<p>Okay. USC seems to be the most prestigious university in Journalism/Communications, etc...</p>
<p>But I have multiple questions regarding this major.</p>
<p>1) Do you think getting a Masters in Journalism is somewhat necessary? Because most people I've heard that write for newspapers and other things only have a BA or a BS.</p>
<p>2) Should I go to Cal Poly SLO (they have journalism) for a couple of years and then transfer to USC so I can save a bit of money?</p>
<p>I got in at UCLA. But the UC's don't have the major I'm looking for. And transferring from UCLA to USC would be awkward.</p>
<p>Other schools I would consider transferring to are UT-Austin and UNC-CH.</p>
<p>What do you recommend?</p>
<p>1) CPSLO ---> USC/UT/UNC</p>
<p>2) UCLA ---> UT/UNC</p>
<p>3) any other UC ---> USC/UT/UNC</p>
<p>4) Stay at CPSLO for good</p>
<p>5) or Stay at USC for good?</p>
<p>I'm from Southern California, by the way.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>If you do your undergrad work at a school where it is possible to (1) take skills oriented journalism classes (as opposed to theory classes (2) do some real world internships and (3) work in campus media, a master's degree is not necessary. A master's degree is sometimes desirable if you've majored in something besides journalism or gone to a program that doesn't offer the above.</p>
<p>The MOST important thing you need to become a working journalist are great writing/editing skills, a good portfolio, and contacts.</p>
<p>Cal Poly's journalism program may not have the "prestige" as USC's but it is quite good and will give you the hands on skills you need to land a job in journalism (of course, landing that first job is going to be hard no matter where you go!). They have excellent opportunities in campus media and decent internship possibilities as well that can go far in building a portfolio.</p>
<p>UCLA's communications program isn't bad - just not as focused on hands on skills. I wouldn't toss it aside without looking carefully at the electives you can take there to see whether you can get the skills you need and want. The advantage of being in LA is that you have more opportunities for real world internships, a definite plus after graduation.</p>
<p>I would not start off thinking I was going to transfer. It is VERY difficult to transfer into UNC's journalism program from out of state and not all that easy to transfer into USC's journalism program as well. I would not transfer from CAl Poly to UT unless I was very unhappy with Cal Poly's program OR wanted to work in Texas after graduation.</p>
<p>In short, I say give Cal Poly a shot after you have carefully examined what UCLA offers. You can get where you want to go with either program if you plan it right.</p>
<p>undergrad journalism usually doesn't do masters, or if they do not until much later in life. I'd stay at USC, or do cal poly to USC. But I wouldn't transfer to a non-journalism school since you'll basically have to go to grad school then, which means more money</p>
<p>Whoops, did I miss that he/she has already gotten into USC? I;m sorry somehow I thought that USC wasn't in play. </p>
<p>If USC is in play (as in you have already been accepted), and money is no object, well, go to USC to begin with. If money is a concern, then, heck, just stick with Cal Poly and go from there.</p>
<p>I heard last year that journalism is Cal Poly's only non-accreditated program. I've also heard some bad things about the program from a few students, so I personally would not go there for journalism. I'd say USC is the best bet.</p>
<p>Excellent point Giants and I should have checked on accreditation. By the way, here is the link for accredited schools:
<a href="http://www.ku.edu/%7Eacejmc/STUDENT/PROGLIST.SHTML%5B/url%5D">http://www.ku.edu/~acejmc/STUDENT/PROGLIST.SHTML</a></p>
<p>Do any of you know what it means for a journalism program to be "accredited"? Please understand it is not the same as "certification".</p>
<p>I've heard that many places don't want journalism majors...instead, they want people to major in something else so that they have in-depth knowledge of something.</p>
<p>nonconformity there is a lot of truth to that.</p>