Sports and Adventure Media, BSJ
Sports and adventure media professionals are in the moment. They’re on the sidelines capturing game-day video or traveling across state lines for a travel blog, putting the audience right there with them.
They use the latest technologies to produce stories for web and social media or make advertising pitches to worldwide brands. They are camera operators who coordinate promotions or make edits from the production room. And they experience rock climbing, mountain biking, and rafting GoPro-style.
As a Sports and Adventure Media major, you’ll develop skills in storytelling, audience engagement, media ethics, audio and video production, writing, and marketing. You’ll be prepared to enter an ever-changing digital media landscape and stand out as a leader in the field.
Your Degree Plan
As a Sports and Adventure Media student, you will gain real-world, tangible experience through skills-based courses and access to modern facilities, the latest digital technology, and opportunities in audio and video production.
To graduate, all College of Media majors must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours. Sports and Adventure Media students complete:
- A media-focused first year seminar course
- General Education Foundations (GEF) courses like English, math, and science
- Additional courses outside of the major including statistics, economics, and sociology
- Core media courses including writing and ethics
- Required courses in Sports and Adventure Media
- Sports and Adventure Media electives of your choosing
- Elective courses of your choosing outside of the major
Podcast Reporting and Production
MDIA 325
Podcasting is a growing aspect of the media industry. In this course, students will learn how to report and produce a professional-level podcast through a class podcast series as well as through listening to and critiquing class assignments and professional podcasts.
Media Relations In Sport
JRL 361
Get an in-depth understanding of how effective public relations plays an integral role in any sports organization via a myriad of communication efforts used in the dissemination of information to the media and the public.
Live Sports Video Production
JRL 435
Master production and coverage of live sporting events, including television terminology, camera operation, live directing, live technical directing, digital signage execution and instant replay. Get real-world practice with more than 10 of WVU’s Division I sports.
Adventure Travel Writing and Photography
JRL 424
Learn how to engage an audience by curating content and video and producing and packaging this information in explainer and short social videos for a professional digital publication. In addition, students obtain first-hand experience producing mobile-first content.
Digital Publication: Social Video
JRL 448
Learn how to engage an audience by curating content and video and producing and packaging this information in explainer and short social videos for a professional digital publication. In addition, students obtain first-hand experience producing mobile-first content.
Advanced Sports Video Production
JRL 484
Go live on location at sports events, including WVU’s Division I games, and adventure events, like Bridge Day in Fayetteville, West Virginia, to create video packages for the student-run Mountaineer Playbook broadcast news program. This course focuses on in-the-field reporting, studio operations and producing.
Adventure Media
Sports Media
Honors
Expand your curiosity and enhance your curriculum through the WVU Honors College. Two programs are offered: Honors Foundations and Honors in Action.
The WVU Difference
What sets this program apart?
- Only known undergraduate major in the country to focus on sports and adventure media.
- Adventure WV program.
- Highly competitive D1 athletic program.
- Partnership with Big 12 Now on ESPN+ allows students to report from the sidelines and provide technical support on game day for ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox FS1, and SkyCam Tech.
- Robust student media with the award-winning Daily Athenaeum student newspaper and U92 student radio station.
- Funding available for study abroad and major market internships.
- On-campus facilities include the Media Innovation Center, University Forest, and Zip Line Canopy Tour.
- 1 of only 115 journalism/communication programs accredited worldwide by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.
- Purpose Center - Discover your values and strengths to guide your educational path and personal journey.
Learn by Doing
Get involved outside the classroom.
Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Picture yourself in front of an ESPN camera, reporting live from a Big 12 game in the Hope Coliseum or on Mountaineer Field. Students report from the sidelines and provide technical support on game day for ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox FS1, and SkyCam Tech.
The Perfect Place for Adventure
West Virginia is the ideal setting for professional field experiences like whitewater rafting, rock climbing, and mountain biking. Students also have the opportunity to travel to places like Arches National Park in Utah as part of the Adventure Travel Writing and Photography Course.
WVU News
Learn to write, report, shoot, direct, anchor, edit, and produce a newscast, working alongside professionals in a modern, HD television studio. Covering events on campus and throughout the Morgantown community, the newscast streams on Pittsburgh’s KDKA-TV website, on the HD Media website, and airs statewide on West Virginia Public Broadcasting and the City of Morgantown’s Public Access Channel.
The Daily Athenaeum
Official student newspaper at WVU. The DA was founded in 1887 and draws students from all disciplines to contribute original content for publication. Today, the DA is a 24/7 digital-first media organization that includes print, online, video, and podcasting.
U92
Since 1982, U92 The Moose, WWVU-FM is the source of new music and broadcaster development at West Virginia University. U92 plays a daily mix of fresh alternative music, along with news, sports, and specialty and curated genre shows.
- National Association for Black Journalists
- Society of Professional Journalists - WVU
- Association for Women in Sports Media
- RTNDA - Radio/Television Digital News Association
View all of the student organizations you can join.
Careers and Outcomes
How does this degree prepare students for a career?
Media Programming Directors
Has a Bright Outlook
Median Salary: $83,480
Possible Job Titles: News Director, Program Director (PD), Program Manager, Programming Director
Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys
Median Salary: $45,680
Possible Job Titles: Anchor, Announcer, News Anchor, Television News Anchor (TV News Anchor)
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists
Median Salary: $60,280
Possible Job Titles: Anchor, News Anchor, News Reporter, Reporter
Public Relations Specialists
Has a Bright Outlook
Median Salary: $69,780
Possible Job Titles: Communications Specialist, Public Affairs Specialist, Public Information Officer, Public Relations Specialist (PR Specialist)
Editors
Median Salary: $75,260
Possible Job Titles: Editor, News Editor, Newspaper Copy Editor, Sports Editor
Broadcast Technicians
Median Salary: $53,920
Possible Job Titles: Board Operator, Broadcast Engineer, Broadcast Technician, Control Operator
Photographers
Median Salary: $42,520
Possible Job Titles: Commercial Photographer, Photographer, Photojournalist, Portrait Photographer
Film and Video Editors
Median Salary: $70,980
Possible Job Titles: Editor, Film Editor, News Editor, Video Editor
Career options
Sports and Adventure Media students get experience covering Big 12 sporting events and adventure experiences for live production while in school so they’re ready to pursue careers as:
- Sports writers
- Announcers
- Video producers
- Digital media editors
- Social media specialists
- Promotions coordinators
- Multimedia specialists
Places and Spaces
See where you’ll study, research, and create.
Media Innovation Center
Zip Line Canopy Tour
WVU has the only University-owned and operated zip line. The zip line canopy tour consists of:
- 4 zip lines
- 7 tree-based platforms
- Aerial bridge
- Aerial ladder
- 45-foot exit rappel
Virtual Tour
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Student Life
You'll experience epic traditions, quality academics, and a supportive community that feels like home.
Visit
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Admission Requirements
To be admitted to the major, first-time freshmen must meet WVU's first-time freshman admission requirements. Interested in transferring? Review the transfer admission requirements.
Tuition and Aid
How much does at WVU cost? And how can you save?
Tuition and Fees
Estimated rates are available on our tuition website. Anyone who is not a current West Virginia resident, including international students, will be charged non-resident rates.
Ways to Save
Beyond scholarships, here are other ways to reduce your cost of attending WVU.
Financial Aid
The most important step toward funding your future with financial aid for the Sports and Adventure Media, BSJ is submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
Ohio Tuition Reciprocity
As the result of a special agreement, students from Ohio who are fully admitted to can enroll at WVU and pay in-state tuition rates. Students must be admitted to both the University and this major.
Start at Another WVU Campus
You can start your career with WVU at another campus and transfer to WVU Morgantown.
Transfer Articulation Agreements
To simplify the transfer process, we have formal agreements with certain institutions. These agreements outline the courses you should take to prepare for transferring to WVU.
Review the full list of transfer articulation agreements to see if your institution is listed.
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