The Bachelor of Journalism and Media (Honours) program offers an ideal combination of academic studies and hands-on skills to prepare you for multiple careers in which you write and produce multimedia content, think critically and work quickly and productively.
We live in a time when a machine can pour out reams of text mimicking human writing and it is harder and harder to know what to believe. That’s why society needs professionals who specialize in distinguishing the facts from assertions that are misinformed or deliberately false.
The redesigned Bachelor of Journalism and Media (BJMH) is the place to learn how to navigate the information jungle and discover the facts that get lost in the slop.
King’s will celebrate 50 years of journalism education in 2028 and we are proud of that legacy. Journalism has weathered many storms over hundreds of years, but journalists have always persevered in finding out what others may not want the public to know, and communicating it with curiosity, empathy and integrity.
The new BJMH curriculum is designed to get you started sooner and take you further, so you are ready to work in today’s reporting, editing and producer roles.
Even while King’s remains the place to get ready for a challenging and fulfilling career in news, our graduates also pursue jobs in public service, media production, marketing and communications, and any fields that need skilled writers, content creators and researchers.
We’re making more room for all these goals and dreams. A wide range of electives take you beyond traditional newsroom work, and you can earn certificates that attest to your own unique degree path.
You can learn to create your own digital media startup, how media organizations are navigating the surge of AI, the rich history and traditions of journalism and media, and how to be an investigative or data journalist. King’s new Centre for Excellence in Podcasting and Audio Storytelling will open exciting new pathways for those interested in narrative and interview-based audio work.
Throughout the remaking of this four-year degree, we hung on to the things that make a King’s education second to none:
- one-on-one mentoring by professionals who have been there and done the work;
- small class sizes;
- a collaborative, vibrant community;
- the opportunity to include King’s Foundation Year Program as part of your studies; and
- the intensive fourth-year workshops that are the hallmark of King’s Journalism.
While you study and live on our small campus, the best of a large research university is just past the King’s Quad thanks to the association with Dalhousie University.
The BJMH offers an ideal combination of hands-on skills and rigorous academic study, and is a degree designed to help you get started in the workforce. Every student completes a work placement and a 2026 survey showed King’s journalism alumni land jobs, very often closely related to their studies.
Hands-on work is the focus throughout the degree, and from second year on you will publish text, audio, video and data stories in The Signal, the school’s online media outlet. In the last two years, students have reported and produced an investigation into a whale sanctuary in coastal Nova Scotia, a data-driven dive into pedestrian fatalities in Halifax, and a feature series on land conservation at the Eskasoni First Nation as part of King’s renowned Reporting in Mi’ma’ki summer program.
We even have our own journalism and media awards to celebrate your work, and King’s students and classes regularly win industry awards.
Communication is a human act; people communicating with people. The BJMH opens up a career of adventures and the chance to make a living while contributing to the country’s democratic life.
If your goal is to get a post-graduate degree, you can go on to our Master of Journalism or combined law and journalism degree, or one of the many other graduate programs at King’s and Dalhousie. In a 2026 survey, 84% of King’s alumni said they were well prepared for further graduate or professional studies.
King’s is located in Mi’kma’ki, the homeland of the Mi’kmaq for millennia. For four centuries, African Nova Scotian’s have contributed to and enriched the history of this territory. To help ensure diverse voices are heard, amplified and celebrated, King’s covers full tuition and fees for up to three Mi’kmaw and three African Nova Scotian students each year in our journalism programs. Find out more:
Mi’kmaw Journalism Initiative
African Nova Scotian Journalism Initiative
The BJMH admits students directly from high school and accepts transfers from other programs and universities. Here’s a snapshot of the four years, each of which has its own purpose and character:
Year 1
First year is about building a strong foundation; the choice that is the hallmark of the new degree begins right away.
You can choose a first year that combines a deep dive into journalism’s history and practice with elective options; these include courses in disciplines that provide crucial context for journalism and media, such as history, economics and the History of Science and Technology.
Or you can choose to combine two introductory courses in journalism practice with the King’s Foundation Year Program, a sweeping journey through millennia, ideas, and the great books. It takes you from the earliest civilizations to the modern day in an intensive, four-day-a-week program.
Year 2
No matter how you start the degree, everyone comes together for year two. One of the biggest changes in our revamped degree is the skills-intensive second year. You’ll learn about online publication, audio and video, journalism ethics and law, and interviewing. You will also learn and how to cover Indigenous communities in a responsible way while understanding the legacy of colonial structures such as the Indian Act and residential schools.
Year 3
In third year, choice is everything. You will cement your skills and knowledge through a wide range of journalism and media electives, including on AI and Journalism, creating a digital media startup and Black Communities and Media. You’ll also learn advanced research and data journalism techniques.
Year 4
As you reach the end of your studies, you will write your Honours Project for publication, then become career-ready through intensive workshops, a professional practice seminar and an internship. King’s students have interned in newsrooms such as the Canadian Press, CBC, The Globe and Mail and Sportsnet. They have completed placements at Nimbus Publishing and Canadian Lawyer Magazine, and also at smaller outlets such as alt-weeklies and video production houses. The revamped degree expands the range of possible placements. Most students complete internships in Canada, but students have also completed their placements in New York, London, Chile and Beirut. Some students’ internships even land them jobs.
The BJMH lets you combine your journalism and media studies with classes in a wide range of other academic disciplines at King’s and adjacent Dalhousie University, mixing and matching them to create exactly the degree you want. You have the option of taking a Combined Honours program in Journalism and another subject such as the King’s Early Modern Studies, History of Science and Technology and Contemporary Studies programs, or a wide range of arts, social science and science programs at Dalhousie.
