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Journalism

Earn an Associate Degree in Journalism

Turn your passion for writing and curiosity about world events into a fulfilling career. Earn a journalism associate degree at Aims and become a professional with marketable skills in a fascinating and fast-paced industry.

Learn how to write clearly and concisely, craft eye-catching headlines, proofread your work and find unbiased information sources. Discover how to effectively work with people to develop story ideas, conduct interviews and collaborate with colleagues. With small class sizes, you’ll experience a learning environment that fosters critical thinking and collaboration. 

The Aims journalism associate degree program offers two degree tracks designed to help you meet your educational and career goals: 

  1. If you plan to continue on to earn a bachelor’s degree at a participating public four-year Colorado school, you can choose the journalism Associate of Arts (A.A.) liberal arts degree with designation.
  2. Alternatively, you can pursue a journalism Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree and enter the workforce directly after completing this two-year program. 
     

Write Your Future With Your Passion for News and Storytelling

Aims Degree Video - Communication Media - Journalism

Professor Jim Crandall shares how the Aims journalism degree program combines a passion for writing with training that prepares students for work in this dynamic field.

Gain News Reporting and Writing Skills with a Journalism Degree

Journalism plays a vital role in society by informing people about issues affecting their communities and the world beyond. In a competitive media landscape, journalists need to capture and engage attention with storytelling that informs and inspires. Those stories also need to be based on reliable sources by doing research and interviewing people.

While earning an associate degree in journalism, you’ll gain industry knowledge and build valuable skills, including: 

  • Understanding the historical and cultural role of the media in society
  • News writing, reporting and interviewing
  • How to conduct research to find and verify information sources
  • Photojournalism
  • Using your creativity to write compelling headlines and stories

After studying these fundamentals, apply your learning during an in-depth journalism internship on a subject you’re eager to explore. A skilled and experienced instructor will guide you with structure and feedback from start to finish. 

In addition to these core classes, round out your journalism associate degree program with electives in related subjects. Choose from topics like multimedia production and audio and video storytelling to give you a competitive edge for working in digital media.

A student who gets a degree in journalism from Aims is probably going to start out as a cub reporter at a small newspaper or possibly a small TV station. If they work hard and they're still passionate about it, they can move up very quickly.
--Jim Crandall, Chair of the Communication Media Department

Learn News Writing and Editing with a Journalism Certificate

This two-semester Journalism Certificate program teaches essential journalism communication skills. Learn how to write like a journalist in just six credit hours.

  • Journalism Certificate

Launch your Career in Journalism 

The media industry is rapidly changing, but the demand for information and engaging content remains high. Journalists work at newspapers, magazines and digital outlets that also offer video and podcast news stories. Radio and television stations hire journalists to write, edit and produce content. Learning how to think critically, conduct thorough research and communicate clearly applies to work in many other fields besides the media.

Examples of journalism jobs include:

  • Investigative reporter for print and digital media
  • Newspaper or magazine feature writer
  • TV or radio writer
  • News editor
  • Fact checker
  • Blogger or video blogger (vlogger)
$55,238 Median salary w/associate Source: salary.com

Journalism Faculty and Staff

Learn to report, write and edit from experienced faculty trained to guide you on the journey to earn an associate degree in journalism. Smaller class sizes mean you’ll work collaboratively with opportunities for more personalized instruction.

  • Headshot of Jim Crandall

    James Crandall

    Part-Time: Faculty, Communication Media