Degree Requirements (see "Program Outline")
If you have a passion for your subject and the desire to communicate about it, the Minor in Journalism at VIU is for you.
The Minor in Journalism in the Department of Creative Writing and Journalism at VIU offers a versatile degree option for students who want to add to their communication and digital media skill set.
Our Minor in Journalism is an excellent complement to any degree program such as:
Indigenous Studies, Tourism, Recreation and Hospitality, Human Services, Health Sciences, Environmental Studies, Art and Design, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Resource Management, Business, and Arts and Humanities.
Journalism plays a crucial role in informing the public about important social, political, and cultural issues. A Minor in Journalism empowers students to participate in meaningful conversations, contribute to informed citizenship, and foster positive change through their work.
Employers across a wide range of professions value the skills the Journalism Minor offers, and a Minor in Journalism can make employment candidates stand out. Students who have expertise in their field and a Minor in Journalism develop their abilities to communicate about their specialty. Throughout their studies, students in the Minor in Journalism work on projects that can be compiled into a professional portfolio to showcase their writing, reporting, and multimedia skills—a powerful asset when applying for jobs or internships.
The VIU Minor in Journalism develops many of VIU’s Graduate Attributes and specific learning outcomes in important areas.
- Communication Skills: Journalism focuses on creativity and effective communication. A Minor in Journalism equips students with the ability to convey information clearly and concisely, and to tell compelling stories.
- Critical Thinking: Journalism students develop critical thinking skills as they learn to analyze information sources, evaluate credibility, and discern the most relevant details.
- Research Skills: Journalism requires integrity, rigorous research, and fact-checking to produce accurate and well-informed content.
- Media Literacy: Journalism education emphasizes understanding the media landscape, its impact on society, and ethical considerations. Students in the program gain insights into media manipulation, bias, and the responsible consumption of information, which is vital in the digital age.
- Digital Proficiency: Journalism has evolved with technology, and modern journalists must be adept at using various digital tools, platforms, and multimedia formats. A Minor in Journalism exposes students to digital storytelling techniques and online content creation.
Learn more about the Requirements for a Minor in Journalism in our Program Outline on the CREW webpage.
The core skill set of journalism—listening, writing with speed and brevity, critical thinking, lateral thinking, paying attention to detail, verifying and corroborating information, persistence, the ability to identify and frame problems, investigating, developing digital literacy and appreciating graphics — are all applicable to any occupation in any organization, corporate, academic, government, non-government, sports, arts, law, and so on.
Whatever the organization, the person who writes the best memo, the best report, the best summary and gets it in first is almost always the one who advances fastest and farthest. So, do you want to be the command line or the support line? If the former, study journalism.
—Journalist and VIU Instructor Stephen Hume
