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
MA in New Media Photojournalism
Date: Tuesday, November 8, 2022
Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Online
MA in New Media Photojournalism
Date: Tuesday, January 17, 2023
Time: 6:30-7:30 p.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.
Video by Maria Luz Bravo (MA in New Media Photojournalism '18)
Every year, Corcoran hosts NEXT, a year-end celebration of art and scholarship. In 2021, New Media Photojournalism M.A. students like Zach Brien captured important moments in action during the difficult past year. Zach depicted the particular experience of the Black Community from May 2020, onward: “My goal in undertaking this project is to show the complexities of starting a human rights movement for social change. I want to show viewers that another, more equitable world is possible. It won’t be simple. It won’t be easy. It will, however, be worth it.”
Work shown: “Fists Up, Fight Back” by Zach Brien
Oh, Mother of Mine
By Anna Rawls (NEXT Exhibition, 2022)
Explores the systemic barriers mothers face in the carceral state and the generational impact left by their incarceration.
Watered
By Candace Dane Chambers (NEXT Exhibition, 2022)
A multimedia project on the Black women striving to reclaim their place in agriculture.
Carry With Us
By Bonnie Cash (NEXT Exhibition, 2021)
Carry With Us focuses on Ryan Thomas, a 23-year-old nurse.
Do Not Pretend to Forget: Surviving a Known Assailant
Cheyenne Coleman (NEXT Exhibition, 2021)
Every 73 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted.
Protest!
By Graeme Sloan (NEXT Exhibition, 2019)
Protest! is a photographic and multimedia exploration of protest culture in Washington, D.C.
DC Quadrants Project
By Maria Luz Bravo (NEXT Exhibition, 2018)
Through a series of interviews, the DCQ Project aims to give the viewer a deeper look on the socioeconomic biases in Washington D.C.
Through That Glass
By Ethan Yusheng Tian (NEXT Exhibition, 2017)
Through that Glass which consists of videos and still photos visually presents the world of large format camera and explores the approaches of contemporary photographers using it today.
Anyone Like Me
By Mimi d'Autremont (NEXT Exhibition, 2017)
Anyone Like Me is a story about finding yourself on a deaf football team.
Places You'll Pray
By Sana Ullah (NEXT Exhibition, 2017)
Places You'll Pray was influenced by several visual works as well as philosophers like Michel Foucault and Edward Said through the idea of othering. It is a collection of simple, yet vibrant images of young American Muslims praying in public spaces outside of a mosque.
Members of the GW Community Awarded Pulitzer Prizes
Alumni and faculty from the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design won Pulitzer Prizes for their accounts of the assault on Washington on January 6, 2021. Many worked as video journalists and photographers for the Washington Post and Getty that day. Read more
Courage in journalism: Corcoran alumna honored for her visual storytelling
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. Read more.
CONTACT US
Flagg Building
500 17th Street, NW
[email protected]
202-994-0312
Program Administrator
Emma Hunt
[email protected]
Program Head
Dean Kessmann, Associate Professor of Photography
[email protected]
Graduate Faculty Advisor
Susan Sterner, Associate Professor of Photojournalism
[email protected]