| Advisor | |
|---|---|
| Cristina Azocar-On sabbatical 2022-2023 | cazocar@sfsu.edu |
| Ana Lourdes Cárdenas | lourdescardenas@sfsu.edu |
| Sachi Cunningham | sachic@sfsu.edu |
| Josh Davis | joshdavis@sfsu.edu |
| Jesse Garnier | jgarnier@sfsu.edu |
| Rachele Kanigel | kanigel@sfsu.edu |
| Kim Komenich | komenich@sfsu.edu |
| Laura Moorhead | lauralm@sfsu.edu |
| Venise Wagner | vwagner@sfsu.edu |
Journalism majors and minors are strongly encouraged to consult with a faculty advisor every academic year or even every semester. Professor Kim Komenich advises all photojournalism students; print/online students can choose a faculty advisor from the list of full-time faculty. Freshman and sophomores may pick their own advisor; upper-division students will be assigned an advisor in their junior year. As of Summer 2020, all student advising folders are electronic so students no longer need to pick them up in the department office.
Journalism Department advising is required for upper-division students. Seniors will have mandatory advising in the fall semester and juniors in the spring semester. You will receive a notice from the department, generally by email, notifying you of the deadline by which you must have completed advising. If you do not complete the advising on time, you risk losing your early priority registration for classes for the next semester. Once advising is complete, your advisor will send an email to the department office. If you do not get mandatory advising, the hold will not be lifted from your registration and you won’t be able to register for your classes. These advising sessions are not meant to be punitive. In fact, students have found that it is very helpful to meet with an advisor to plan out their academic path.
Your visits with an advisor do not have to be restricted to the curriculum. Advisors can also help you figure out what path you should take in your career. Advisors can talk with you about internships, scholarships, membership in professional associations, and other opportunities and can review your resume, cover letters and job search strategies. This is how you begin to plan your future career.
Undergraduate Advising
Majors in the College of Liberal & Creative Arts (LCA) should consult with two advisors each semester:
- an advisor in the major and
- a general education and university requirements advisor in the Undergraduate Advising Center
Students who are completing a minor or an additional major should see an advisor in those programs as well.
Graduate Advising
Graduate advising is done by the Division of Graduate Studies. Visit their Advising section to find out more.
Internships
Make sure to get two internships under your belt by the time you graduate from the program. You can get credit for internships through two avenues. The first is JOUR 409: Directed Study in Journalism credit. You can receive up to three credit units, but these credits will not go toward your major requirements. There is no prerequisite for this class. The internship must involve some journalism, such as writing, producing multimedia, managing social media, making photos, or fact checking. Getting coffee for the boss does not count. We want this experience to be meaningful and purposeful, an experience that brings you closer to your career goal.
The second avenue for internship credit is JOUR 617: Journalism Internship. This internship should be a notch or two above what you did in JOUR 409. To enroll in this three-unit course, you must have completed one semester of JOUR 609: Publication Lab, with a C or better. Yumi Wilson is the one who usually advises this class. She is a great resource for finding an internship that fits your goals.
View the course descriptions on the SF State bulletin for additional information.
Mentoring Program
Having a mentor or coach in the same profession is essential when learning how to navigate the ins and outs of getting your work out there. We have a volunteer mentoring program we encourage you to participate in. We have a great resource of names and contacts we can use to find the perfect match for you. Jim Toland, one of our lecturers, coordinates our mentoring program. When he sends out a message to all journalism majors, be sure to respond. He is here to help.
Curriculum Changes
In Fall 2019, the Department of Journalism updated its curriculum for both the online/print and photojournalism B.A. programs. Find out about the curriculum changes.