The Graduate School of Media and Communications in Nairobi, Kenya fosters an independent, socially diverse and responsible media and communications sector.
AKDN / Teddy Mitchener
The Graduate School of Media and Communications in Nairobi, Kenya fosters an independent, socially diverse …
AKDN / Teddy Mitchener
Graduate School of Media and Communications
Launched in 2015, the Aga Khan University’s Nairobi-based Graduate School of Media and Communications (GSMC) offers working journalists and communications professionals the chance to learn from practitioners from some of the world’s leading media and communications organisations.
GSMC aims to be the premier source of education and tailored training for journalists, communicators, media executives and entrepreneurs in East Africa and beyond. It seeks to foster an ethical, diverse, independent, innovative and economically thriving media and communications sector that contributes to the creation of successful and sustainable societies in an era of rapid change.
East Africa needs journalism that raises the level of debate, helps citizens to fulfill their civic responsibilities and spotlights challenges before they become crises. It needs reporters with expertise in critical topics such as business, the environment and development. It needs media enterprises that invest in creating great content and that serve the general interest without fear or favour. And it needs communications professionals who can cut through the clutter of an increasingly crowded media landscape with compelling messages that drive action and create value. By helping to create such a media and communications sector, GSMC will make a lasting difference in East Africa and beyond.
Photojournalism course at the Aga Khan University - Graduate School of Media and Communications (AKU-GSMC).
AKU
GSMC offers four programmes: an MA in Digital Journalism, covering investigation and analysis, media law and ethics, and specialist reporting; an Executive Masters in Media Leadership and Innovation, focused on industry direction and the skills to navigate a changing media landscape; an MA in Strategic Communications, addressing communication challenges across health, development, public affairs, politics, finance and corporate settings; and short courses in Executive Education and Professional Development, covering areas including digital communications, media relations, storytelling and AI for communicators.
GSMC has brought current and former journalists from the Financial Times, the Washington Post, the BBC, CNN, the Standard Media Group, the Business Daily of Kenya and other outlets to its state-of-the-art Nairobi headquarters to teach professional development short courses for practising reporters and editors. Courses range in duration from one day to two months and cover a wide range of subjects, including using smartphones to produce high-quality video, covering the energy and mining industries and social media marketing.