Program Advisor Email: acm-pm@utsc.utoronto.ca
This program may be taken in fulfillment of the requirements of a four-year (20.0 credit) Honours Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree and requires four to five years to complete. In addition to completing the requirements for the Honours BA, students will also qualify for the Ontario Graduate Certificate in Contemporary Journalism from Centennial College.
Courses are taught at both U of T Scarborough and at the Centennial College Story Arts Centre (951 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto). Beginning in Summer 2026, all courses currently held at the Centennial College Story Arts Centre will be relocated to the Centennial College Progress Campus (941 Progress Avenue, Scarborough). Year 1 and Year 2 of the program are taught at UTSC. Centennial courses are taken during three consecutive college semesters starting in the Fall semester of Year 3 of the program, prior to returning to UTSC for a final semester of instruction in the Fall semester of Year 4 of the program. Students must be registered on a full-time basis while at Centennial College. The course work during the Centennial College portions of the program may include evenings and weekends. The Centennial College portions of the program also includes a 7-week, 35-hour field placement (JOUC25H3). The final semester prior to graduation will take place on the UTSC campus where students will complete the C- and D-level program requirements, including the D-level capstone course.
Guidelines for first-year course selection
Students intending to complete the program should include the following in their first-year course selection: JOUA01H3, JOUA02H3, MDSA10H3, and MDSA13H3. Students are encouraged to take other elective courses based on their academic interests.
Guidelines for computer and software selection
Students accepted in the Joint Program in Journalism are advised to purchase an industry standard laptop and obtain designated software and hardware.
- Computer: 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro capable of running the current version of Adobe software.
- Software: Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), 2010 or more recent version, and Adobe Photoshop (most recent version).
- For questions regarding camera equipment, please contact Karuna Ratnarajah, Academic Partnerships Coordinator at kratnarajah@centennialcollege.ca
The Journalism Study Guide, please visit the following website.
Enrolment Requirements
This program has limited enrolment. Students with a CGPA of 2.0 or above are able to apply after completing JOUA01H3, JOUA02H3, MDSA10H3 and MDSA13H3.
Students must maintain a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 2.0 or higher to remain in the program.
Program Requirements
This program requires the completion of at least 14.0 credits, as indicated below:
1. First Year (2.0 credits):
Introductory Journalism Courses (1.0 credit)
JOUA01H3 Introduction to Journalism and News Literacy I
JOUA02H3 Introduction to Journalism II
Media Studies Courses (1.0 credit)
MDSA10H3 Media Foundations
MDSA13H3 Media History
Note: Courses for Year 1 of the program are taught on the UTSC Campus.
2. Second Year (2.5 credits):
Journalism Core Courses
JOUB01H3 Covering Immigration and Transnational Issues
JOUB02H3 Critical Journalism
JOUB24H3 Journalism in the Age of Digital Media
JOUB39H3 Fundamentals of Journalistic Writing
0.5 credits from the following:
(MDSB05H3)/MDSB32H3 Media and Globalization
or
(MDSB25H3) Political Economy of Media
JOUB21H3 Witnessing and Bearing Witness
Note: Courses for Year 2 of the program are taught on the UTSC Campus.
3. Third Year (6.5 credits): Note that students are required to be on full-time status while they are taking courses at Centennial College
Journalism Application Courses
(a) Centennial College Group 1 (2.5 credits)
*JOUA06H3 Contemporary Issues in Law and Ethics
*JOUB11H3 News Reporting
*JOUB14H3 Mobile Journalism
*JOUB18H3 Visual Storytelling: Photography and Videography
*JOUB19H3 Data Management and Presentation
*A minimum grade of 60% is required in these courses to pass and maintain standing in the program.
Note: students will be eligible to enrol in Centennial College Group 1 courses after successfully completing at least 10.0 credits at the University of Toronto Scarborough (or obtaining permission of the Program Director), including JOUA01H3, JOUA02H3, (MDSA01H3)/MDSA10H3, JOUB01H3, JOUB02H3, JOUB24H3, JOUB39H3.
(b) Centennial College Group 2 (2.5 credits)
*JOUB20H3 Interactive: Data and Analytics
*JOUC18H3 Storyworks
*JOUC19H3 Social Media and Mobile Storytelling
*JOUC21H3 Podcasting
*JOUC22H3 Advanced Video and Documentary Storytelling
*A minimum grade of 60% is required in these courses to pass and maintain standing in the program.
Note: students will be eligible to enrol in Centennial College Group 2 courses after successfully completing the courses from Centennial College Group 1 above.
Advanced Journalism Application Courses
(c) Centennial College Group 3, Summer Semester (1.5 credits)
*JOUB03H3 Business of Journalism
*JOUC13H3 Entrepreneurial Reporting
*JOUC25H3 Field Placement
*A minimum grade of 60% is required in these courses to pass and maintain standing in the program.
Notes:
- Students will be eligible to enrol in Centennial College Group 3 courses after successfully completing the courses from Centennial College Group 2 above.
- Courses for Year 3 of the program are taught at the Centennial College Story Arts Centre (951 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto). Beginning in Summer 2026, all courses currently held at the Centennial College Story Arts Centre will be relocated to the Centennial College Progress Campus (941 Progress Avenue, Scarborough).
- Students are advised not to enrol in UTSC courses during the same term they are taking courses at Centennial College.
4. Fourth Year (3.0 credits):
Senior Journalism Studies Courses
* 2.5 credits at the C- or D-level in MDS or JOU courses, of which at least 0.5 credit must be at the D-level.
* JOUD10H3 Senior Seminar in Journalism
Note: courses for Year 4 of the program are taught on the UTSC campus
