New Media Photojournalism
MASTER OF ARTS
Lead the next generation of photojournalists with innovative storytelling
The New Media Photojournalism program at the Corcoran School is the first of its kind, created to help visual journalists study and address their ever-changing field. Underscoring strong storytelling skills and fluency in multimedia platforms, the MA in New Media Photojournalism incorporates writing, photography, audio, video and web design in its curriculum to prepare students to work as freelancers, visual reporters, editors and producers. The program emphasizes the individual as a visual reporter and advocates experimentation with innovative methods of storytelling, documentation and editing. Students are encouraged to explore the latest digital practices in conjunction with the enduring fundamentals of visual reporting, editing and ethics.
Through intensive faculty mentoring alongside a broad and flexible program of study supplemented by internship opportunities, students choose and develop their professional paths. New Media Photojournalism students benefit from the program’s proximity to The Washington Post, National Public Radio, National Geographic and Discovery Communications, and countless other newspapers, magazines, trade journals and major media outlets.
The Corcoran New Media Photojournalism program provides students with the skills to lead a new generation of photojournalists as the field continues to change with advancing technology. Graduates are prepared to take on and excel in careers in a wide range of visual media including photography, picture and video editing, documentary production, and multimedia management. If you’re ready and interested in a fast-moving, dynamic industry, our program will help you get there.
INFORMATION SESSIONS
Date: Monday, October 21, 2024
Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Online
Date: Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Time: 8:00-9:00 a.m. ET (note: this is a morning session)
Location: Online
Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Online
Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Time: 8:00-9:00 a.m. ET
Location: Online
WHAT YOU'LL STUDY
The MA in New Media Photojournalism program is a 36-credit program that may be completed at a full-time pace in two years, or part-time in up to four years.
The first semester of the program is structured as a four-course immersion experience to establish a deep understanding of the journalism and photojournalism processes and best practices. You're encouraged to develop your visual reporting voice and to work on subjects about which you are passionate. During the Spring semester the curriculum opens up and you are able to select electives that enable you to explore areas of interest and expand on specific skills you seek. At the end of the first year, you'll begin the proposal process for a thesis project to be completed in the second year. During the second year the course load drops to three classes per semester as you work on your thesis.
ADMISSIONS
We accept students into the program each fall. The application deadline is February 1. All applicants must follow the graduate application process by the appropriate deadlines.
COSTS & FUNDING
The Student Accounts Office provides up to date cost information on our program. The program has a number of support packages that it offers to select students, and students are automatically considered as part of the application process. You may also find fellowships through the Office of Fellowships & Assistantships. The Office of Student Financial Assistance also has more information on aid opportunities.
Professor Steve Elfers is the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize in explanatory reporting for his work on the U.S. and Mexico border.
Our faculty are knowledgeable teachers who can provide expertise on the theory, background and practice of the photojournalism field. Just as important, they are experienced photojournalists themselves who provide real-world information to help students as they grow professionally and artistically.
WHERE YOU'LL GO
While pursuing the MA in New Media Photojournalism, you'll make career connections in a way that best fits you and your lifestyle. Many students opt for internships for credit, while others complete them without credit. Many students take on work as freelance image-makers or hold part-time media positions while in school.
We also place importance on having working professionals in the classroom as faculty, visiting artists, mentors, and collaborators and find opportunities for students to work on other Corcoran community engagement projects.
Recent Internships
- The Washington Post Online
- Discovery Communications
- The Baltimore Sun
- Good Fight Media
- Greenpeace
- Hand Print Studio
- National Geographic Books
- National Press Foundation
- Metro Collective
- The ARC
- USA Today
- National Public Radio - News Desk
- National Public Radio - Tiny Desk Concerts
- Population Services International
- Smithsonian Institute
Networks
Our program has ties to many professional organizations, through internships and fieldwork and through continuing relationships with alumni. This network of skilled media professionals is an invaluable resource for students and graduates seeking to deepen their knowledge and advance their careers.
MA in New Media Photojournalism
Learn the elements of outstanding visual storytelling at the Corcoran. Watch this overview of the photojournalism program, created by Maria Luz Bravo (MA in New Media Photojournalism '18). Hear from Susan Sterner, program director, and alumni Zoeann Murphy (Washington Post), Kara Frame (NPR) and Michael Shanahan (Communications Director, U.S. House of Representatives).
Members of the GW Community Awarded Pulitzer Prizes
Alumni and faculty from the Corcoran School won Pulitzer Prizes for their accounts of January 6, 2021. Many worked as video journalists and photographers for the Washington Post that day. Read their stories. Other 2022 Pulitzer Prize winners included Astrid Riecken, a Corcoran professorial lecturer, and Sam Corum, B.F.A. ’12, at Getty Images. Read more about Astrid and Sam.
WHAT WE CREATE
Alexandra Rodriguez, New Media Photojournalism MA ‘24
Alexandra Rodriguez works as a photographer at the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum. Her creative work focuses on themes of culture, family, and identity. Her thesis project for NEXT, Rooted, is based on her Cuban-American identity and her perception of how the two cultures interact with one another. Alexandra shows us how she and her family preserve important aspects of Cuban culture and emphasizes the importance of staying connected to one’s roots.
Partnering with Women Photojournalists
The Corcoran hosts an annual portfolio review and seminar with the Women Photojournalists of Washington (WPOW). Corcoran students and alumni help set up and run this expansive event, which provides networking opportunities and a space for sharing creative work with industry leaders in Washington, D.C. Among the participants in 2023 were editors from National Geographic, NPR, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Smithsonian Magazine, as well as Canon, Nikon and Sony, on hand for camera cleanings.
Photo by Allison Robbert (Photojournalism '26/WPOW)
ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS
Olga Jaramillo Receives Butterfly Grant for Immigration-Focused Project
Alumna Olga Jaramillo (M.A. ’21) has been awarded the Women’s Photojournalists of Washington’s Butterfly Grant, for her project “Dos Mundos” (“Two Worlds”), which narrates the hardships of four mothers from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, as they immigrate to the United States.
Through the Lens of History: GW Alumnus Eric Lee on Photographing Trump's Assassination Attempt
Alumnus Eric Lee (M.A. ’20) was awarded a New York Times Fellowship, a one-year work program aimed at cultivating the next generation of journalists. As a fellow, Lee was on the scene of the assassination attempt against President Trump (July 2024) and had his photographs shown around the world. Read about his experience in GW Today. Lee’s work focuses on themes of identity and community and he has been featured in publications by The Atlantic, Bloomberg News, New York Magazine, NPR, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and others.
Graduate Student’s Photo of Campus Protests Makes TIME Cover
Corcoran graduate and undergraduate students’ works were featured in a TIME magazine article about campus protests around the Israel/Gaza conflict. James Schaap’s (M.A. ’25) photograph was featured in TIME’s cover. He was interviewed by the magazine, as well as highlighted in another article alongside other Corcoran students. Read the story behind his photograph here.
Zoeann Murphy (CORC MA ’14) doesn’t shy away from intense situations. In fact, she heads right for them.
Over the last 16 years as a photographer and video journalist, she’s traveled across the U.S. and to more than 20 countries capturing images and stories that focus on humanitarian and environmental crises, and, often times, breaking news.
Students at the Corcoran have exhibited their thesis work for more than 30 years. In 2011, the exhibition came to be known as NEXT in a nod to the public seeing “what’s next” in contemporary art and scholarship. In 2023, NEXT evolved into a festival format to encompass the diversity of all the school’s programs and provide more public facing programming for the DC community. See examples from past classes’ culminating projects and work.
Photo by Natalia Ventura, MA '24
CONTACTS
Campus Address
Flagg Building
500 17th Street, NW
csarts
gwu [dot] edu (csarts[at]gwu[dot]edu )
202-994-0312
Program Information
Program Administrator
Kamille Jackson
csartsgwu [dot] edu (csarts[at]gwu[dot]edu )
Program Head
Dean Kessmann, Associate Professor of Photography
kessmanngwu [dot] edu (kessmann[at]gwu[dot]edu)
Advising
Graduate Faculty Advisor
Susan Sterner, Associate Professor of Photojournalism
ssternergwu [dot] edu (ssterner[at]gwu[dot]edu)