You've chosen a great school and a great major, if we do say so ourselves. 

At the J-School, our students pride themselves on learning by doing. That means that starting with some of your first classes, you won't just learn about journalism and media, you'll actually do it. 

Below are some resources and inspiration to get you ready for your first semester at the School of Journalism at the University of Montana.

Also: Did you know as an incoming journalism student, you can apply for scholarships? The Director's Scholarship, for one, offers up to $5,000 for your first year. Click here for more information and to apply.

Welcome to the J-School, Where We Learn By Doing

Browse Courses

You'll start with the basics like Media History and Literacy, Elements of News Writing, Beginning Visual Journalism and Reporting while you get a good grounding in your courses outside of the J-School. Then, you'll dive into courses that give you skills in video production, design, photography and multimedia, editing, online journalism, social media and ethics, trends and media law. 

Follow Student Projects

Take some time and get inspired with the projects your soon-to-be colleagues are working on, like Native News, the UM Legislative News Service, the student documentary, Montana Journalism Abroad, UM News and other capstones. Student projects are where you'll learn to work as a team, make life-long friends and build an impressive portfolio that will make you stand out when you graduate.

Scope Out Housing

Check out the UM Housing website for information on applications, important dates and you can even take virtual tours of the residence halls and campus and explore your options if you plan on living off campus. 

Follow @umjschool

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the J-School and the students and faculty who make the magic by following the school on Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat: @umjschool. There, you'll find school news, student and professor profiles and see what things will look like when you get here. 

Get Acquainted With Campus

You have some options for new student orientation. Check out the orientation page for more information.

See What's Next

More than 94% of our alumni land work after graduation. See what you can do with your degree by hearing from some of our grads who are working in newsrooms across the country or using their communication and media skills to become leaders in other sectors like business, education, politics, law and just about everywhere else.