Mission Statement

San José State University is a major, comprehensive public university located in the center of San José and in the heart of Silicon Valley. SJSU is the oldest state university in California. In 1936, The School of Journalism and Mass Communications was founded by a dynamic visionary, Dr. Dwight Bentel who established at SJSU a comprehensive west coast journalism program where graduates could always successfully compete with any college or major university student in the nation. The JMC School has been nationally accredited since 1957 by the Association of Educators in Journalism and Mass Communications (AEJMC). Its rigorous standards ensure the top academic programs prioritize and maintain the highest standards for ethical and responsible media instruction. For eight decades JMC School graduates have consistently become leaders and ground-breakers in traditional, online, new media and social media communications. Faculty and students work collaboratively with media industry partners Hewlett-Packard, Adobe, Apple, Google, and other emerging Silicon Valley and California businesses focused on top quality 21st century media products and services. JMC School graduates now dominate the local and regional professional media workforce and provide new ideas, innovative approaches and exciting new perspectives from a wide range of diverse cultural communities.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications embraces the innovative spirit of Silicon Valley, emphasizing cultural and intellectual diversity, the First Amendment, and the free flow of ideas. The School prepares students to excel in advertising, journalism, and public relations by teaching professional skills and advanced information technologies, by developing the capacity for critical and original thinking and fostering creativity and a passion for communications. We further this mission with our commitment to diversity. The School of Journalism and Mass Communications prepares future media professionals in all forms of global communications for responsible outreach and inclusion of all people. We respectfully identify and address, in a timely, fair and truthful way, issues of race and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious cultures and disability in our nation and global community.

Here’s how:

• We hire faculty from diverse communities who exemplify socially conscious and inclusive role models.
• We enroll students of all ages and economic and cultural backgrounds and encourage them to voice their opinions, share their experiences, educate others, learn from their peers, and support diversity in both their academic and future professional careers.
• We update our curriculum regularly to ensure relevancy and sensitivity.
• We explore innovative and ethical uses of new technology to broaden the public scope of diversity in our community and the world.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications has four overarching Program Learning Objectives (PLOs) for all students in all classes.

They are:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the diversity of groups in a global society in relationship to communications.
2. Demonstrate the ability to think critically, creatively and independently.
3. Write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the communications professions, audiences, and purposes they serve.
4. Demonstrate the ability to use tools and technologies appropriate for the communications professions in which they work.

• Ethical and socially responsible practice
• Professionalism
• Inclusion
• Incorporation of advanced multimedia technologies
• Personal development