New media photojournalism; student looking into camera

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

 

WHAT YOU'll STUDY

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. 

 

Courses

 

Smiling student holding camera

Steve Elfers

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.

 

Meet Our Faculty

 

student looking at film

 

Where you'll Go

 

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)

 

WHAT WE CREATE

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

View More New Media Photojournalism M.A. Projects

Protestor raising her fist

 

Bonnie Cash Carry With Us

Carry With Us

By Bonnie Cash (NEXT Exhibition, 2021)
Carry With Us focuses on Ryan Thomas, a 23-year-old nurse.

Student Website

 

Cheyenne Coleman

Do Not Pretend to Forget: Surviving a Known Assailant

Cheyenne Coleman (NEXT Exhibition, 2021)
Every 73 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted.

Student Website

 

Jasmin Kenya Flores

Natives: Chocolate City

Jasmin Kenya Flores (NEXT Exhibition, 2021)
A multimedia story about the whitewashing of historical Black neighborhoods in Washington, D.C

Student Website

 

Andrea Garcia Aceptame

Acéptame

By Andrea Garcia (NEXT Exhibition, 2019)
Acéptame is a multimedia project that focuses on the queer and LatinX community of Washington, DC.

View Project

 

Amina Javed

Everybody's Normal

By Amina Javed (NEXT Exhibition, 2019)
Everybody’s Normal  highlights the diversity among American Muslim women.

View Project

 

Youqi Peng

Shrinking Chinatown

By Youqi Peng (NEXT Exhibition, 2019)
Shrinking Chinatown explores the state of Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown and the mostly elderly Chinese population living there today.

View Project

 

Shouyi Shen

Living With a Forgotten War

By Zhouyi Shen (NEXT Exhibition, 2019)
Living with a Forgotten War is a documentary project about the life of a Vietnam Veteran who returned from war. He lives with his memories and injuries while the war he fought in is gradually being forgotten.

View Project

 

Graeme Sloan

Protest!

By Graeme Sloan (NEXT Exhibition, 2019)
Protest! is a photographic and multimedia exploration of protest culture in Washington, D.C.

View Project

 

Margaret Wroblewski

Underground

By Margaret Wroblewski (NEXT Exhibition, 2019)
Underground documents stories of men and women who have been harassed in public spaces.

View Project

 

Ruby Zhao

Home to Me

By Ruby Zhau (NEXT Exhibition, 2019)
Home to Me is a multimedia project about the love and tension shared between a young Chinese-American woman and her parents as they work to build lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

View Project

 

Maria Luz Bravo

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.

View Project

 

Joy Bullock

Ever Present

By Joy Bullock (NEXT Exhibition, 2018)
The project Ever Present follows the journey of my grandmother who assumed the responsibility of being the sole caretaker for my grandfather for over a decade.

View Project

 

Kristin Adair

Becoming Free

By Kristin Adair (NEXT Exhibition, 2017)
Becoming Free is a short documentary film that explores the reentry experience of three young people in the District of Columbia as they seek to break the cycle of poverty, violence and incarceration through entrepreneurship.

View Project

 

Carey Averbook

Only the Bridge Matters Now

By Carey Averbook (NEXT Exhibition, 2017)
Only the Bridge Matters Now is a multimedia documentary web and book project that explores the metaphorical bridge linking the Bolivian communities of Northern Virginia to their region of origin.

View Project

 

Mimi d’Autremont 2017

Anyone Like Me

By Mimi d'Autremont (NEXT Exhibition, 2017)
Anyone Like Me is a story about finding yourself on a deaf fotball team.

View Project

 

Matailong Du

Portraits Alive

By Matailong Du (NEXT Exhibition, 2017)
Dana Tai Soon Burgess is the first choreographer-in- residence at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Portraits Alive combines documentary and fine-art photography to tell the story of Burgess and his dance company as they combine two art forms: portraiture and dance.

View Project

 

Bailey Edelstein

After Standing

By Bailey Edelstein (NEXT Exhibition, 2017)
After Standing covers the seldom-told story of addiction: the story after an individual in recovery stands on solid ground in their sobriety.

View Project

 

Caroline Space 2017

Forest of Lorien

By Caroline Space (NEXT Exhibition, 2017)
Removed from the busy stretches of commuter roads and monotonous architecture of suburbia is a mid-century modern neighborhood called Hollin Hills. Located in Alexandria, Va., the community is defined by the surrounding nature and unique architecture which establish a symbiotic relationship.

View Project

 

Nosrat Tarighi

Sounds Iranian

By Nosrat Tarighi (NEXT Exhibition, 2017)
Sounds Iranian is a multimedia project that explores the role of Iranian music and poetry for Iranian immigrant community in Washington, D.C., as a means to connect our homeland and identity.

View Project

 

Ethan Yusheng Tian

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.

View Project

 

Sana Ullah

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.

View Project

 

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.

Zooeyann Murphy

 

Contact Us

Flagg Building
500 17th Street, NW 
[email protected] 
202-994-0312

Program Administrator
Eliza Mott
[email protected] 

Program Head
Dean Kessmann, Associate Professor of Photography
[email protected]

Graduate Faculty Advisor
Susan Sterner, Associate Professor of Photojournalism
[email protected]

 

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