We are excited that you are interested in studying journalism at San Francisco State University. It is a very exciting time to be a journalist. Great opportunities await you, some of which haven't even been invented yet.
If you want to make sure journalism is the major for you, here are some qualities we see that are imperative for all of our students, whether they aspire to be writers, producers, photographers or a combination of all of these.
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Passion: You want to change the world by telling stories that no one else has told.
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Curiosity: You find yourself asking people questions about themselves and their opinions.
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Research: You love finding out about new things and telling others about it.
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Writing: You live to write! Even photographers write a lot in our major. Synthesizing and analyzing information from lots of places makes you happy! Grammar is exciting!
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Interviewing: You enjoy meeting strangers and engaging them in conversation, and possibly taking pictures of them while you are doing it. You have no problem calling someone on the phone to ask a question instead of emailing them.
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Technology: Although writing or photography is your passion, you want to learn new ways to tell stories.
Besides writing, all of our students are required to learn digital skills such as photo, audio and video recording and editing. In fact, there are three required multimedia courses in our program.
More questions? Watch this web conference that answers frequently asked questions. If you have any other questions, feel free to stop by our office in the Humanities Building, room 305. We are generally open during regular business hours. You can reach us by email at jour@sfsu.edu or by phone at (415) 338-1689.
Rachele Kanigel
Chair, Department of Journalism
San Francisco State University