Jul 12, 2025  
2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog

Journalism, Investigative Journalism, B.S.


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Journalism and Strategic Media  
Jennifer Woodard, program coordinator
615-898-2766
Jennifer.Woodard@mtsu.edu

The concentration in Investigative Journalism combines foundational journalism skills of researching, writing, and editing with the historic roles of journalists as watchdogs and detectives. In Investigative Journalism, students dive deep into salient issues, contextualizing and exposing often-hidden or overlooked information to produce quality stories that illuminate and inform. Investigative Journalism sheds light on the stories that may otherwise go unseen and untold.

Students should check the prerequisites for each course.

Academic Map


Following is a printable, suggested four-year schedule of courses:

Journalism, Investigative Journalism, B.S., Academic Map   

Degree Requirements


True Blue Core (TBC) 41 hours
Major Requirements 49 hours*
Minor 15-18 hours
Electives 12-21 hours
TOTAL 120 hours

*This program requires courses that can also fulfill requirements of the True Blue Core curriculum. If program requirements are also used to fulfill True Blue Core requirements, the number of elective hours will increase.  

True Blue Core (41 hours)


True Blue Core (TBC)  requirements (shown in curricular listings below) include courses in the Foundational Skills areas of Written Communication (WC), Information Literacy (Info Lit), Non-Written Communication (NWC), and Quantitative Literacy (Quant Lit). Knowledge Domains include Human Society and Social Relationships (HSSR), Scientific Literacy (Sci Lit), Creativity and Cultural Expression (CCE), and History and Civic Learning (HCL), which include Discovery and Explorations categories. Students must choose at least one course from each Discovery category.

The following courses required by the major meet True Blue Core requirements:

Major Requirements (49 hours)


School of Journalism and Strategic Media Core (15 hours)


Professional Topics (6 hours)


Required Minor (15-18 hours)


  • Students should select a minor in Political Science; Africana Studies; Women and Gender Studies; Urban Studies; Media, History and Culture; Gerontology; Jewish and Holocaust Studies; Southern Studies; Middle East Studies; War, Policy and Society; Native American Studies; Environment and Human Society; Criminology; Social Justice; Family Studies; Political and Social Thought; or other approved minor.

Electives (12-21 hours)


  • Students in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media (SOJSM) must complete 50 hours in liberal arts and sciences including True Blue Core requirements and one minor from outside SOJSM. Students must select at least nine hours of liberal arts/social sciences (beyond the True Blue Core); at least six hours of liberal arts/social science electives must come from courses at the 3000-level or higher.

Curriculum: Journalism, Investigative Journalism


Majors must have a C (2.00) or better in all Media and Entertainment courses.

Freshman Fall


Subtotal: 15 Hours


Freshman Spring


  • Information Literacy/Elective 3 credit hours
  • History and Civic Learning 3 credit hours
  • Scientific Literacy 4 credit hours
  • Creativity and Cultural Expression 3 credit hours
  • 1 credit hour

Subtotal: 14 Hours


Sophomore Fall


  • 3 credit hours
  • Creativity and Cultural Expression Literature 3 credit hours
  • Minor course 3 credit hours
  • Scientific Literacy 4 credit hours
  • Creativity and Cultural Expression 3 credit hours

Subtotal: 16 Hours


Sophomore Spring


Subtotal: 15 Hours


Junior Fall


Subtotal: 15 Hours


Junior Spring


Subtotal: 15 Hours


Senior Fall


Subtotal: 15 Hours


Senior Spring


Subtotal: 15 Hours


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