<p>Can any current journalism students give me advice about which major to choose? I was accepted into the honors college and Philip Merrill School of Journalism. I know the Merrill school is renowned for its entire program, but is the multiplatform (print) major more prestigious than the broadcast? I have an interest in working for a news station as a reporter or anchor, but am open to writing for print as well. Is broadcast too narrowly focused on radio/TV only, or is the multiplatform major too narrowly focused on print? Also are classes for both majors held in Knight Hall? Thanks!</p>
<p>I’m a current journalism student (multi-platform). I don’t think either the multi-platform or broadcast is regarded as more prestigious, at least I’ve never got that feeling. Both majors’ classes are held in Knight Hall. The early classes and some of the later requirements (like ethics and media law) are shared by both tracks. </p>
<p>One thing about the multi-platform major is that it’s not just about print anymore. That’s why they changed it from being called print to multi-platform. If you do the MP major, you you still have to take Intro to Multimedia Skills (which broadcast majors take too), and you have to take an Intermediate Level Multimedia class (used to be called Online Journalism, I think they altered its content a little). </p>
<p>I would take a look at the classes offered this Spring (especially the 300 level, because that’s where the split mostly is), and see which ones seem more interesting to you. Ones with a prerequisite of JOUR 202 or JOUR320 are multi-platform major courses. Ones with a prerequisite of JOUR360(or 361) or JOUR262 are broadcast major courses. Ones that say the prereq is 320 or 360 are open to both. Here’s a link to this semester’s journalism courses: [UM</a> Testudo | Schedule Of Classes](<a href=“http://www.sis.umd.edu/bin/soc?term=201301&crs=JOUR]UM”>http://www.sis.umd.edu/bin/soc?term=201301&crs=JOUR) </p>
<p>If you think you’ll enjoy the broadcast ones more and you want to be an anchor, broadcast is probably the way to go. But if you decide you want more of a focus on writing with some different media thrown in and if the MP classes sound more interesting, multi-platform could be better for you.</p>