Journalism
Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) Journalism · Santa Barbara City College · 2026-2027 Catalog
The profession of journalism has undergone a seismic shift—and the Santa Barbara City College Journalism Program is a leader at the two-year level in preparing students for a changing and exciting future.
Newspapers, formally a print-only medium, have transitioned to the Web, where readership is growing rapidly. Broadcast journalism has also moved online, allowing for more immediate reporting, faster news cycles and public interaction. A pervasive Internet and low-cost mobile devices have exponentially increased the demand for up-to-date news and led to a new class of journalist able to tell stories through hypertext, images, video and sound.
SBCC journalism students learn by doing. Through the award-winning 24/7 site, TheChannels.org, students produce articles in traditional news formats and in the feature and opinion genres. Additionally, they combine photojournalism and video-journalism to create works suitable for viewing on mobile devices. Our students become proficient at leveraging the awesome power of social media to promote their work throughout campus, the community—and the world.
The Journalism Department coordinates its classes and curriculum with English, photography, film and television production, multimedia and graphic design. We welcome majors in those areas who want to work on visual journalism, documentary or non-fiction creative writing projects. Theory courses round out a curriculum that prepares students to transfer and begin their path toward become professional journalists committed to truth-telling, ethical practice and creative craftsmanship.
The Associate in Arts for Transfer degree in Journalism provides students with the foundational knowledge necessary to make a successful transition into a Baccalaureate Degree at any of the CSU campuses. The Associate Degree for Transfer (AA-T or AS-T) is a special degree offered at California Community Colleges. Students who earn an AA-T or AS-T degree are guaranteed admission to a campus within the California State University (CSU) system in a similar major, although not necessarily to a specific campus. Students who complete an AA-T or AS-T are given priority consideration when applying to a particular program that is similar to the student’s community college major, and will be given a special GPA advantage when applying to CSU impacted campuses or majors.
Students should consult with an academic counselor when choosing electives in order to develop a program of study that is best suited to their specific needs. For example, requirements for the baccalaureate degree in Journalism and related majors vary from one institution to another. It is, therefore, essential to become familiar with the requirements of the institution that a student plans to attend.
Visit https://adegreewithaguarantee.com/ for more information about these degrees.
Requirements
Associate Degree for Transfer Graduation Requirements
Complete all of the following:
- All Major Requirements listed below with a “C” or better or "P" in each course.
- Cal-GETC pattern.
- At least 60 CSU transferable semester units.
- Achieve a minimum GPA of 2.0 in all CSU transferable coursework.
- A minimum of 12 units through SBCC.
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | ||
| Required Core | ||
| COMM 171 | Mass Media and Society | 3 |
| orJOUR 200 | Contemporary News Media and Society | |
| JOUR 101 | Reporting/Writing I | 3 |
| JOUR 121 | The Channels: Reporting/Writing | 3 |
| List A - Complete one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| JOUR 122A | The Channels: Newswriting and Editing | |
| JOUR 135/MKT 135 | Public Relations | |
| JOUR 190/PHOT 190 | Photojournalism | |
| JOUR 250 | Introduction to Visual Communication | |
| List B - Complete two courses from the following: | 6-10 | |
| Any Cal-GETC courses from two different areas within 1A through 4 not taken in the Required Core | ||
| COMM 101 | Introduction to Communication | |
| COMM 235 | Argumentation and Debate | |
| ECON C2001 | Principles of Microeconomics | |
| orECON C2001H | Principles of Microeconomics - Honors | |
| ECON C2002 | Principles of Macroeconomics | |
| orECON C2002H | Principles of Macroeconomics - Honors | |
| ENG 103 | Critical Thinking and Reading | |
| orENG 111 | Critical Thinking and Composition Through Literature | |
| orENG 111H | Critical Thinking and Composition Through Literature, Honors | |
| orPHIL 111 | Critical Thinking and Writing in Philosophy | |
| ENGL C1001 | Critical Thinking and Writing | |
| FP 160 | Television Studio Production | |
| FP 165 | Television Field Production | |
| FP 175 | Film and Video Production I | |
| GDP 110 | Media Design | |
| GDP 111 | Introduction to Graphic Design | |
| JOUR 122B | The Channels: Editing and Publishing | |
| PHIL 205 | Introduction to Logic | |
| POLS 131 | Comparative Politics | |
| POLS C1000 | American Government and Politics | |
| STAT C1000 | Introduction to Statistics | |
| orPSY 150 | Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences | |
| orSOC 125 | Introduction to Statistics in Sociology | |
| Total Units | 18.00-23.00 | |
Students are advised to consult the CSU ADT Major & Campus Search database to determine which bachelor's degree programs offered by the CSU campuses are deemed similar to the AA-T in Journalism. Students are also advised to consult ASSIST (www.assist.org) and to meet with an academic counselor to discuss the best combination of courses to take for their AA-T to ensure they receive the admission benefits associated with it, and to meet the requirements of the transfer institution to which they are intending to transfer.
Learning Outcomes
- Develop and apply news judgment to select, report and produce publishable news projects.
- Practice standard reporting and newsgathering techniques across media platforms.
- Identify and employ the best medium by which to convey journalistic content.
- Develop journalistic content in multiple media forms.
- Identify and employ best practices of professional journalists: commitment to role of the free press in a participatory democracy; sound ethics; accuracy, fairness and context in all content.
Recommended Sequence
Make an appointment with your SBCC academic counselor through Starfish to create a Student Education Plan that reflects a recommended course sequence for this program that is tailored to your individual needs.
How to schedule an Academic Counseling appointment.