School of Journalism and Telecommunications: Prospective Students

Welcome, and thank you for your interest in the School of Journalism and Telecommunications at the University of Kentucky.

We offer a professional program in a liberal arts setting; students in all of our majors take a core of foundation liberal arts courses, and then add a professional major. We offer three undergraduate programs:

Integrated Strategic Communication

This is the PERSUASION major. ISC students get an overview of all the forms of strategic communication and also pick a specialization PATH. Advertising and public relations students work for the Kentucky Kernel, UK’s daily student newspaper, as sales reps, ad designers and PR staff members. They intern at agencies and non-profits throughout Lexington and beyond. Our ISC faculty has expertise in creative advertising, media planning, account management, and public relations, and we use professionals from Lexington agencies to teach specialized courses. We have active chapters of the Public Relations Student Society of America and the American Advertising Federation. Our National Student Advertising Competition team ranked in the Top 10 nationally in 2006.

Journalism

This is the INFORMATION major. We offer both print and broadcast emphases; we also offer several photojournalism courses. Many of our students (print and broadcast) write for the Kernel or The Kentuckian (the UK yearbook). Broadcast students work on the weekly JAT News and report for WRFL (UK's student-run radio station) or WUKY (UK's public radio station). All of our Journalism faculty members have worked in the media, and a number of Lexington TV and newspaper reporters also teach for us. Our print students finished sixth in the nation in the 2005-06 Hearst Newswriting Competition; our student photographers finished eighth in the nation in the 2005-06 Hearst Photojournalism Competition. The Kernel and Kentuckian are 2006 Pacemaker Awards finalists; the Pacemakers are often considered the Pulitzer Prizes of college journalism. If you’re interested in journalism, consider attending one of our summer high school journalism workshops.

Telecommunications

This is the DELIVERY AND NETWORKING major. Telecommunications students focus on media policy and development of new media enterprises. They also learn about media production. Telecommunications graduates work in TV and radio and also for telecommunications networking firms like Bell South. Our Telecommunications faculty is a mix of mass communication scholars and industry professionals.

Our school is focused on giving students hands-on experience. We have faculty members who have worked in corporate and agency public relations, in advertising agencies, in the advertising services departments of companies, for newspapers, television and radio stations, and in video and audio production. We also regularly bring in current media professionals to speak to classes or teach specialized topics. So, you’ll be learning from people who have been there, people who have succeeded in the communication professions.

You’ll be able to try out your own skills and improve your abilities. Most of our classes involve a great deal of project work, often for real world clients. Outside the classroom, students can work for the Kernel, the Kentuckian, student radio station WRFL, and a variety of other campus outlets. And, because Lexington is the #63 media market in the country, we have a wide range of media firms located here. In Kentucky, only the Louisville market (at #50) is larger. Our students find internship and volunteer opportunities with local advertising and public relations agencies, in non-profit organizations, and with local newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations. We encourage you to get involved in internships early on through UK’s Career Center, and then to complete an internship for credit with the school once you’ve gotten the basic coursework in your major under your belt. Internships are required for ISC and TEL majors, and strongly recommended for JOU majors. ISC and JOU majors must also develop a professional portfolio as a graduation requirement.

We have a number of scholarships within the school, several designated specifically for incoming freshmen. Check out the details on the Bill Billiter Scholarship and John Chaplin Scholarship on our Scholarships page. The Joe Hirsch Scholarship, tied to the horse industry, is also open to freshmen.

You can also learn more about us and our programs through past issues of The Alum News, our publication for alumni and friends of the school. If you like what you see here, please come visit us. We’re happy to welcome you to the Grehan Building in the heart of the UK campus. I hope we’ll see you here soon. In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at bbarnes@uky.edu.