Audio Production students study the science of sound and digital audio.
Media, Journalism and Film
About MJF
The Department of Media, Journalism, and Film prepares students for the dynamic media world of today and the future through a combination of core and specialized courses.
Drawing from digital audio/radio, digital video/television, film production, scriptwriting, reporting, and broadcast (radio and television), as well as print, mobile, and online news, the department addresses current industry standards, trends in media convergence, and community needs while honoring Howard University’s historic mission.
Bringing together several intellectual and creative disciplines within the School, the department focuses on effective communication at local, regional, national, and global levels. Students can earn a Bachelor of Arts specializing in media and film, journalism, or interdisciplinary studies (build a major), as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Film.
As film and television production students, you will study every aspect of the TV and filmmaking process, from development, scriptwriting, and pre-production to production, post-production, and distribution. Our audio production students study the science of sound and digital audio, including recording voice and environmental sounds, digital editing, mixing, and mastering. And as broadcast and digital journalists, you will fulfill one of the most vital roles in society: defending the First Amendment, the cornerstone of our democracy.
Come join us in the Department of Media, Journalism and Film!
Please note: The Department of Media, Journalism, and Film does not accept intra-university transfers. Students interested in the program must apply directly through the university admissions process.
Contact Us
Chair:
Jami Ramberan, M.F.A., Associate Professor
email: jami.ramberan@Howard.edu
Assistant Chair:
Carolyn Malachi, M.A., Assistant Professor
email: carolyn.malachi@howard.edu
Sequence Coordinators:
Audio Production: Heidi Gerber Salins, M.A., Associate Professor
Film-TV: Sri Nandigama, M.F.A., Assistant Professor
Journalism: Stacey Patton, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Jami Ramberan, MFA
Chair, Media, Journalism and Film & Associate Professor
A Message from our Chair!
Welcome to the Department of Media, Journalism, and Film at Howard University’s Cathy Hughes School of Communications!
For more than half a century, our department has cultivated storytellers who influence culture not only within Black communities, but around the world. We prepare visionary journalists, filmmakers, audio producers, television creators, and digital innovators who shape culture rather than simply respond to it. We do not just teach media. We develop storytellers who redefine how stories shape culture.
Whether your focus is cinematic storytelling, investigative journalism, immersive audio, or emerging digital platforms, you will learn by doing. You will engage in hands-on production, critical inquiry, and collaborative creation, developing the technical mastery, intellectual depth, and cultural fluency required to tell the stories that matter.
Our graduates are Pulitzer Prize and Emmy Award winners, newsroom leaders, award-winning filmmakers, media executives, scholars, and entrepreneurs. They lead in national newsrooms, streaming platforms, production studios, creative agencies, and start-ups across the globe. They are not only participants in the industry, they are redefining it.
As Chair, my commitment is to ensure that our department remains a space where excellence is expected, innovation is encouraged, and community is sustained. Here, you will be challenged to think critically, create boldly, and lead ethically. You will join a lineage of storytellers who understand that media is both craft and responsibility.
If you are ready to use your voice, your vision, and your discipline to inform, inspire, and transform, your story begins here.
Jami Ramberan, MFA
Chair, Department of Media, Journalism, and Film
Howard University
Our Programs
MFA Film
In 1983, Howard University’s Board of Trustees approved the establishment of the first—and still the only—graduate-level film degree offered at an HBCU with the creation of the MFA Film Program.
Learn MoreTech Center Guidelines
MJF students requesting to use Howard University equipment must submit an "Equipment Reservation" and have it approved by their professor.
Once approved, students must complete a "Statement of Responsibility" liability form and attach it to the reservation in order to take the equipment with them.
Learn moreOur Faculty & Staff
Jami Ramberan, MFA
She, Her
Associate Professor
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
jami.ramberan@Howard.edu
Nikole Hannah-Jones
Knight Chair in Race and Journalism
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
Quazi Zebunnahar Ahmed, PHD
She, her
Adjunct Lecturer
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
quazi.ahmed@Howard.edu
Idit Dvir
Department Chair
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
Heidi Gerber-Salins, M.A.
she/her/hers
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
Maha Haddad, MFA, M.A.
Master Instructor
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
maha.haddad@Howard.edu
Gracie Lawson-Borders, PHD
Professor and Dean Emerita
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
gracie.lawsonborders@howard.edu
Carolyn Malachi
she / her / hers
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
dominic k. McKenzie
he/him/his
Assistant Professor
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
Christine McWhorter, Ph.D.
She/Her
Assistant Professor of Broadcast Journalism
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
christine.mcwhorter@Howard.edu
Srikanth Nandigama
Assistant Professor and Film-TV Sequence Coordinator
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
srikanth.nandigama@Howard.edu
Akosua Adoma Owusu
she/her
Assistant Professor of Film
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
Akosua.Owusu@howard.edu
Vasilios Papaioannu, MFA
Assistant Professor
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
vasilios.papaioannu@howard.edu
Stacey Patton, Ph.D.
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
Vicci Saunders, MFA
Associate Professor
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
Shahriar Shafiani, PhD, MFA
He/Him
Assistant Professor | Graduate Film Program Coordinator
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
shahriar.shafiani@howard.edu
Shom Shamapande, MPA
He/Him
Lecturer
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
shomwa.shamapande@howard.edu
Deron Snyder, M.S.
he/him/his
Lecturer
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
deron.snyder@howard.edu
Ingrid Sturgis, Ph.D.
She/Her/Hers
Associate Professor
Media, Journalism, Film & Communication
ISturgis@Howard.edu
