OU Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication Named No. 2 Program in the Nation

April 05, 2022

In its inaugural rankings of student achievements, the Broadcast Education Association has recognized the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma as the No. 2 program in the country out of more than 300 member institutions nationwide.

Based on the creative achievement of its students, OU placed No. 2 in the BEA’s overall program rankings. In four categories of individual media disciplines, OU landed in the top 10, including No. 1 in film and video programs, No. 3 in news programs, No. 4 in sports programs and No. 8 in scriptwriting programs.

“To be ranked by the Broadcast Education Association as one of the top programs in the country, in so many categories, is a tribute to the hardworking faculty and creative students in Gaylord College,” said Ed Kelley, dean of the college. “We have entered BEA competitions annually for years and have excelled across the board. These first-ever rankings confirm that we are on the right track in educating students and preparing them for work upon graduation in a variety of media fields.”

Two additional programs offered by the OU Gaylord College earned impressive placement in the rankings, including No. 16 in documentary programs and No. 24 in audio programs.

To compile the rankings, the BEA considered results from the annual BEA Festival of Media Arts for the last five years, which includes over 5,000 student creative works that went through a rigorous blind-jury review.

The rankings are not an overall evaluation of an academic program, but an evaluation of the quality and consistency of students’ creative works produced at one institution compared to those at other institutions. Because of the breadth of media taught at participating institutions, rankings are provided in seven different media competitions that have at least a five-year history, including audio, documentary, film and video, interactive multimedia and emerging technologies, news, scriptwriting and sports. Additionally, there is an overall ranking based on a combined achievement across the multiple media disciplines.

A full list of programs that ranked in the inaugural student achievement rankings is available at www.beaweb.org/festival/2022-school-rankings.

About the University of Oklahoma

Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information visit www.ou.edu.