For seven decades, the University of Arizona's journalism programs have been preparing students to cover complex events and issues wherever they occur—locally, nationally or internationally. In the School's state-of-the-art computer labs, broadcast and podcast studios, as well as seminar rooms, students not only develop and refine their journalistic skills but also work on stories that are published in local news outlets. Alongside this hands-on experience, they engage in critical study of the political, economic, legal and ethical challenges journalists face in today's global information age, ensuring they are equipped to navigate the rapidly evolving media landscape with integrity and insight.
Department Roots
Former journalism student Steve Elliott (left) receives his pen in the Mark Finley Newswriting Competition from Professors Bick Lewis (center) and Phil Mangelsdorf.
The School of Journalism — originally known as the Department of Journalism — officially began operations in January 1951, with Douglas D. Martin serving as its first head. Prior to achieving departmental status, journalism courses were part of the Department of English curriculum. Martin, a Pulitzer Prize winner with the Detroit Free Press, set the foundation for the department’s success.
In 1964, the department received accreditation for the first time, a distinction it has maintained ever since, ensuring that it meets the highest national standards for teaching, research, and service. Today, the University of Arizona's journalism program is one of just 120 accredited programs in the United States — a recognition that underscores our longstanding commitment to excellence in preparing the next generation of journalists.
Community Journalism
The department significantly expanded its curriculum in the 1970s when it established a professional master’s degree program and started several real-world news media. Donald W. Carson created the department’s Community News Service in 1973, enabling students to cover statewide stories for small news outlets — a practice that continued as Arizona Sonora News.
Mangelsdorf and George Ridge, the program’s fifth head, were responsible for bringing the historic Tombstone Epitaph to the UA in 1975, giving students the chance to publish a community newspaper. A year later, Jacqueline E. Sharkey founded El Independiente, the only bilingual newspaper in the country produced by journalism students for a community on a regular basis. In 2012, the publication moved from a newspaper to a magazine format and shortened the name to El Inde in late 2019. The publication then moved to a digital platform as a webzine, or e-zine.
Changes in classroom technology mirrored the changes in the journalism industry. The hum from video display terminals replaced the banging of typewriter keys in 1971. And by the mid-1980s, students working on the school’s community newspapers reveled in the new typesetting system. In 1979, the department moved into new quarters in the renovated basement of the Selim Franklin Building, which provided more space for instructional laboratories.
In 2023, the School of Journalism took a major step forward with the launch of our Broadcast-Podcast Studio. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology found in many top-tier newsrooms, the studio includes cameras, monitors, switchboards, lighting units, podcast-friendly microphones and a master control room. This new resource empowers students to create high-quality broadcast and podcast content while developing the technical skills necessary for success in today’s fast-evolving media landscape. In 2026, the School launched a crowdfunding campaign in celebration of its 75th anniversary to raise funds for updated camera and audio equipment that further supports hands-on learning and student productions.
Closure Threat
The program encountered its biggest challenge to date in 1994-96, when University administrators threatened it with closure. The number of faculty and students had declined during those years. The threat passed, thanks to more than 1,000 students, alumni, news executives and community leaders, who defended the program. The department began to rebuild, but losses were suffered due to the months-long battle. Student enrollment dropped to a low of about 180 undergraduates. A university-wide hiring freeze compounded by a spate of retirements took the faculty size to just four full-timers at its lowest point.
Faculty suspended admission to the graduate program to be able to serve the undergraduate students and to create a new graduate curriculum. Student enrollment climbed and new faculty were hired.
In 2004, the program moved into the $17 million Louise Foucar Marshall Building, a space complete with classrooms and labs capable of handling the future needs of a department full of teaching and research faculty, plus hundreds of students working across media platforms.
Growth and Change
After this, the School’s enrollment and faculty grew. The faculty included the leader of a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation, a New York Times bestselling author, the former chief international correspondent for The Associated Press and the winner of top awards from Investigative Reporters and Editors and the Society of Professional Journalists for international reporting.
Two faculty members were named national Journalism Teacher of the Year, an award sponsored by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
The graduate program welcomed its first class back in 2008, offering the master of arts in journalism as well as dual degrees with five other programs on campus. That same year the department became the School of Journalism.
Broadcast student Hector Ponce
Photo by Simon Asher
In Spring 2021, the School launched an online Studies on Global Media program with the support of the University of Arizona Online. In Fall 2021, we launched the Bilingual Journalism M.A., a cutting-edge program that offers professional and academic training for students who want to report about and/or for Latinx communities in the United States and abroad. It is one of the only fully bilingual programs in the country. Graduates acquire a robust set of skills in both Spanish and English that translate into a significant, competitive edge in the workplace. The School is also home to the Center for Border & Global Journalism, which received reauthorization as an academic research center in 2026.
Currently, the School offers innovative interdisciplinary programs that enable undergraduate and graduate students to focus on areas of crucial importance: global and border journalism, science and environmental journalism and sports journalism.
In 2026, the School completed an ambitious strategic planning process. As the School celebrates its 75th anniversary, we look forward to carrying our rich legacy forward into a bright future.