Capstones

The following courses satisfy the capstone requirement. Please note that our offerings vary from semester to semester*:

• JOUR325/625, JOUR655 or JOUR367/667: Full-time Capital News Service Bureau (9 credits for undergraduate students/6 credits for master's students). Students work four days a week in a Capital News Service bureau in Washington (reporting/writing), Annapolis (reporting/writing) or College Park (audience engagement and social media, broadcast, and data and graphics). Washington and Annapolis prerequisite: JOUR320/JOUR620. Audience Engagement and Social Media prerequisite: JOUR368D/JOUR657. Broadcast prerequisite: JOUR361/JOUR661. Data and Graphics prerequisite: JOUR352/JOUR652.
• JOUR327/627: Urban Affairs Reporting (3 credits). Students report on a topic of significant community concern and produce a multiplatform project. Prerequisite: JOUR320/JOUR620.
• JOUR328G/628G: Sports Enterprise Reporting (3 credits). Students will work as a team on a sports enterprise project. Previous topics have included gender equity in sports, youth sports & the media, betting and college sports, the economic impact of a new stadium on a city, and the future of football. Prerequisite: JOUR320/JOUR620.
• JOUR328K/628K: Business & Economic Reporting (3 credits). Students will explore why economic and business themes are among the top stories generating reader interest. Topics vary each semester but can focus on the economic impact of immigration, employment, income inequality, wage stagnation, trade wars and affordable housing. Students will learn to identify newsworthy stories and interpret and integrate numbers and financial data into stories in a compelling way. Prerequisite: JOUR320/JOUR620.
• JOUR353 or JOUR355 or JOUR357: Part-time Capital News Service Bureau (6 credits). Students work two days a week in a Capital News Service bureau in Washington (reporting/writing), Annapolis (reporting/writing) or College Park (audience engagement and social media, investigative, broadcast, data and graphics, and data investigations). Washington and Annapolis prerequisite: JOUR320/JOUR620. Audience Engagement and Social Media prerequisite: JOUR368D/JOUR657. Broadcast prerequisite: JOUR361/JOUR661. Data and Graphics and Data Investigations prerequisite: JOUR352/JOUR652. Investigative prerequisite: JOUR320/620.
• JOUR362/662: Broadcast News Producing (3 credits). Students work as producers overseeing the Capital News Service’s newscast, “Maryland Newsline.” Prerequisite: JOUR262/JOUR603.
• JOUR364/664: Advanced Audio and Podcast Reporting (3 credits). Students will receive professional skills training in the reporting, writing, editing, voicing and production of radio news. Students will be required to do extensive out-of-class field reporting, along with writing and mixing broadcast-quality radio pieces. Prerequisite: JOUR334/JOUR634.
• JOUR368K/668K: Video Lab (3 credits). Students will explore the intersection between social media, video and a live broadcast by creating new and innovative ways to “broadcast” news to an audience. The class will encourage an entrepreneurial spirit and give students the opportunity to produce a show from scratch, with content aired on UMTV and online. Prerequisite: JOUR262/JOUR603. Recommended: JOUR361/JOUR661, JOUR368I/JOUR637 or JOUR368X/JOUR668X
• JOUR368O/668O: Advanced Studio Production (3 credits). This course will take you through every production aspect related to studio production and work as production support for live sports or video game news shows. Prerequisite: JOUR368L/JOUR636.
• JOUR389L/689L: Local News Investigation (3 credits). Students in this class will learn and put into practice classic investigative news techniques. The class emphasis is on finding, preparing for, and interviewing people with sensitive information. Prerequisite: JOUR320/JOUR620.

*For more information on courses, visit the common capstone application.