Palomar Journalism Department’s Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Do you have a student newspaper or magazine?

Answer:  Yes! The Telescope newspaper has been reporting and writing on campus happenings since 1947. We are a student-run newspaper that doesn’t receive any money from the school so we can be an independent observer of the news. We no longer publish a physical newspaper but have an active website and social media presence. We no longer sell advertising. Our Telescope website features breaking news, features and multimedia projects including podcasts and videos.

We also have two campus magazines that focuses on student culture. Impact Magazine comes out each Spring. While the smaller and newer zine Focus, is published in the Fall.

Question: If I want to write for the campus newspaper or magazine, what do I have to do?

Answer: To write for any publication, you must take Journalism 105 which is offered both in the Fall and Spring semester. There is no pre-requisite for this course.

We recommend you start by taking Journalism 101: Introduction to News Writing. That is a three-unit course, available online and on the San Marcos campus, that trains you on how to write for a newspaper. But this class doesn’t allow you to write for the campus publication. You can take Journalism 105 at the same time.

To write for the newspaper or magazine you have two choices.

1. Cooperative Education 100 – This is a 2-unit lab where you attend one orientation at the beginning of the semester and then write 10 stories (or photos or graphics) for The Telescope on your own time. You can work in our newsroom but you are not required to. You really set your own schedule and pick the kind of stories you want to write about. We correspond with you mostly via phone and email although we love it when people in this class come in and hang out with us. Estimated time it would take a week (6 hours)
2. Journalism 105. This is The Telescope class and it meets in person twice a week. This course requires 10 projects that generate content for the newspaper and website. Estimated hours per week (6-9 hours, including class time.)

Question: How can I take photographs for the newspaper?

Answer: Take Photo 140, where you learn the fundamentals of photojournalism and take photos for the magazine and newspaper, covering everything from features to sports and news. It is offered every other Fall semester. Email Professor Scott Klinger at sklinger@palomar.edu for its planned offering.

Question: I love to write. What careers can I use this skill in?

Answer: Learning to be a good writer can help you in any field. In Journalism, it leads to careers in online journalism, newspaper writing, public relations, broadcast news writing and advertising. We have also had alumni use our degree to head toward careers in book publishing and law.

 Question: How long does it take to earn a degree in Journalism?

Answer: Careers in journalism require a bachelor’s degree. The recommended path for a student is to take the state’s Journalism Transfer Degree pathway, which takes 2-3 years depending on how many courses a student can take each Fall and Spring, and whether they have time to enroll in summer courses. If students already have a bachelor’s degree, the Multimedia Journalism certificate will take one year.

Question: What careers can you go into with a degree in Journalism?

Answer: Our graduates are trained to work in the following fields:

• Newspapers/Media
• Social Media/Content Creation
• Public Relations
• General Editing
• Magazines
• Television News
• Public Relations
• Advertising
• Newsletters
• And more …