The Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University is a top communication program that offers students a second-to-none adventure. Part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Greenlee School offers three majors – advertising, journalism and mass communication and public relations – and a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication.

Our Mission Statement

The Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication is committed to a philosophy that draws its goals from the larger purposes of a land grant university as well as its accrediting organization, the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC).

The School strives to serve students, the university, professional communicators and the general public of Iowa, the nation and the world through teaching, scholarship, service and professional outreach activities that:

• Educate students for careers in journalism and mass communication.
• Promote an understanding and appreciation of the First Amendment and the role of journalism and communication in all societies.
• Foster theoretical and applied scholarship that improves the practice of journalism and communication.
• Emphasize communication in an increasingly diverse and multicultural world.
• Promote accountability and ethical performance.
• Increase communication effectiveness in a fast-changing technological society.
• Engage in substantial service to the University, the profession and the public.

The activities of the School reflect the University’s commitment to excellence in teaching, research, creativity, professional practice and extension, and the University’s recognition of the importance of service.

A Top Communication Program

Ours was among the first group of programs accredited in 1948 by ACEJMC and continues to be the longest continuously accredited program in the state. Our most recent re-accreditation was granted in 2016. Additionally, our public relations degree earned a Certification for Education in Public Relations from the Public Relations Society of America in 2017.

Our dedicated faculty are internationally recognized scholars and award-winning practitioners. Greenlee faculty consistently receive very high teaching evaluations from students and recognition for scholarly and teaching achievements by national organizations, including the Scripps Howard Foundation, the International Communication Association and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Many of our faculty have years of experience in the field working for agencies, corporations, news organizations and publishing companies.

Our successful alumni are a testament to the value of a degree from the Greenlee School. Alumni have won five Pulitzer Prizes and a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor.

A Second-to-None Adventure

Students’ careers in advertising, journalism and mass communication or public relations start as soon as they arrive on campus. They learn the latest communication trends and methods and produce actual content in small, skills-based classes. They practice what they’ve learned through award-winning independent student media, student clubs and chapters of professional organizations.

Our 400-hour capstone professional internship requirement, the most rigorous in the country, provides our students with industry experience. Our students have interned at major media outlets, agencies and organizations, including Better Homes and Gardens, the Boston Globe, Gannett Digital, Leo Burnett, NASA, NPR, Seventeen Magazine and Weber Shandwick.

Our streamlined curricula ensures students will graduate in a timely manner with the skills necessary to succeed in a fast-changing media environment. Our active alumni base fosters networking opportunities with graduates so that more than 90% find positive career outcomes within six months of graduation. Alumni support fosters the school’s scholarships and programming.

Greenlee’s supportive and welcoming culture delivers a personal experience. Student and alumni attest to the school’s close-knit feeling and inclusive atmosphere.

A Dynamic Digital Experience

As media and techniques continue to evolve, the Greenlee School is committed to staying ahead of the trends and providing the latest technology. We invite professionals to provide feedback on our curriculum, and we adapt it as the industry changes. Our graduates have the knowledge and skills to create content for audiences where they are now and where they will be.

Want to know more? Contact us at greenlee@iastate.edu

About the Greenlee School

Director	Michael Dahlstrom (since 2020)
3 Majors	advertising, journalism and mass communication, public relations
468	Undergraduate Students*
91%	Positive career outcomes within 6 months of graduation**
$241,600	Awarded in Scholarships***

School History at a Glance

1905	Journalism education began at Iowa State
1925	Department of Technical Journalism was founded in the College of Agriculture
1947	Graduate degree in technical journalism first offered
1948	Granted initial accreditation from ACEJMC
1969	Unit renamed the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication
1990	Department of Journalism and Mass Communication combined with Telecommunicative Arts and moved from the College of Agriculture to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
1991	Major in advertising established
1998	The department became Iowa State’s first named school, the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication
2005	School celebrated centennial
2013	Major in public relations established

Main Office

613 Wallace Rd. 101 Hamilton Hall Ames, IA 50011 greenlee@iastate.edu 515-294-4342
Hours: Academic Year	8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Hours: Summer and Breaks	7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.