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Multimedia Journalism

Telling stories across multiple platforms.

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Learn to tell stories that cut through the noise in the dynamic, fast-changing environment of 21st-century media. Encounter the fundamental roles and purposes of journalism in democratic society, and their place in the age of social media. Then get a job using what you know.

That’s what an Augustana major/minor in multimedia in journalism and mass communication (MJMC) will do for you.

Outside class, your faculty mentors will encourage you to think big. From working with members of Congress to hosting a weekly Spanish-language TV program, students apply their class learning to internships.

On campus, choose from many skill-sharpening opportunities: the award-winning student newspaper, The Observer; the student-run campus radio station WAUG; the on-campus NPR station WVIK; writing, photography and videography positions in the Office of Communication and Marketing; the EDGE Entrepreneurial Center; and Ads (Advertising Developers), Augustana’s chapter of the American Advertising Federation.

Our MJMC graduates go on to tell stories that matter through careers in journalism, television reporting, public relations, advertising, promotions and marketing.

What you'll learn

Communication competence

Communication competence

Read and listen carefully. Express ideas (writing or speaking) suited to the audience.

Intellectual curiosity

Intellectual curiosity

Set yourself up for lifelong intellectual growth. Take responsibility for your own learning.

Critical thinking and information literacy

Critical thinking and information literacy

Judge and construct arguments, raise questions and define problems. Make a conclusion based on evidence.

Intercultural competence

Intercultural competence

Understand real and imaginary similarities and differences. Use more than one perspective to view issues.

Ethical citizenship

Ethical citizenship

Examine and embrace your strengths, passions and values. Develop ethical convictions and act on them.

Distinctions

• The MJMC department is in Old Main (built 1889; remodeled 2013). Journalism and communication students take classes in Old Main’s multimedia Mac lab; student media are clustered together on the same floor, with dedicated spaces for The Observer and WAUG.

• With two daily newspapers, four TV network affiliates and a PBS station, the Quad Cities is an ideal setting for MJMC internships. In this medium-sized media market, students have opportunities they would not get in a larger market—including covering presidential visits, hosting local TV programs, and writing front-page news stories.

• The Quad Cities’ proximity to Chicago also allows for internships in metropolitan areas. Recently, students have covered the Stanley Cup for WGN Radio, interned with Telemundo Chicago WSNS-TV, and coordinated celebrity visits for The Silverman Group.

Recent graduates

Jacob Washington '21 is a digital content producer at KWQC-TV6 in Davenport, Iowa.

Madison Williams ’20 is pursuing a master's in journalism at Northwestern University.

Montserrat Ricossa '19 is the 11 a.m. anchor at Telemundo Wisconsin (WDJT-TV 58) in Milwaukee.

Benjamin Payne ’17 is the Savannah-based reporter for Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB).

Sam Dunklau '17 is the capitol bureau chief at WITF, Inc., in Harrisburg, Pa.

Tawanda Mberikwazvo ’17 is a multimedia professional and instructional designer with DIS-Visual Services at John Deere, Moline, Ill.

Ryan Silvola ’16 is the marketing and communications coordinator at Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials.

Sarah Ritter ’15 is a reporter for The Kansas City Star.

James Stratton '13 is chief investigative reporter and fill-in anchor at KCCI-TV, CBS affiliate in Des Moines, Iowa.

Natalie Spahn
More Than I Imagined Natalie Spahn
“My sophomore year I joined the Observer, and within four months they asked me to cover the Women’s March on Washington.”
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Montserrat Ricossa
More Than I Imagined Montserrat Ricossa
“I’m a full-time reporter at KWQC, one of my dream jobs — and before I even graduated! ”
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Ryan Jenkins
More Than I Imagined Ryan Jenkins
“I lived in New York City and interned with a national news program at CBS News.”
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Pearce retiring from WVIK; reception Oct. 25

Jay Pearce, chief executive officer and general manager of Quad Cities NPR affiliate WVIK, will retire Oct. 28 after 11 years at the station.

Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award winners announced

Kaitlin Jacobson's poem "crooked smile"” won the 23rd annual Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award at Augustana.

Dr. Carolyn Yaschur with students in multimedia class.

Five Questions: Dr. Carolyn Yaschur

The tools and platforms will continue to change. But, as Dr. Carolyn Yaschur explains in this Five Questions interview, journalism students who know how to adapt and tell a story will have their pick of careers.