The University of King’s College is launching a major update to its four-year undergraduate journalism program, in time for the 50th anniversary of the school’s journalism programs in 2028.
Beginning in the fall of next year, the school will phase in the new Bachelor of Journalism and Media (Honours) (BJMH) degree. It addresses major shifts in journalism and the journalism industry, including the challenges posed by generative artificial intelligence, while offering more program choices to students with diverse career plans.
“In a time when AI can produce endless streams of text, images and videos that seem human-made, the need for accurate, authentic, factual information is greater than ever before,” says Fred Vallance-Jones, Director of Journalism in the School of Journalism, Writing & Publishing. “The updated King’s program strengthens instruction in research, writing, video, audio and interviewing skills so students can not only create the real thing but also weed out the fakes.”
Modifications to the program ensure students receive scholarly and practical instruction that prepares them for the journalism workforce of today as well as for a wide range of careers in media production, public service, marketing and communications—and any fields that require skilled writers, researchers and content creators.
More Course Choices and Flexibility for Students
The new BJMH resulted from an intensive three-year process and consultation with alumni, employers and students who helped faculty design the new degree. The result is a program design optimized for the student learning experience and the learning and career needs of the 2020s and beyond.
“We’ve taken the best of the existing Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) program, small class sizes, one-on-one faculty mentoring and the renowned fourth-year workshops, and added more choice in courses, a wider range of instruction, and a more deliberate progression of skills development through the degree,” says Vallance-Jones. Plans are also underway to offer certificates within the program to recognize student achievement in specialized areas such as news reporting and audio and video production.
In the first year of the BJMH, students have two exciting options for study. King’s will continue to provide the opportunity to combine introductory journalism courses with the Foundation Year Program, a sweeping journey through millennia, ideas and great books. The second option, new for 2027–28, is to combine a more intensive journalism first year with electives in disciplines that provide crucial context for journalism and media, including history, economics and political science.
Students build skills in second year, explore expanded choice and depth in third year and engage in intensive practice in the final year of the program. Practice workshops, a hallmark of King’s journalism, will be offered alongside a new professional practice seminar to prepare students for the workforce.
The program culminates in an internship at a wide range of journalism and media organizations for those eager to apply their skills in the workforce. It also lays the foundation for students seeking to pursue a master’s degree in journalism, a joint law and journalism degree, or one of the many other graduate programs at King’s and Dalhousie.
Phased Approach
As of fall 2027, all new King’s students pursuing a four-year undergraduate degree in journalism will be enrolled in the new BJMH program—applications for undergraduate programs, including the new BJMH, open October 1, 2026.
Students who began their undergraduate journalism degree in the 2026/27 academic year will be phased into the new program in their second year of study. Those currently in their second, third or fourth year of the existing BJH program will complete the current stream of study. They too will benefit from the innovative thinking that informed program changes and that will permeate all journalism courses and conversations. For instance, plans are in the works for a new Centre for Excellence in Podcasting and Audio Storytelling (CEPAS) that will provide new opportunities for all students.
“What won’t change is the strong foundation of journalistic integrity that makes a King’s education second to none,” says Vallance-Jones. “This new program is the ideal way to cap off almost 50 years of journalism at King’s, and to ensure we’re equipping students with the rigour and skills needed to champion the next 50 years of journalism.”
