Major Code BJ1923

Honors Tutorial College
35 Park Place
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: 740.593.2723
Fax: 740.593.9521
honors.college@ohio.edu
www.ohio.edu/honors

Bernhard Debatin, director of studies/contact person
debatin@ohio.edu
Office: Schoonover Center 227A, Phone: 740-593-9809

Program Overview

The HTC program in Journalism offers exceptional students the opportunity to study the many aspects of journalism and mass communication in small groups and one-on-one relationships with our school’s faculty members. Maximum opportunities will be afforded for the student to progress well beyond the material found in conventional courses. The primary purpose of the tutorial program is to prepare students for a professional career while at the same time serving as preparation for graduate study. Students will receive a degree of Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the Honors Tutorial College.

Eight tutorials in Journalism are required, including two thesis tutorials. To allow maximum flexibility, tutorials can vary between 1 and 15 hours per semester, though non-thesis tutorials are usually taken for a minimum of 4 hours and thesis tutorials for a minimum of 6 hours. Students must also complete regular journalism courses, general education/liberal arts requirements, and a specialization. Honors Tutorial students are required to enroll in a minimum of 15 hours per semester.

Honors Thesis

Students are required to complete an honors thesis, investigating a problem of concern to both scholars and practitioners. Due to the professional orientation of journalism, the thesis can either be a scholarly piece or a professional project. As a rule, the thesis should be somewhere between 50 and 80 pages long. The thesis committee is usually composed of the thesis adviser and the director of studies, who will monitor the thesis work. Its acceptance, dependent upon an appropriate mixture of research and analysis, relies upon the judgment of the thesis adviser and the director of studies.

Admissions Information

Freshman/First-Year Admission

Students are selected by the director of studies of the journalism tutorial program and the Honors Tutorial College on the basis of superior ability and sustained motivation. We look for good scores on standardized tests (30 composite score on the ACT or a combined score of 1300 on the SAT), but we also require a good high school record (class standing in the top 10%). An interview with the director of studies is required for acceptance into our program. Recommendations from two high school teachers are optional but highly recommended. Portfolios with writing samples and/or broadcast or multimedia productions are strongly encouraged (showcasing students’ experience with journalism and mass media). The personalized aspects of the tutorial system occasionally make it possible for us to accept students who have not performed well on standardized measure of ability but who demonstrate exceptional aptitude in other ways. The priority deadline for application for admission is December 1st, and admission interviews are held in January.

Change of Program Policy

First-year students at Ohio University may apply to transfer in to the journalism tutorial program and the Honors Tutorial College. These students must meet the same entrance requirements as entering freshmen. The priority deadline for application is December 1st.

External Transfer Admission

First-year students at another institution may also apply to transfer in to the journalism tutorial program and the Honors Tutorial College. These students must meet the same entrance requirements as entering freshmen. The priority deadline for application is December 1st.

Opportunities Upon Graduation

Most students graduating from the program will work in the field of journalism, mass communication, PR, or advertising, and related fields. Journalism graduates are often hired into other jobs, as well, due to their general abilities (critical thinking, writing skills, analytical facilities, computer literacy, etc.). The Bachelor degree in journalism is also a great preparation for graduate school. Students may apply for graduate school in journalism or related fields, including law school, business school, and political science. HTC Journalism and the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism have an outstanding record of post-graduation job placement. 

Requirements