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Department of Media, Journalism, and Film

Inquiry. Discovery. Creativity. Practice.

Bringing together the faculty, staff, and curricula of four distinct but interrelated programs and their associated disciplines and methodologies, we are united behind the goal of helping students become media-literate and critically engaged citizen-producers. We integrate the analysis of media's role in our social world and the creation of high-quality media content. We provide skill-based training within a liberal arts context, blending critical and conceptual learning with practical training in media and news production.

Our Mission

The Department of Media, Journalism and Film gives students a one-stop spot to study all forms of media. The beauty of our department is its breadth of analytical and hands-on courses and opportunities. These help students think critically about the changing media world while producing cutting-edge work. We are a part of Miami’s College of Arts and Science.

  • MJF believes in educating students broadly as critical thinkers and capable writers, while also grounding them in cutting-edge media creative and production skills.
  • MJF offers undergraduate majors in Media and Communication (formerly Media & Culture), Journalism and Strategic Communication; and a co-major in Film Studies.
  • MJF teaches hands-on skills in TV and radio production, scriptwriting, multimedia reporting, public speaking and public relations.
  • MJF teaches students skills they can use off-campus to our study away programs in Hollywood, New York City, Washington, D.C.; as well as dozens of regional internships.
  • MJF facilities include a professional TV studio, radio studio, many computer labs, and the newest media equipment and production software.
  • MJF extra-curricular opportunities include a student-run TV and radio stations, newspapers, magazines and journals each with their own high-tech facilities.

Our Undergraduate Programs

Film Studies

Film studies is an interdisciplinary program that explores the interaction between film, culture and society. Film studies students at Miami engage in rigorous historical, aesthetic and theoretical analysis of films from a variety of genres, time periods and countries. Most classes are small (50 max) and writing intensive. Students also have the opportunity to take courses in film production, where they can write, shoot and edit their own short films.

Journalism

In Journalism, the goal is to educate students broadly as capable writers and critical thinkers, while also grounding them in key news media practices, including basic and advanced reporting, interviewing, storytelling, and editing skills. Courses emphasize journalism's central role in American democracy.

Media and Communication

In the Media and Communication program, students examine how media products, industries, and technologies allow us to communicate and experience the world. The program allows students to focus on areas they are interested in.  They can learn how to make a short film or podcast; critique media messages that contribute to social inequalities; examine the role algorithms and data play in the world of advertising and our wider culture; investigate the ways media technologies shape our everyday lives; and/or go behind the scenes of various media industries.  By graduation, MAC students will gain the cultural competencies and media skills required to be successful media producers, ethical media consumers, and responsible media citizens.

Strategic Communication

Strategic Communication is the study of how individuals and organizations use communication and media to negotiate their role in highly mediated societies. Public relations is a central aspect of strategic communication and involves the study of how organizations influence opinions and the behavior of key publics (e.g., employees, consumers, government, community, media) and how they try to respond and adapt to the concerns of these publics. The curriculum emphasizes an ethical approach to public relations and analyzes the impacts strategic communication practices have on societies.
94.4%

of majors find employment after graduation.

Because all careers are media careers

Today’s employers are looking for critical thinkers who can navigate a complex world--interpreting, managing, and producing effective mediated communication. The Department of Media, Journalism & Film combines a rigorous humanities education with real-world media skills, outstanding networking, and internship opportunities, preparing students for jobs in--and beyond--the media industries.

Give to the Department of Media, Journalism, and Film

Help us prepare the next generation of leaders in the fields of media, journalism, and film —and our society as a whole. We have numerous scholarships, grants, and programs accepting contributions from donors like you.

 

Department of Media, Journalism, and Film

120 Williams Hall
350 S. Oak Street
Oxford, OH 45056