Journalism and Communication Studies
Journalism and Communication Studies
*KPU Journalism grads Kristi Alexandra (top left) and Brittany Tiplady (top right) are the founders of Loose Lips Magazine, an online publication that covers local arts, culture, women’s health, and current events.
What can you do with a KPU Journalism degree?
These four graduates explain how their journalism studies prepared them for careers. One works as a Crown prosecutor, two work in communications positions and one is a multimedia journalist at CBC.
KPU’s award-winning faculty brings real-world experience in digital journalism right into the classroom. And KPU’s graduates work for some of the top news organizations in Canada, including The Globe and Mail, The Vancouver Sun, and Global News. Our Bachelor of Journalism program features the full range of storytelling possibilities, including writing, photography, audio, video and interactive graphics.
Students who earn the Bachelor of Journalism or who take our courses as electives while studying another major will get valuable transferable skills that can be put to use in many fields, including using social media and journalistic research skills in a professional setting. Any student can take our courses as Arts electives, whether they're getting a Journalism degree or a major in something else, or haven't figured that out yet.
Over the course of your degree, you will learn how to:
- Write clearly and concisely in a way that engages the public.
- Dig up interesting information that powerful interests want to keep hidden.
- Take professional‐quality photographs.
- Record high‐quality video and audio footage and edit it together into a compelling story.
- Analyze data and use it to create interactive charts and maps.
- Better understand how the media affects society.
You can also pursue a Bachelor of Journalism and a Diploma in Public Relations at the same time while at KPU. Our program offers the flexibility to pursue studies part-time or full-time and to take many of your courses online. Graduates of our program work in journalism and communications, but have also gone on to other careers that require a bachelor's degree, such as law and teaching.
KPU Journalism students are eligible to take part in the ARTS 4800 Practicum course, gaining real-world work experience. Several local news organizations are partners in KPU's Practicum course, allowing you to experience what it's like to work in a real newsroom.
Please join us!
KPU’s Journalism program is committed to supporting Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization in our program and the journalism industry as a whole. We believe journalism is stronger when it is produced by and includes the voices of people from a variety of different backgrounds and perspectives.
We recognize the harms done to minority communities by journalists in the past, including perpetuating negative stereotypes and inciting fear of those who are different.
We acknowledge the harms done to Indigenous people by journalists in the past. By seeking out and including Indigenous voices, considering colonialism in our reporting and reporting on news important to Indigenous communities, we believe journalists can play an important role in reconciliation moving forward.
We want all students to feel welcome in our program, including those who are Black, Indigenous, people of colour, 2SLBGTQ+ and/or living with a disability.
To that end:
- We will encourage and support students from under-represented groups to pursue a Bachelor of Journalism degree.
- We will work to ensure guest speakers in our classroom come from diverse backgrounds.
- When featuring graduates of our program on our website and in promotional materials, we will work to make sure they reflect the diversity of the students in our program.
- We have made INDG 1100 Introduction to Indigenous Studies a required course for the Bachelor of Journalism degree, in support of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action 86.
- We will integrate readings, assignments and examples in our classroom that encourage students to reflect on issues of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization.
- We will encourage candidates from under-represented groups to apply for faculty positions with our department.
- We will encourage students to seek out and include Indigenous voices in their reporting, including the wisdom of Elders and other Indigenous ways of knowing.
- We will encourage journalism students to interview sources that reflect the diversity of the community they’re reporting on.
KPU's Journalism program commits to developing an action plan to implement the goals in this statement and to review progress towards those goals on an annual basis.