Bachelor of Arts in Bilingual Spanish Journalism

The Bilingual Spanish Journalism degree prepares students to work in multiple markets that serve Latinx communities. It values and reinforces their cultural and language heritage by giving them tools and skills to report, investigate, produce and write news stories in Spanish and English for print, online and electronic media. Students take classes in the Spanish, International Relations, Latino/Latina Studies, BECA and Journalism departments so that they understand the complexity of the Latino/Latina community in the United States and the rest of the Spanish-speaking world. By having a degree in bilingual Spanish journalism graduates will be attractive to bilingual publications, mainstream Latinx media, and English language publications covering issues affecting Latino/Latina communities.

Entering students must be proficient in speaking and writing Spanish. Applicants are required to take an online writing test provided through iLearn and based on the current Spanish program placement test.

Program Learning Outcomes

  1. Apply the United States principles and laws of freedom of speech and press to all aspects of story production.
  2. Produce stories that demonstrate a critical understanding of the contextual factors that shape journalism in a diverse, globalized media landscape.
  3. Produce stories showing the diversity of peoples and cultures and of the significance and impact of journalism in a global society.
  4. Use technology appropriate to publishing mediums.
  5. Produce stories that are clear and concise and engage the audience’s attention.
  6. Apply ethical guidelines to the story production process.
  7. Conduct research and evaluate information by journalistic standards.
  8. Critically evaluate work for accuracy and fairness, clarity, appropriate style and grammatical correctness.
  9. Apply basic numerical and statistical concepts to stories when appropriate.

Bilingual Spanish Journalism (B.A) — minimum 46 units

Core (34 units)

BECA 560Radio and Television News Writing3
JOUR/SPAN 223Bilingual English and Spanish Newswriting3
JOUR/SPAN 224Newswriting Lab in Spanish1
JOUR 226Introduction to Multimedia Journalism3
JOUR 300GWReporting - GWAR3
JOUR 307News Media Law3
JOUR 310Journalism Ethics3
JOUR/SPAN 323Editing and Translation for Bilingual Spanish Journalism3
JOUR 575Community Media3
SPAN 215Spanish for Heritage Speakers3
SPAN 301Advanced Grammar3
SPAN 305Advanced Composition3

Electives (6 units)

Journalism Guided Electives
Photojournalism I: Foundations of Photojournalism
Photojournalism II: Staff Photojournalism
Online Journalism
Video Journalism
Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts Guided Electives
TV Studio Basics
News Reporting for Television

Practicum (3 units)

JOUR 617Advanced Journalism Internship3

Capstone (3-4 units)

Select one:

BECA 660Television Center News4
JOUR 609Newspaper Publication Laboratory3

Complementary Studies

Required of all candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Bilingual Spanish Journalism are 12 units of Complementary Studies, which must come from courses bearing a prefix other than JOUR, and not cross-listed with JOUR. Complementary Studies courses must come from the following course list and include at least 6 units of SPAN.

I R/C J 306Crisis in Central America: U.S. Policy and the Root Causes of Chaos4
I R/PLSI 322Policy Analysis: The Latin American Cases4
I R/PLSI/C J 362The Making of US Foreign Policy4
I R 453Women and Media in International Relations4
I R/PLSI 459Refugees in Global Perspective4
I R 734International Migration3
LTNS/HIST 278History of Latinos in the U.S.3
LTNS 2863
LTNS 315Latina/os in California3
LTNS 430/C J 435Race, Crime, and Justice3
LTNS 460Central Americans of the U.S.: History and Heritage3
LTNS 465Mexican American and Chicana/x/o History3
LTNS 467Caribbeans in the U.S.: History and Heritage3
LTNS 470Latina/o Immigration to the U.S.3
LTNS/C J 485Latina/o Youth, Crime, and Justice3
SPAN 305Advanced Composition3
SPAN 306Advanced Reading and Conversation3
SPAN 350Introduction to Translation (Spanish to English)3
SPAN 371GWHistory and Development of the Spanish Language - GWAR3
SPAN 401Culture and Civilization of Spain3
SPAN 405Culture and Civilization of Spanish America3
SPAN 880Seminar in Individual Authors or Works3
SPAN 868Contemporary Literature from a Transatlantic Approach3

First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)

  1. The roadmaps presented in this Bulletin are intended as suggested plans of study and do not replace meeting with an advisor. For a more personalized roadmap, please use the Degree Planner tool found in your Student Center.
  2. In order to choose your English Composition A2 course and your QR/Math B4 course, please complete the online advising activities at writingadvising.sfsu.edu and mathadvising.sfsu.edu. Questions? Contact Gator Smart Start.

First-Time Student Roadmap

General Advising Information for Transfer Students

  1. Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
  2. The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
    • a course in U.S. History
    • a course in U.S. & California Government

For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:

  • Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower-division major requirements for this major;
  • Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government requirements.

Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 semester units/90 quarter units required for admission.

Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper-division transfer (for example, if a course was not passed on the first attempt or was taken to earn a better grade).

Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower-division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.

Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.

Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division General Education in Areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.

Transferring From Institutions Other Than CCCs or CSUs

Review SF State's lower-division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet A1, A2, A3, and B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower-division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.

Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the A3 requirement, please visit bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.

Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.

All Students Must Meet the Transfer Eligibility Requirements Outlined Below for Admission.

For more information, visit the Undergraduate Admissions section.

  • Complete 60 or more transferable semester units or 90 or more quarter units.
  • Earn a college grade point average of 2.0 or better in all transferable courses. Non-local area residents may be held to a higher GPA standard.
  • Be in good standing at the last college or university attended.
  • Complete 30-semester units (45-quarter units) of General Education, including four basic skills courses:
    1. One course in oral communication (same as CSU GE Area A1)
    2. One course in written composition (same as CSU GE Area A2)
    3. One course in critical thinking (same as CSU GE Area A3)
    4. One course in mathematics or quantitative reasoning (same as CSU GE Area B4)
  • The four basic skills courses and a minimum of 60 transferable semester units (90-quarter units) must be completed by the spring semester prior to fall admission, or by the fall semester prior to spring admission. Earn a C- or better grade in each basic skills course.