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TWU offers new journalism minor with UNT collaboration

By: Katie Olson, Editor-in-Chief

Spring 2016, students studying English at TWU will have the option to minor in journalism through UNT’s Mayborn School of Journalism. According to the English, Speech and Foreign Language program materials online, students enrolled in the English program will take their major courses at TWU while attending journalism classes at UNT. Professor and Chair of ESFL Dr. Genevieve West explains that the partnership will offer a new route for English students who want to pursue a different career path other than teaching or graduate studies.

West explained: “A English major builds a tremendous skill set that is applicable to all kinds of disciplines. The explosion of digital careers, I think,  has made it more obvious that people need good writing skills in a whole variety of  employment situations.”

Students can minor in the following concentrations through the Mayborn program: broadcast, news writing and editing, photojournalism, advertising, and public relations. West believes that, with skills, such as critical thinking and persuasion arguments learned in TWU’s English program, combined with the journalism minor, gives students the opportunity to think outside the box in terms of employment.

West shared: “In addition to being able to think about an audience on a college campus, they’re able to think about a public relations audience or a newspaper audience and how to write for and meet the needs of people in those industries.”

The ESFL Department hopes that the students enrolled in the minor will be able to combine their skills learned in the English program with career specific courses that can help students meet the needs of these various industries.

West said: “What we’re hoping that the Mayborn is going to do is allow students to take those excellent skills that they’re already learning as an English major and take some career specific courses that will help them advance their career goals.”

Students dual enrolled at TWU and UNT as transient students will receive their financial aid from TWU. Students must speak with the TWU Financial Aid Office and the Office of the Registrar to ensure credit hours from UNT will count towards their enrolled hours. Students interested in journalism should contact professor and Mayborn Program coordinator Dr. Ashley Bender to begin enrollment this Fall. West elaborates that this partnership was two years in the making and will be of great benefit to students in the English Department.

West concluded: “We are really fortunate to have such a terrific opportunity for our students, and even though it was a long process getting here, there were so many people involved both at TWU and UNT.”

For more information please go to the ESFL web page at twu.edu. 

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