On January 11th, The University of North Dakota officially announced their plans to reestablish their once popular and highly sought-after Journalism degree program. This newly reestablished degree will be offered as a Bachelor of Arts degree through UND’s Department of Communications, with the program housed in O’Kelly Hall over by the Memorial Union. Students currently in a Communications related program may begin taking classes that will help get them started in the Journalism program during the 2024-2025 school year. This program could also draw in students who are just starting to decide what school they wish to attend in their future studies. 

Based on what UND and those involved in the reestablishment of this program have said so far, they already have big plans and goals for UND’s future Journalists and have their future and current students who are interested in the field’s best interests in mind. They plan on providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge that they need in order to join the ever-changing workforce that is the field of modern-day journalism.  

Within recent years journalism and its importance in society has been a large topic of discussion. Due to the rise in social media and rapid consumption of all other forms of digital media, people have begun to believe that journalism has slowly become a dying field, but the reestablishment of this program helps show those who are interested in the field that it is anything but dying. In fact, it could be argued that journalism and the distribution of accurately researched news is lacking in mainstream media.  

A better way to describe a career in journalism is to say that it is a changing field. Our world is constantly changing, and along with that, so is the way we consume media and how we keep up to date on local, national, and world news. As far as I can see, this is exactly the type of work that this program will prepare these students for.  

In recent years, it has been made perfectly clear that journalism is not going anywhere, and UND is making it known that they recognize this and want to ensure that they can help guide their current and future students to become the ones who can learn how to take a modern approach to journalism and news reporting.  

In a UND article, I read that they hope to educate a new generation of Journalists to fill positions on North Dakota newspapers. They hope to grow the field of North Dakota Journalism since they used to be so heavily involved with its growth. In this same article, they heavily stressed the importance of journalism in the modern world and it is clear that everyone involved in the re-establishment of this program is dedicated to its success for the students.  

UND has a deep and rich history in journalism, and it is no shock that they want to continue this legacy in helping young journalists get started in their careers. Overall, the reestablishment of their Journalism program has already proven to be of interest to current and future students and it will be exciting to see the new legacy that this program will lead. 

 Sources:

Dennis, Tom. “Start the Presses: Und to Bring Back Journalism Major.” Press Releases, 11 Jan. 2024, blogs.und.edu/press-releases/2024/01/stop-the-presses-und-to-bring-back-journalism-major/#:~:text=The%20new%20journalism%20major%20%E2%80%93%20which,skills%20that%20are%20in%20demand. Accessed 24 Jan. 2024.  

“Journalism Degree Online or On-Campus.” Online or On-Campus | University of North Dakota, und.edu/programs/journalism-ba/index.html. Accessed 24 Jan. 2024. 

Nora Lee is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].