The University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism is unmatched in data journalism, audience analysis, and exploring how to use artificial intelligence and other modern tools for good — all to prepare our students with the skills and knowledge needed by the employers of today and tomorrow.
Merrill College’s robust faculty, quality of instruction, hands-on experiences and course offerings make it a national leader in this field among journalism and communications colleges. Our faculty are leading authorities in this innovative work. And our flexible curriculum ensures our students are always on the leading edge as they embark on careers in media or any other field they choose.
JUMP TO: Our Faculty Experts | How We Help You | Where Our Grads Are Hired
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Our Industry-Leading Experts
Stacey Decker
Director, Capital News Service Audience Engagement Bureau
Naeemul Hassan
Associate Professor
Aidan Hughes
Data Journalist, Howard Center for Investigative Journalism
Shuning Lu
Assistant Professor in Media, Democracy and Technology
Adam Marton
Director, Capital News Service Data and Graphics Bureau; Senior Lecturer
Sean Mussenden
Director, Howard Center for Investigative Journalism; Principal Lecturer
Kara Newhouse
Deputy Data Editor, Howard Center for Investigative Journalism
Alexander Pyles
Associate Dean, Academic Affairs; Director of Master's Program; Senior Lecturer
Daniel Trielli
Assistant Professor of Media and Democracy
Krishnan Vasudevan
Associate Dean, Research; Associate Professor in Visual Communication
Rob Wells
Associate Professor
Derek Willis
Lecturer in Data and Computational Journalism
Ronald Yaros
Associate Professor
How We Help You
Real-world Data Journalism and Social Media Experience
At our Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, Capital News Service, Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism and Local News Network, we offer students a wide range of opportunities to learn by doing when it comes to data, AI and audience engagement. We teach you modern storytelling skills and you get to put them into practice — often in collaboration with professional newsrooms — on data-driven investigations supported by data visualizations and social media promotion, all powered by students.
Our students are required to take a capstone course, where they can contribute to a number of data-driven investigative or enterprise projects, a nightly newscast, our data and graphics bureau, our audience engagement bureau or our newsrooms in Washington, D.C., and Annapolis.
Learn about the innovative, award-winning work of our:
Courses: Choose Your Own Adventure
Merrill College prides itself on a flexible curriculum that allows it to always stay ahead of the curve and lets students follow their interests, especially to train in the cutting-edge storytelling skills most needed by today’s newsrooms and other employers.
A sampling of topics covered by our classes in any given semester:
Courses
- Data Journalism
- Computational Journalism
- Interactive Design and Development
- Social Media Content Creation, Audience Engagement and Analytics
- Understanding Audiences and Analytics
- News Alchemy: Journalism and Artificial Intelligence
- Like & Subscribe: An Examination of News Influencers
- Self-Presentation in the Age of YouTube
- Introduction to Storytelling with Code
- Beyond Facebook: How Social Media are Transforming Society, Culture,
- Business and Politics
- Information 3.0: Exploring Technological Tools
- Exploring the Future of Video News
- Introduction to Visual Investigations for Journalists: New Ways of Thinking and Building Basic Skills
- Computational Text Analysis
- Digital Security in Journalism and Public Life
Building AI Tools to Support Journalism and Journalists
Merrill College received a generous $1 million grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation to develop a series of groundbreaking artificial intelligence tools to support local news. Students who learn these skills get the opportunity to work with the forward-thinking faculty developing these exciting products.
More Data Journalism Opportunities at Merrill
Merrill College offers multiple other opportunities to learn from our data journalism experts.
If you’re a professional looking for ways to add to your toolbox without the commitment of pursuing a degree, we offer the Howard Center Data Journalism Training Program — a four-course online program you can complete at your pace.
Merrill College hosts the Dow Jones News Fund’s data journalism training camp for college students across the country every summer. The nationally competitive DJNF journalism internship training and placement program sends its students embarking on data-focused internships to Knight Hall, where they learn the following skills from our esteemed faculty: data analysis, basic R, data visualization, mobile video, investigative reporting and business reporting.
Our Graduates are Hired and Desired for Top Data/Audience Jobs by Top Employers
National Newsroom Leaders
- The Washington Post: Data Journalist, Data Analyst, News Designer, Audience Analyst, Social Media Coach
- The New York Times: Editor (Training and Support), Deputy Director of Early Career Programs, Associate Technical Product Manager, Audience Editor
- CNN: Producer, Correspondent
- BBC: Senior Manager (Strategic Planning and Delivery)
- ProPublica: Deputy Data Editor, Data Journalist
- NPR: Investigations Reporter, Senior Digital Analyst, Growth Analytics Manager
- Bloomberg Industry Group: News Designer and Developer
- ESPN: Investigative Reporter
Digital Strategy, Product & Communications
- UC Berkeley Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology: Program Manager
- Howard University: Social Media Strategist
- American Petroleum Institute: Senior Digital Communications Specialist
- Science News: Digital Engagement Producer
- FRONTLINE (PBS): Production Assistant
- CQ Roll Call: Reporter
- Informa TechTarget: Reporter
Investigative & Data Journalism Powerhouses
- UMD Howard Center for Investigative Journalism: Data Editor, Data Journalist, Research Assistant for AI Local News
- The Marshall Project: Data Reporter
- Flatwater Free Press: Investigative Reporter
- Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting: Investigative Reporter
- Missouri Independent: Investigative Journalist
- Houston Chronicle: Data Reporter
- The Baltimore Banner: Data Editor, Data Reporter
- Tampa Bay Times: Data Reporter
- San Francisco Chronicle: Data Reporter, Data Utility Developer
- Hearst Connecticut: Data Reporter
- El Timpano: Senior Health Equity Reporter
- The Oregon Journalism Project: Data and Engagement Reporter
- Legal Services Corporation: Data Visualization Developer