Wondering what you can learn in the Multimedia Journalism Master’s program? To find out when these courses are offered and to register, visit the UO Class Schedule.
Core Classes
J627 Foundations of Multimedia Journalism (4 credits)
Get an introduction to the building blocks of multimedia storytelling within the context of solid journalistic practice.
J610 Thinking Story (4 credits)
Explore the art and craft of nonfiction storytelling.
J628 Multimedia Journalism Practices (4 credits)
Explore the job of a multimedia journalist, focusing on researching and pitching stories and using social media to enhance the process.
J629 Media and Communication Ethics (4 credits)
This course explores the ethical issues communications professionals face almost daily. It addresses how to survive and thrive in the turmoil and disruption of the current media landscape. We will explore what is changing, why it is changing, and how you can do good work despite, and sometimes because of, these changes. You’ll focus on ethical decision-making and potential outcomes—on a continuum of positive to negative—of communicating through digital media.
J654 Reporting within Communities (4 credits)
Explore and practice emerging “community-first” journalism and reporting concepts.
J610 Foundations of Explanatory Journalism (4 credits)
Students explore and practice concepts in visual explanation and explanatory video.
J610 Digital Ethics (4 credits)
Explore the ethical issues emerging as digital technology disrupts the media landscape.
J656 Producing the Story (4 credits)
Building on the Thinking Story and Reporting within Communities classes, this course explores techniques for producing and presenting effective multimedia stories.
J611 Mass Communication and Society (4 credits)
Learn the social, technological, economic, and political trends that influence communication practice in the digital age and analyze the forces challenging legacy news organizations today.
J609 Terminal Project (6-9 credits)
During your second year, you’ll begin producing a terminal project incorporating some combination of video, audio, photography, writing, and/or data visualization on a multimedia platform. You can spread the work out over two or more terms and rack up 6+ credits. It’s your chance to bring together all the skills, concepts, and craft you’ve mastered in a professional-quality project. For many students, the terminal project becomes the crown jewel of their portfolio. For an example of a terminal project, see Zach Putnam’s '17 Edward R. Murrow Student Award–winning documentary or Mary Anne Funk’s '20 Seeing Through Hearing Immersive Experience.
Elective Classes
Students are able to customize and chose electives which will give them focused skills in specific areas. Electives are offered occasionally so talk to your program director about which electives are offered each year.
J608 Workshop (2-credit electives):
Audio Storytelling I (2 credits)
Learn the technical aspects of audio field recording and editing using Adobe Audition software.
Audio Storytelling II (2 credits)
Explore narrative storytelling through audio. Gain introductory experience in field recording, interviewing, and editing a series of short stories for broadcast and other contemporary media platforms. Incorporates the use of interviews, actualities, voice-over narration, and sound effects. Special emphasis will be placed on writing for the ear and voicing scripts.
Audio Storytelling III (2 credits)
Apply the skills from Audio Storytelling I & II, with greater emphasis on story development and research. Students will create one long-form audio story that explores a single topic in depth.
Entrepreneurship (2 credits)
An entrepreneurial spirit and great business sense are critical elements for building a meaningful career, whether you own the company or not. Learn how to tell your own story from a branding, marketing, and sales perspective. Enhance your knowledge of accounting, budgeting, client management, and contracts. Come away with a better grasp of what it takes to be a true entrepreneur.
Motion Graphics (2 credits)
Gain exposure to the fundamental principles of motion graphics. Learn the basics of Adobe After Effects software, including 3D camera tracking titles and “2-½ D” photo movement.
Story in Stills I: Intro (2 credits)
Learn to think with more clarity and sophistication about how still images can convey narrative. You’ll discuss the process of finding, researching, shooting, and editing.
Story in Stills II: Photo Story (2 credits)
Learn how to find and tell stories effectively with pictures. Develop your ability to research, find, and report stories that explore and explain issues in communities. Explore the ethics of using pictures to tell stories, and look at where we are in the history of photojournalism and documentary photography. This class is for graduate students who have experience taking pictures in the tradition of photojournalism or documentary photography.
Storytelling with Data (2 credits)
Get an introduction to data visualization techniques used in multimedia storytelling. Learn core vocabulary to more effectively communicate with designers and data visualization specialists.
J624 Elective Courses offered in the Oregon Reality Lab:
Drone Cinematography (2 credits)
Explore the ethical, legal and creative aspects of drone cinematography, especially within video journalism. In addition to learning the fundamentals of drone operation, students will prepare to pass the FAA's initial aeronautical knowledge exam in order to gain their Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate.
Immersive Storytelling I: 360 Video (2 credits)
Examine current best practices around 360 video production and get an introduction to photogrammetry (the use of drones and still photography to create virtual worlds).
Immersive Storytelling II: Photogrammetry (2 credits)
Get an introduction to photogrammetry, a technique that stitches together dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of photos to create a virtual model of a room, object, or environment. You’ll explore production tools including smartphones, DSLRs, and drones, and software and apps including RealityCapture, DroneDeploy, and Unity.
Introduction to Social Virtual Reality (2 credits)
Get insight into the history and evolution of social virtual reality, from its early stages in the game space to the emerging social platforms designed for immersion with VR headsets. Explore and experience several platforms and critically analyze current and potential use of immersive VR in community building, storytelling, marketing, design, education, and more. Consider the ethical implications of this technology and its potential impacts on equity and inclusion.
User Experience & Design (4 credits)
This course is designed to teach fundamental principles of user experience (UX) and human-centered design (HCD) in the context of strategic communication. By design, this course is heavily interdisciplinary in nature, relying on various theoretical and applied approaches drawn from fields of human-computer interaction (HCI), media psychology, and many others. UX is also context-specific, and we will be highlighting UX design in various domains, including mobile apps, traditional web, service and customer experience, gaming, and product design, among others.
Creating for Immersive Platforms (2 credits)
An introduction to designing and building tools for virtual reality and augmented reality experiences, including Unity, Maya, WebXR, and other character-generating tools used to create immersive VR experiences. Students work with industry standard software to create their first interactive VR environment, as well as explore the foundations for AR driven applications. Students will become familiar with off-the-shelf resources to get them started quickly and gain an understanding of the overall production pipeline used in generating content for immersive platforms. No prior experience required.
Introduction to Building Real-Time Ready Assets for Immersive Media (4 credits)
In this course, students will get an introduction to the production pipeline used in creating custom assets for immersive and interactive media. They will gain hands-on experience utilizing cross-platform workflows to bring their original ideas to life. This course focuses on 3D modeling, texturing, and lighting for real-time rendering environments.
Comparative Software for Immersive Media Development (2 credits)
In this course students, will work with comparable production applications like Unreal Engine, to develop VR scenes used for storytelling and visualization. The technical focuses of the course are centered around setting up user functionality, basic interaction and UI, prototyping using Blueprints, high dynamic lighting and working with material graphs to generate visually compelling environments. Additionally, this course examines factors that contribute to a successful user experience and how to develop with those elements in mind. (Prereq: Creating for Immersive Platforms and Building Real-Time Ready Assets for Immersive Media)
Questions?
Need some guidance? Here are a few options:
- Download our graduate handbook for more details about program requirements and resources.
- Contact our graduate recruiter with questions about the program, the application process, and admission.