Steele Building, NOT school academic advising in Carroll Hall.

 

 

 

 

 

Advertising / Public Relations curriculum

Core

  • *MEJO 121: Intro to Digital Storytelling
  • *MEJO 153: Writing & Reporting
  • *MEJO 341: Introduction to Media Law (Advertising and Public Relations Focus)
  • *Choose one: POLI 101, POLI 130, POLI 150, POLI 202, POLI 203
Students must complete at least 18 total credit hours in concentration course levels 1, 2 and 3. * In level 2, MEJO 379 is required for all Advertising and Public Relations students.


Level 1 (Minimum: 3 hours)
  • MEJO 137: PRINCIPLES OF AD/PR
     
Level 2 (Minimum: 9 hours)
  • MEJO 332: PR WRITING
  • MEJO 333: VIDEO FOR PR&AD
  • MEJO 334: PRESENTATION DESIGN
  • MEJO 335: ADVERTISING VISUAL
  • MEJO 336: ADVERTISING UX
  • MEJO 371: AD CREATIVE
  • MEJO 372: AD MEDIA
  • MEJO 373: ACCOUNT PLANNING
  • MEJO 374: COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTING
  • MEJO 376: SPORTS MARKETING
  • MEJO 377: SPORTS COMM.
  • *MEJO 379: ADVERTISING & PR RESEARCH
  • MEJO 390: SPECIAL SKILLS
     
Level 3 (Minimum: 6 hours)
  • MEJO 435: PUBLIC INFO.
  • MEJO 475: MARKETING CONCEPTS
  • MEJO 477: NEW MEDIA
  • MEJO 479: MARKET INTELLIGENCE
  • MEJO 490: SPECIAL TOPICS
  • MEJO 531: CASE STUDIES IN PR
  • MEJO 533: CRISIS COMM.
  • MEJO 572: ART DIRECTION
  • MEJO 577: BRANDING OF ME
Students must complete at least six credit hours of conceptual courses:
  • MEJO 141: MEDIA ETHICS
  • MEJO 240: CURRENT ISSUES
  • MEJO 242: HISTORY OF MEDIA
  • MEJO 244: TALK POLITICS
  • MEJO 245: SPORTS & MEDIA (1 HR.)
  • MEJO 342: BLACK PRESS
  • MEJO 349: ISSUES & CONCEPTS
  • MEJO 424: MEDIA MGT.
  • MEJO 425: VOICE & DICTION
  • MEJO 430: PERSONAL FINANCE
  • MEJO 440: DIGITAL MEDIA LAW & SOCIETY
  • MEJO 441: DIVERSITY
  • MEJO 442: GENDER, CLASS, RACE
  • MEJO 443: LATINO MEDIA
  • MEJO 445: PROCESSES AND EFFECTS
  • MEJO 446: GLOBAL COMM.
  • MEJO 447: INTL. MEDIA
  • MEJO 448: FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
  • MEJO 458: SOUTHERN POLITICS
  • MEJO 469: HEALTH COMM.
  • MEJO 476: ETHICS/SPORTS
  • MEJO 490: SPECIAL TOPICS
  • MEJO 550: BUSINESS & MEDIA
  • MEJO 581: USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN
  • MEJO 588: EMERGING TECH.
  • MEJO 596: INDIVIDUAL STUDY
Students must complete at least three credit hours of capstone courses:
  • MEJO 634: PR CAMPAIGNS
  • MEJO 652: DIGITAL ECON.
  • MEJO 653: LEADERSHIP
  • MEJO 670: DIGITAL AD. AND MARKETING
  • MEJO 671: SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGNS
  • MEJO 673: AD CAMPAIGNS
  • MEJO 690: SPECIAL TOPICS IN ADVERTISING
  • MEJO 691: HONORS
  • MEJO 692: HONORS


Click here to see the Advertising and Public Relations academic worksheets
Click here to see all MEJO course descriptions in the UNC undergraduate catalog 

Journalism curriculum

Core

  • *MEJO 121: Intro to Digital Storytelling
  • *MEJO 153: Writing & Reporting
  • *MEJO 340: Introduction to Media Law (Journalism Focus)
  • *Choose one: POLI 101, POLI 130, POLI 150, POLI 202, POLI 203
Students must complete at least 18 total credit hours in concentration course levels 1, 2 and 3:

Level 1 (Minimum: 6 hours)
  • MEJO 129: SPORTS XTRA
  • MEJO 157: NEWS EDITING
  • MEJO 180: FDN. OF PHOTO
  • MEJO 182: FDN. OF GRAPHIC DESIGN
  • MEJO 187: FDN. OF IM
  • MEJO 252: AUDIO JOURN.
  • MEJO 253: PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORTING
     
Level 2 (Minimum: 6 hours)
  • MEJO 356: FEATURE WRITING
  • MEJO 358: OPINION WRITING
  • MEJO 390: SPECIAL SKILLS
  • MEJO 421: TV NEWS RPT.
  • MEJO 426: RADIO & PODCASTS
  • MEJO 455: SPORTS WRITING
  • MEJO 459: COMMUNITY JOURNALISM
  • MEJO 463: NEWS LAB
  • MEJO 482: MEDIA DESIGN
  • MEJO 484: INFOGRAPHICS
  • MEJO 485: PUBLICATION DESIGN
  • MEJO 487: INTERACTIVE MEDIA
  • MEJO 488: MULTIMEDIA STORYTELLING: CPJW
  • MEJO 489: PHOTO LIGHTING/ BUSINESS
     
Level 3 (Minimum: 6 hours)
  • MEJO 522: PRODUCING TV NEWS
  • MEJO 523: BROADCAST NEWS MGT.
  • MEJO 541: ECONOMICS RPT.
  • MEJO 542: BUSINESS RPT.
  • MEJO 550: BUSINESS & MEDIA
  • MEJO 553: ADV. REPORTING
  • MEJO 557: ADV. EDITING
  • MEJO 560: E&S JOURNALISM
  • MEJO 561: E&S VIDEO STORYTELLING
  • MEJO 562: E&S DOC. TV
  • MEJO 565: E&S STORYTELLING
  • MEJO 570: DATA JOURN.
  • MEJO 580: PHOTO STORIES
  • MEJO 582: ADV. DOC. VIDEO
  • MEJO 583: ADVANCED IM
  • MEJO 584: INTL. PROJECTS
  • MEJO 585: 3D DESIGN STUDIO
  • MEJO 589: MOTION GRAPHICS
Students must complete at least six credit hours of conceptual courses:
  • MEJO 141: MEDIA ETHICS
  • MEJO 240: CURRENT ISSUES
  • MEJO 242: HISTORY OF MEDIA
  • MEJO 244: TALK POLITICS
  • MEJO 245: SPORTS & MEDIA (1 HR.)
  • MEJO 342: BLACK PRESS
  • MEJO 349: ISSUES & CONCEPTS
  • MEJO 376: SPORTS MKTG.
  • MEJO 424: MEDIA MGT.
  • MEJO 425: VOICE & DICTION
  • MEJO 440: DIGITAL MEDIA LAW & SOCIETY
  • MEJO 441: DIVERSITY
  • MEJO 442: GENDER, CLASS, RACE
  • MEJO 443: LATINO MEDIA
  • MEJO 445: PROCESSES AND EFFECTS
  • MEJO 446: GLOBAL COMM.
  • MEJO 447: INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
  • MEJO 448: FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
  • MEJO 458: SOUTHERN POLITICS
  • MEJO 469: HEALTH COMM.
  • MEJO 475: CONCEPTS OF MARKETING
  • MEJO 476: ETHICS & SPORTS
  • MEJO 477: NEW MEDIA TECH.
  • MEJO 479: MARKET INTELLIGENCE
  • MEJO 490: SPECIAL TOPICS
  • MEJO 577: BRANDING OF ME
  • MEJO 581: USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN
  • MEJO 588: EMERGING TECH.
  • MEJO 596: INDIVIDUAL STUDY
Students must complete at least three credit hours of capstone courses:
  • MEJO 625: MEDIA HUB
  • MEJO 630: BUSINESS NEWS WIRE
  • MEJO 631: BUSINESS JOURN. MGT.
  • MEJO 652: DIGITAL ECON.
  • MEJO 653: LEADERSHIP
  • MEJO 656: MAGAZINE WRITING
  • MEJO 681: PHOTO PROJECTS
  • MEJO 683: MAGAZINE DESIGN
  • MEJO 691: HONORS
  • MEJO 692: HONORS


Click here to see the Journalism academic worksheets
Click here to see all MEJO course descriptions in the UNC undergraduate catalog

Student Work (AD/PR)

Coulture magazine: Love
Coulture magazine: Borders
Class develops Instagram campaign for FOX Sports South
New course developed to bring public relations strategies to local nonprofits
Research report for UNC Refugee Mental Health and Wellness Initiative
Danny Green: Beyond the Court

Student Work (Journalism)

Aftermath
Nesting Sea Turtles
Hearst Journalism Awards national champions
Freedom of speech on the UNC campus
Coulture magazine: Love
Uprooted: Venezuelan families flee to Colombia
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