The entrance examination for admission to Journalism and Media Studies at UNLV is a requirement for all prospective majors and minors. The examination makes admission to the major competitive and assures both the faculty and the student body of basic competency in a number of areas before students are able to take higher level courses. There is no charge to take the examination.
Students who must take the examination…
- All prospective majors and minors who were not fully admitted to the program by Fall Semester, 2006
- All prospective majors and minors transferring in from other institutions, including community colleges and other NSHE schools
- All students seeking to change their UNLV majors or minors to Journalism and Media Studies
To be eligible to take the entrance examination, students must…
- Complete JOUR 100, 101 and 102 (or be in the last semester of completing these courses) with a grade in EACH of the courses of “B” or better (In very rare cases, JOUR 100 or JOUR 101 may be waived if the student completed similar courses elsewhere; but a petition for a waiver must be submitted and approved prior to taking the examination)
- Complete 16-18 credits of the UNLV General Education Core (including English 101 and 102, US and Nevada Constitutions, and six credits chosen from the General Education Core, with a cumulative UNLV GPA of 3.00 or better
Instructions…
- Download and fill out the registration form and bring the hard copy ( no electronic submissions!) to the Journalism School’s office in Greenspun Hall by the deadline for applications (typically, the 7th week of class in any semester). Applications may be downloaded from the navigation panel to the left, along with a study guide for the examination.
- Students must also submit, at the time of application, a 500-700 word essay (see instructions on the registration form)
- The examination will be administered online through WebCampus. If a student has not used WebCampus prior to the examination, it is the responsibility of that student to register with WebCampus before the date of the examination.
- Students may take the examination from any computer that has Internet access, including home, computer lab or library computers.
- Students will have 2 hours (within a twelve-hour window) to complete the examination and submit their answers. Students must complete the examination once they start; multiple logins to the examination are not allowed.
Scoring and notification…
- Every attempt will be made to score the examinations and notify students before registration begins for the following semester.
- Each applicant will be scored with a composite numerical score, indexed to the requirements of their catalog-year of matriculation. Essays will be used to make final acceptance determinations in cases of clustered scores.
- If a student is admitted following the examination, but subsequently receives a grade lower than a “B” in any pre-journalism core course (JOUR 100, 101, or 102), that student will be admitted provisionally. The student will have to re-take the course and earn a grade of “B” or better to remain a Journalism and Media Studies major or minor.