Published on February 2, 2015 by Sean Flynt  
JMC students at computer

Samford University’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) has earned impressive honors in a new ranking of national journalism education programs. Samford debuted at number 43 out of the 187 programs ranked by the College Factual website.

The site, which provides rankings and other customized information to help students find the college most likely to lead to their future success, also revealed that Samford’s journalism program is:

• A top-25 “major value” in journalism education nationally.
• The top journalism program in Alabama.
• One of the top journalism programs among U.S. private universities.
• One of the top journalism programs in the South

“This recognition quantifies the outstanding education being provided to Samford journalism and mass communication students,” said JMC chair Bernie Ankney. “What this ranking shows is that Samford has a terrific journalism and mass communication program and that students graduate, get good jobs and earn solid salaries. I would match our curriculum, our internship program and student media with any program in the country.”

Samford JMC currently offers tracks in magazine and print journalism, broadcast journalism, public relations and advertising. It also offers course work in photojournalism, social media and sports media, and houses Samford’s film production minor.

Samford’s College Factual honors come as the South’s oldest journalism program celebrates the centennial of its 1915 founding by pioneering journalism educator Jasper “Jack” Hutto. The intervening century of Samford journalism yielded outstanding alumni in a variety of professions, including Timothy Sumner Robinson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and editor at The Washington Post. Samford and The Post now collaborate to bring celebrated columnists to the campus and send a student intern to the newspaper as the annual Timothy Sumner Robinson Fellow.

The Robinson Fellowship reflects the Samford program’s strong emphasis on hands-on experience and internships as an essential part of journalism education. “When a student graduates from Samford JMC, it is likely that he or she has worked for our student media for three or four years and completed multiple internships,” Ankney said.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.