Communication
- M
- m
Broadcasting and Journalism Major in Pennsylvania
Are you interested in combining your Christian faith with hands-on media production and creative and critical writing across multiple platforms? Our Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in broadcasting and journalism may be a good fit for you!
Study Broadcasting and Journalism at a Christian University
Messiah University’s broadcasting and journalism major (formerly separate majors in broadcasting and journalism) provides you with a strong understanding of mass media’s constantly changing culture combined with training in many technologies. Students must declare a concentration in either broadcasting or journalism, allowing them to hone their skills in either television and audio production or multimedia storytelling. From new media to traditional media, including online, podcasting, television, radio and print, you will gain a robust understanding of the world of broadcasting and journalism as you develop competencies in video and editing, production, news and feature writing and more.
As a broadcasting and journalism major or minor at Messiah University, you’ll be able to:
- Hone writing and reporting skills through courses such as audio-visual newsgathering and writing for mass media.
- Participate in The Pulse, Messiah University’s award-winning student media hub, which includes PulseFM, an FCC-licensed FM radio station; the YBTV weekly student-produced news broadcast; the Swinging Bridge campus magazine; The Clarion yearbook; and The Pulse’s thriving social media channels.
- Take advantage of internship opportunities with local and regional publications and electronic media outlets.
- Gain valuable work experience as a tutor in our writing center.
- Explore courses in media culture, broadcasting, media production, various production skills, multimedia storytelling, and media law and ethics.
- Have direct access to a fully upgraded digital editing suite featuring 16 top-tier iMacs.
- Use our state-of-the-art media lab that includes a television studio space, a newsroom, and a fully equipped, professional-grade control room.
- Enhance your portfolio by applying your skills through internships in the state capital region in television, radio, video production and more at local media outlets, major network regional affiliates, and sports teams.
- Gain experience in the technical aspects of mass media.
- Earn a membership to Zeta Psi Chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, honor society of the National Communication Association.
Graduates of the broadcasting and journalism major will be equipped to secure positions such as:
- Writer
- Media specialist
- Copy editor
- Editorial researcher
- Sports reporter
- Social media editor
- Editor
- Reporter
- Web producer
- Sportscaster
- On-air host
- TV writer/editor
- Producer
- Production assistant
- Reporter/web producer
- Videographer
- Video producer
- Sound specialist
- Camera operator
- Video journalist
- Podcaster
For more information on career planning for the broadcasting and journalism program, visit the Messiah University Career and Professional Development Center.
Messiah’s nationally recognized internship program places students in a variety of broadcasting and journalism internships. A few examples of these internships include:
- WHTM-TV (ABC affiliate, Harrisburg)
- Pennsylvania's "Big 33 Football" program
- Carlisle Productions
- WGAL-TV (NBC affiliate, Lancaster)
- WDVM-TV (Hagerstown, MD)
- WITF-FM (Harrisburg, PA)
- Fox News (Washington, DC)
- C-Span
- Pennsylvania Cable Network (Camp Hill, PA)
- FGV Media, Harrisburg
- Final Focus Productions (Mechanicsburg, PA)
- Hershey Bears Hockey
Broadcasting
Journalism
Programs related to Broadcasting and Journalism
In the Broadcasting and Journalism program, you will take a selection of courses that successfully prepare you for a career in a related field. Hands-on experiences and classroom learning within the framework of Christian faith will give you the skills and knowledge to achieve your goals. Our programs offer a wide variety of courses that will not only help you excel in your future career, but challenge you to develop a deeper understanding of your field of study.
Course options for Broadcasting and Journalism:
Broadcasting and Journalism (B.A.) with Broadcasting concentration
Broadcasting and Journalism (B.A.) with Journalism concentration
Careers and outcomes
Where our grads work
Graduates of this program work in positions of leadership in their places of employment, using the tools and knowledge a Messiah University education prepared them with. Each year, eager employers and some of the nation's best graduate schools welcome Messiah graduates into their organizations.
95% of the Class of 2024 respondents were employed or in graduate school within 6-9 months of graduation.
Our Alumni
Regional and national employers seek out Messiah graduates for their academic preparation, work ethic and personal character. The transformation you experience at Messiah readies you to transform the lives of others through your chosen career path.
Messiah's unique approach to hands-on learning
Learning in the classroom is important but actually applying that knowledge in a hands-on way can make all the difference. At Messiah University, the Experiential Learning Initiative (ELI) allows Messiah to take this hands-on learning to a new level by giving students the opportunity to apply what they have learned to various real world contexts--such as an internship/practica, service learning, off-campus program, holding a student leadership position, or participating in undergraduate research.
State-of-the-art facilities
Another distinct resource for our broadcasting and journalism students includes using our 1,740 square-foot media lab facility in Hostetter Chapel. The space includes studio cameras, news set, studio lights and a corner-placed, endless floor green screen (as well as several portable green screens). It also features a control room, where you can control and edit a live broadcast taking place in the adjacent studio. Computer stations and monitors allow you to control the audio, switcher, graphics, teleprompter and color correction.
Faith integration
The broadcasting and journalism major also provides foundational knowledge for serious media study. The most unique aspect about this major at Messiah is that it is studied through the eyes of a Christian scholar, allowing you to integrate your faith in the exciting field of communication.