An analysis of articulation problems between two-year and four-year journalism and mass communication programs

Abstract

<p>The investigation was designed to describe current journalism education practices in Iowa's 15 community colleges and to identify the main obstacles to transfer between community college journalism programs and departments of journalism at four-year institutions;Data were obtained through the use of a questionnaire survey and through case studies of journalism/mass communication programs at three Iowa community colleges that offered journalism courses;Articulation agreements in other states were explored as possible solutions to the problems Iowa students faced when they attempted to transfer journalism credits toward a journalism major at four-year institutions;Conclusions. If coordination between two-year and four-year journalism programs is to exist, a set of standards for community college journalism must be established in cooperation with the senior institutions. Research showed that no organized attempt at this had been made in Iowa;The study indicated that the community college practice of granting academic credit to students for working on the school newspaper was one of the greatest barriers to the transfer of journalism credits.</p>