Real-World Classroom
You will practice and hone your skills by interviewing, recording and editing out in the field.
Journalism Major
Learn to write stories, shoot video, edit audio, design websites, produce pages and take photographs with an eye toward modern media careers. Then put that learning into practice through our student-run publications and real-world internships.
What Will I Learn?
The journalism major moves quickly from basic writing classes to hands-on experiences. Along the way you’ll be able to take specialized classes in sports writing, outdoor writing and feature writing, leading to advanced courses in reporting, digital publishing and page design.
- Hands-on training in audio/video production, photography and web design
- Work as a reporter, photographer, editor or designer for Cardinal Points, our award-winning weekly newspaper
- Research in-depth feature articles and design stylish pages in DoNorth, our regional tourism magazine
- Create podcasts and write trendy health, food and culture stories in All Points Now, our young-adult lifestyles magazine
What is Unique About Our Program?
In our student publications — a weekly newspaper, a glossy tourism magazine and an online lifestyles magazine — you will turn your theory and practical courses into real-world experience. You will write, photograph, shoot, edit and run these publications in a team of your peers. Learn more about student-run publications.
Our dedicated faculty will shepherd you through courses, publications and internships. All journalism students must complete an internship; many students fulfill more than one. During the semester, students intern doing social media for campus organizations, staffing newspapers in the region, and shooting video to accompany traditional stories. Some students compete for national internships at major publications.
What Are My Career Opportunities?
Although many of our journalism graduates find traditional media jobs in newspapers and magazines, more of our recent grads are working in online news companies. Many work for issue oriented publications, reporting on the environment, race and gender.
Here is a sampling of the exciting and rewarding careers our graduates have landed in newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and on the web:
- General assignment reporter
- Features reporter
- Sports reporter
- Business reporter
- Business analyst
- Police, crime and court reporter
- State house reporter
- Higher education reporter
- Photojournalist
- Page designer
- Copy editor
- City editor
- Music editor
- Managing editor
- Sports editor
- Features editor
- State editor
- Design editor
Recent Journalism Graduates
Nyela Graham, Class of 2020
- Reporter for Waters Technology Group
“The journalism program at SUNY Plattsburgh gave me the skills necessary to adapt to the increasingly digital world of journalism. Through my time at both DoNorth and Cardinal Points, I not only got to strengthen my writing and editing skills but also understand and navigate the necessary multimedia skills needed to succeed.”
Emma Vallelunga, Class of 2020
- Journalism graduate student at S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University
- Contributing writer at POPSUGAR Magazine
- Freelance writer at NYup.com and Syracuse.com
“The professors I had in the journalism department, the fellow students I worked with on publications like Cardinal Points and DoNorth, every article I powered through and every person I interviewed taught me journalism was where I could make a difference in the world with just my words — and it gave me the confidence to call myself a journalist by the time I was ready to graduate.”
Joey LaFranca, Class of 2017
- Sports editor at the Press-Republican
- Joey LaFranca Photography
“SUNY Plattsburgh and its journalism program created avenues of success that I will always appreciate. My professors and fellow classmates made for an enjoyable college experience, whether it be in classes or working on student-run publications, such as Cardinal Points and DoNorth. Thanks to receiving a quality education, I was able to make a transition into the real world seamlessly and have immediate success within my field of sports reporting.”