University of Regina launches 'revitalized' journalism program

The University of Regina says it's launching a revitalized journalism and communications program following a one year pause.

The redesigned undergraduate degree promises to fully equip students to succeed in a “fast-changing and constantly-evolving media landscape.”

The program seeks to integrate journalism, digital media, and strategic communications with complementary courses from areas such as Indigenous journalism, communication arts, political science, english, sociology, film, and creative technologies.

Notably, the school will continue to offer the only mandatory paid internship program in western Canada. A point of pride for the program – with the internships often lead directly to continuing employment.

In the university’s announcement, a graduate of the school and award-winning journalist Tamara Cherry welcomed the news of the revived program.

“Throughout my career, I have met journalism students, grads, and educators from across the country. I can say with confidence that the University of Regina School of Journalism stands above the rest by virtue of its internship program,” she said in a news release.

“My four-month internship at the Leader-Post gave me the experience I needed to get another internship at the Calgary Herald, which then led me to the Toronto Star, Toronto Sun, and CTV News Toronto. I could not be more pleased that the best J-School in the country is re-opening its doors.

“This is great news for democracy.”

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The new program offers four years of full-time study that can be taken over a longer timeframe if needed.

The university says foundational journalism remains at the core of the program with courses offered such as mass communications theory and practice, digital news writing, broadcast and digital journalism and investigative journalism.

“Today, it is more vital than ever that journalists are trained in accurate and ethical reporting to counter the rise of misinformation. It is no exaggeration to say that democracy depends on it,” said Dean of Arts Dr. Shannon Dea.

“But we are seeing not only newsrooms but also journalism programs closing across the country. We are proud and excited to be able to offer an accessible and future-proof degree that will train the next generation of journalists and communications professionals with particular attention to new trends in digital media.”

The J School’s renewal is being done at the same time the First Nations University of Canada (FNUC) is launching a new degree and post-degree programs in Indigenous journalism and communications arts.

The U of R originally announced it was suspending the program in December of 2022 as it faced a shortage of professors and students.

The announcement caused concern among fourth year students in the program as they attempted to finish their degrees with limited class selection.