About Department of Journalism and Communication

The Department of Journalism and Communication was established in 2008 as one element of the Institute of Languages Study and Journalism of Wollega University. It aims at producing professional journalists who respect fundamental human rights, embrace diversity, work for social justice and have journalistic knowledge and skills. More specifically, the department strives to produce professionals who are expected to pursue their careers as reporters, editors, press advisors, program producers, media managers, public relations officers, communication researchers and consultants both at national and international levels. It is clear that Media plays a fundamental role in providing accurate information which is important for the society to make decisions related to socio-economic and political affairs. As a result, it is very essential to train well educated, gifted, principled and capable media professionals who can contribute to the holistic national development in terms of media ethics standards and content responsibly. The department has thorough course works, projects and practical attachments where the students get practical work and hands on training sessions through attachments to local media organizations to bridges theoretical knowledge with practical application. The department has been teaching only in regular modality. At present (2025), the department has nine academic staffs out of which seven of them are M.A holders and two of them are PhD candidates. About 39 regular students including one from South Sudan are pursuing their education in the department. The department encourages both national and international students to enhance their journalistic skills and public relations expertise. In addition to teaching and learning, the department engages in research and community services to enhance media literacy and foster public dialogue on social issues.