Programme Overview

At the end of the 20th century, media industries and landscapes began to undergo radical changes due to the breakthroughs taking place in information technology. Software allowing large volumes of information to be processed quickly and easily and the emergence of machine-readable online materials, including open data, have resulted in a new interdisciplinary profession called Data Journalism. It is now possible to use a variety of tools that process and visualize big data to find, structure and analyse media materials, create stories and visualize them for wide audiences through texts and infographics.

The growing number of communication channels, commercialization of media, and the proliferation of small, mobile devices have led to heightened competition for audience attention. Consumers now react to the variety of the content (e.g., video, audio, text, and infographics) rather than simply to the meaning of information. This has led to the emergence of integrated types of content (i.e., multimedia information).

The programme in Data Journalism offers comprehensive training for professionals aiming to work in the contemporary media space, learn the key technologies and develop the skills to produce content for various communication channels. In addition, the experience of working with and interpreting big data opens new employment opportunities for graduates, such as the public sector, education, research, and non-profit organizations, among others.

By having knowledge of the key global trends in media development, being well versed in using essential innovative practices in mass media, and understanding convergence processes, graduates of the programme will be prepared to produce media in the contemporary context. They will be familiar with media technologies and have the ability to create journalistic materials in line with established standards as it relates to content and technology.