Our History
More than a century ago, the first campus newspaper, The Oklahoma A&M Mirror, was published in 1895.
While it only lasted a few years, the Mirror proved to be the first chapter of a colorful history for Oklahoma State University journalism. In 1910, Oklahoma A&M offered its first journalism course in the English Department, but it would take another 27 years before the Department of Journalism began in 1937. During those formative years, newspaper greats such as Walker Stone and Paul Miller would learn their craft on the Stillwater campus before becoming prominent names in American journalism.
In the past 100 years, OSU's journalism studies have grown from a handful of students to more than 460 majors. The School of Media & Strategic Communications now offers three undergraduate programs - multimedia journalism, sports media and strategic communication - in addition to a Master of Science in mass communication. To help students gain professional experience, SMSC introduced The O'Colly Media Group. Students gain practical experience working with OMG media outlets, including print, television, radio and digital platforms. The organization's mission is to offer students real-life experience in media production, distribution and advertising sales. Media outlets include an award-winning newspaper, daily television newscast, numerous live and recorded television broadcasts, podcasting and digital distribution through O'Colly,com, AppleTV, ROKU and Amazon Fire Stick. Also, O'Colly Creative provides instruction for students focused on the artistic side of media and serves clients on and off-campus in the development of video assets and digital messaging. SMSC also partners with OSU Athletics, OSU Communications and a multitude of statewide and national media and communications companies to provide students with experience and opportunities for internships and jobs.
Our Mission
The School of Media & Strategic Communications at OSU has a proud tradition of preparing students for successful careers and for providing them with a well-rounded foundation of skills and appreciation for the importance of mass communication in American society. We are proud of what we have accomplished and of what we will accomplish in the future.
The mission of SMSC is:
- To provide thorough, broadly-based professional education for the mass media professions
- To encourage liberal and cultural background in the arts, literature, languages, and social, biological and physical sciences
- To promote scholarly research and professional performance
- To provide media leadership and assistance in extension and public service through high school and college educators and professional communication associations
- To emphasize high standards of ethics and responsibility in mass communication
Accreditation
The School of Media & Strategic Communications at OSU has been continuously accredited through ACEJMC (The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication) since 1928. Accreditation provides a solid foundation of assurance that the program is properly administered, that the curriculum is relevant and valuable and that faculty have significant professional experience upon which to base their instruction. Further, accreditation also assures students, parents, faculty and alumni that degrees awarded from the SMSC are of the highest value to the recipient and the public.