The School endeavors to create an environment that enables the training to meet the needs of our society and give students the best possible academic and professional education to prepare them for entry into various careers in the information communication sector

The history of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) goes back to 1975 when it was established by the government as Tanzania School of Journalism (TSJ) offering a two-year Diploma in Journalism. In 1981, the TSJ was established by an Act of Parliament No. 8. With the liberalization of the economy and politics in the 1990s, Tanzania witnessed a tremendous growth of both private and public media. The TSJ could no longer keep pace with the increased demands for highly trained journalists and media workers.

In March 2002, a decision was made to integrate the TSJ into the University of Dar es Salaam. This led to the establishment of the Institute of Journalism and Mass Communication (IJMC) in July 2003 by the University Act of Parliament No.12 of 1970. This move enabled the IJMC to offer Bachelor degree programs in Journalism, Mass Communication as well as Public Relations and Advertising.

In recent years, the University of Dar es Salaam has been undergoing through a process of restructuring its academic organs in order to ensure efficient delivery of the programmes. It is in this context that in April 2009, the IJMC was transformed into a School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC).

By being a School of the University of Dar es Salaam, the SJMC is granted more autonomy to become the leading media training institution in the country. Currently, 300 students are enrolled in various programmes.