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Majors & Minors
Journalism / Law Degree 3+3
PROGRAM OVERVIEW The journalism/law 3+3 program allows students to complete virtually all journalism and mass communication (SJMC) requirements in the first 3 years, including requirements for a specific undergraduate journalism sequence. If admitted to the Law School, the student then counts Law School courses taken in the fourth year as the area of concentration required of all journalism majors. The fourth year also constitutes the student's first year in Drake University Law School.
Admission to the 3+3 program is by application to the dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Because of the rigorous nature of the program and the tight scheduling involved, admission is limited to exceptional and highly motivated students. Students may apply to the program during their first semester on campus.
GRADUATE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS Students who have met all requirements specified above, and who gain admission to the Law School, may start law school during their fourth year of enrollment. Once a student has successfully completed law school courses necessary to fulfill the required 124 hours of coursework for the bachelor's degree, the bachelor's degree will be awarded. A student may withdraw from the journalism/3+3 law program at any time and complete his/her undergraduate study for the bachelor's degree.
FACULTY SJMC faculty are experienced professionals and leading academicians. The Drake Law School faculty include experts in several fields of law, distinguished scholars and outstanding teachers.
ACADEMIC PREPARATION No specific courses are required for admission. Students are encouraged to take writing and college preparatory courses while in high school.
DRAKE CURRICULUM The Drake Curriculum, required of all undergraduates, is designed to help students meet personal and professional goals as they acquire fundamental knowledge and abilities in ten Areas of Inquiry, including communication, critical thinking, artistic experience, historical consciousness, information and technology literacy, international and multicultural experiences, scientific and quantitative literacy, values and ethics and engaged citizenship. Students work closely with their academic advisers to craft a program of study in general education that prepares students for civic and professional leadership.
The Drake Curriculum also requires first-year seminars, which foster development of critical thinking and written and oral communication skills through a topical focus; and a Senior Capstone, in which students demonstrate the capacity to bring information, skills and ideas to bear on one project.
INTERNSHIPS AND OPPORTUNITIES A number of organizations, including the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the Society of Professional Journalists, offer nationally competitive internships in areas of media law, press freedom and freedom of information for which 3+3 students would be well prepared. In the Drake University Law School, several student organizations, including a Communications Law Society, provide opportunities for further exploration of the issues relating to media law.
CAREER OPTIONS Graduates are prepared to work professionally in the journalism and/or law fields.
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS AND ACTIVITIES Undergraduates have the opportunity to work with several media including The Times-Delphic, Drake's student-run campus newspaper, and Drake Magazine, a student-run publication. These publications have won numerous awards. Students also can work for the Drake Broadcasting System, or join Drake's chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists, Ad Pros and Public Relations Student Society of America.