Pitt is joining a number of other campuses that have scaled back journalism programs.  The University of Pittsburgh’s English department recently announced that in the following spring or fall 2010 semesters they will merge their creative nonfiction and journalism programs. The merger will form a single nonfiction track, replacing introductory newspaper courses with introductory nonfiction courses that will focus both on creative nonfiction and journalism writing. The department hopes that the collaborations of departments will give the journalism program the leadership and structure it currently lacks with mostly adjunct professors. While the number of professors, their hours and salaries are to remain the same, next fall’s introduction to journalism course will be taught by nonfiction professors with a different syllabus.

Some professors within the English department believe the merging of the programs will strengthen the University’s writing program, but others feel that students will be missing important journalism skills gained in those introductory courses. There is the hope though that advanced-level journalism courses will continue to be offered and new elective courses will be added to the curriculum as well. However, these are decision that will be made by the curricular committee in the coming year. Other journalism programs have seen similar changes.

Pitt is not the only campus to reduce or eliminate their journalism program.  The College at Brockport and the State University of New York have joined its broadcast and print journalism programs and Texas A&M now only offers a journalism minor and a major in agricultural communications and journalism. 

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