An
undergraduate post-secondary
journalism degree. It is earned after completing either
four years or
two years of study, depending on the program. The proper abbreviation for a Bachelor of Journalism degree is
B.Journ. The proper abbreviation for a Masters of Journalism is
M.Journ. Some places, however, abbreviate them
BJour and
MJour,
BJ and
MJ or various other variations on these.
Many journalistic publications and organizations consider a Bachelor (or Masters) of Journalism degree to be an important indication of which applicants have journalistic experience. Some others are equally impressed by a Bachelor of Arts. Some programs, particularly those that involve all forms of communications but include journalism streams or majors, award bachelor of arts or bachelor of applied arts degrees and list journalism as the major or specialty.
According to many journalism schools, individuals with a Bachelor of Journalism degree may also find work in public relations, government services, advertising, copyrighting and marketing.
Journalism degrees are generally granted by universities. Many colleges have journalism programs that result in a diploma in journalism. Generally speaking, a Bachelor of Journalism degree "disqualifies" an applicant from the admission process masters of journalism. This is generally because the curricula are very similar between the two programs and students who have already earned bachelors degrees in journalism have advantages over those who don't.
Very few masters programs require applicants to have Bachelor of Journalism degrees, but it happens. These masters programs offer more indepth study than others, and usually require the student to produce a thesis or other major final paper. This is not necessarily common to Bachelor of Journalism programs, which may include masthead projects or internships in lieu of a dissertation.
Related reading: SharQ's brilliant essays about whether or not journalism school is effective.