Samford University's Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) department and Samford’s Cumberland School of Law have announced a unique partnership for students interested in legal journalism.

Under the partnership, JMC majors can complete their undergraduate program and law degree in a total of six years (three years each). Cumberland School of Law faculty will mentor JMC students interested in law and help with the teaching of JMC’s law and ethics courses. JMC majors also will be invited to participate in Cumberland School of Law events.

Bernie Ankney, JMC chair, said that the partnership offers JMC students new career opportunities. “The benefit of a JMC degree,” Ankney said, “is that you can graduate and pursue jobs in public relations, advertising, broadcast journalism, print journalism, film production, social media, sports media and church media. The benefit of this partnership is that JMC majors can finish their undergraduate and law degree in six years. This will open up jobs in legal journalism, for example, and give JMC students even more career options.”

Henry C. Strickland III, dean of the Cumberland School of Law, noted JMC students will benefit from their interactions with the Cumberland School of Law faculty. “It is exciting that a student can finish a JMC and law degree in six years,” he said. “Our faculty members are also excited to offer guest lectures to JMC’s mass media law and ethics courses and welcome their students to Cumberland School of Law events. This can only make them more employable after graduation.”


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