Department of Journalism & Public Communications

  • Your Story Starts Here

    Learn by doing at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Students in the Department of Journalism and Public Communications learn and practice the skills of multimedia journalism and strategic communications — skills that are required in almost every field — media, government, business, health and science. Our students get jobs and make meaningful change at the local, state and national level.

    What is the Major?

Puanani Rogers and Bethany Brunelle

“Being a student in the Department of Journalism and Public Communications at the University of Alaska Anchorage meant the world to me. My professors and fellow students gave me the strength to keep going after a bout with cancer, and each day I’m in the field I think of my time at UAA with fondness and gratitude. Journalism was my Plan B, and UAA gave me the tools to succeed in this field. Thanks to JPC, I’m living my best life.”

—   Bethany Brunelle, crime, courts, breaking news and visuals journalist, Las Cruces, New Mexico Sun-News. She is pictured here with Puanani Rogers, a Kanaka activist, when she was a reporter in Hawaii.

Student Media, Productions, and Community Engagement

Welsey Early in the Studio

Wesley Early '16 His JPC internship at Alaska Public Media led to a full-time position as web editor/education reporter. He was the News Director at KOTZ-FM Kotzebue, and now serves as a reporter with Alaska Public Media.

Journalism and Public Communications students are consistently involved in media production and community engagement. They work for organizations such as Alaska Public Media, Thompson and Co. PR, the Anchorage Daily News, MSI Communications, and a variety of industries across Alaska and the U.S. Recently, Journalism and Public Communications students and faculty worked to curb the spread of misinformation and to create a healthier online information environment. 

Read about JPC in the News!

Scholarship Opportunities

Student Internships and Jobs

Atwood Chair

john sharify atwood chair of journalism 2022

John Sharify, UAA Department of Journalism and Public Communications 2022 and 2023-2024 Atwood Chair of Journalism, has a career that spans four decades, has taken him around the world and the recipient of many accolades. Despite his success, he remains steadfast in his desire to "tell the stories that matter."

UAA Atwood Chair of Journalism

Our Past Chairs

Alumni Award

Leah Boltz

Congratulations to  Leah Boltz, recipient of the UAA Journalism and Public Communications Alumni Award.

Leah graduated from the UAA with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Public Communications in 2006. Even before graduating, she was editing and writing at the MILEPOST travel guide.

UAA Journalism and Public Communications Alumni Award

Past Alumni Award Recipients