Multimedia Certificate
The industry is changing. Your skills should change, too.
Our Graduate Certificate of Professional Studies in Multimedia Journalism teaches the skills most in demand today for communication professionals in news organizations, nonprofits and business.
The 12-credit, four-course graduate certificate program is designed for working professionals and blends practical training in video, audio, photography, social media and interactive web publishing with the critical application of editorial, ethical and legal principles in digital media.
Built For Working Pros
- Classes typically meet on Saturdays during the fall and spring semesters, so there’s no conflict with work schedules.
- Classes may be taken individually over a two-year period, or two at a time to complete the program in one year, enrollment permitting.
- No GREs are required. Simply submit official undergraduate transcripts, a resume or CV, and a brief statement of purpose through the online application.
- Completion of all four courses provides media professionals with a strong understanding of digital communication, including the fundamentals of web production, shooting and editing photos, video and audio, and use of mobile and social media tools. In addition, a media entrepreneurship class guides students through the steps of researching and pitching a startup digital business that could operate within an existing company or as a new enterprise.
- Full-time University of Maryland employees qualify for full tuition remission, but they must pay university fees. Click here to see the university's tuition and fees schedule.
- Need more? Merrill College also offers full-time master’s degree programs. In fact, you can apply up to three of the four certificate classes toward a master’s degree.
Fall Semester 2024 Courses:
One fall semester class (JOUR 604) will be taught in a blended format, partly online (on Zoom and a college ELMS site) and partly in person at Knight Hall. The other class (JOUR 652) will be taught fully online, with a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions. Please note the first class for each course, on Saturday, Aug. 31, will be delivered asynchronously online, since this is Labor Day weekend.
- JOUR604, section PCJ1: Introduction to Multimedia Skills for Graduate Certificate Programs, taught Saturdays during the 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. block, with blended learning. (Some class sessions will be taught on campus in Knight Hall, in Room 1101, and some will be online.)
Instructor: Adjunct Lecturer Nicole Munchel, a photographer/videographer for the University of Baltimore's Office of Marketing and Creative Services, previously freelanced for the Baltimore Sun Media Group.
Course Description: This course examines the basics of producing and editing digital photos, video and audio for news. Topics include framing, lighting and other aspects of composition; sequencing, using wide, medium and tight shots; and ethical considerations when collecting sound and visuals. Students will be loaned camera equipment by the college. The Adobe software suite is made available by the university - JOUR652, section PWJ1: Interactive Design and Development, taught Saturdays online during the 1:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. block, with synchronous and asynchronous sessions.
Instructor: Hyon-Young Kim, a senior digital news specialist for Education Week, where she manages and produces webinars, trains and supports the newsroom in the use of the content management system and third-party editorial tools, and helps execute immersive storytelling projects, along with other responsibilities.
Course Description: Students in this class will conceptualize, wireframe, design and build responsive web pages using HTML, style sheets and other coding tools; and work with open-source interactive tools and JavaScript libraries to create charts, timelines and maps to tell stories. The Adobe software suite is made available by the university.
Spring Semester 2025 Courses:
- JOUR455, Media Entrepreneurship, section PCJ1. Meets Saturdays during the 1:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. block. Hybrid instruction. When on campus, class meets in Room 2105 Knight Hall.
Instructor: Adjunct lecturer Erik Ulken, who works at the intersection of journalism, design, technology and business. He is currently vice president of product at The Baltimore Banner, and previously worked as product director at Gannett and as a senior coach at the American Press Institute. Earlier newsroom jobs included stints as manager of digital operations at The Philadelphia Inquirer and editor of interactive technology at the Los Angeles Times.
Course Description: Basic business and entrepreneurship concepts will be covered, and the class will explore how technology is transforming the business of media. Students develop and pitch ideas for media businesses, learn startup basics, do exercises in internet advertising and business plan analysis, use social networks, digital analytics and other digital communication tools, and perform other hands-on exercises in business development and presentation. The class will also touch on the impact of emerging AI tools.
Calendar: Class starts on Feb. 1 and ends May 10. There is no class March 22 (spring break), and April 19 (Easter/Passover weekend), although homework may be assigned. JOUR657: Social Media Content Creation, Audience Engagement and Analytics. A few seats were reserved for certificate students in the section that meets in Knight Hall on Tuesdays from 12:30-1:45 p.m. Permission of the college is required.
Instructor: Associate Dean Alexander Pyles
Calendar: Instruction starts on Jan. 28 and follows the university schedule. Only one seat remains open.
For More Information
Chris Harvey
Alexander Pyles
