The Department of Journalism & Mass Communication, Osmania University, is celebrating 70 years of its establishment in 2024. It was founded in 1954 by American journalist and educator De Forest O'Dell.

The 'Department of Journalism', as it was then known, was one of the first departments in the country dedicated to the subject. It began by offering a one-year post-graduate diploma course, with assistance from World Literacy Inc. In 1962, the course was upgraded to a full-fledged post-graduate Bachelor's Degree course. Osmania became the first University in the country to offer a degree (B.J.) in journalism. In 1974, the Master's degree course (MJ) was introduced.

Responding to the growing importance of the field of communication, the Department was renamed as 'Department of Communication and Journalism' in 1976-77. The courses were also renamed as Bachelor of Communication and Journalism (BCJ) and Master of Communication and Journalism (MCJ). The MPhil programme was started in 1991 and PhD in 2005. The Department completed its Golden Jubilee in 2004.

The Department made a major shift with the introduction of a two-year MCJ from the academic year 2011-12. The one-year BCJ has since been discontinued. From 2017-18 onwards, the course has been known as 'M.A. (Journalism & Mass Communication)' in keeping with the guidelines issued by the University Grants Commission. Accordingly, the Department has also been rechristened as the 'Department of Journalism & Mass Communication.'

The Department has kept up its reputation for job placements for M.A. students, and has also emerged as a major centre for doctoral research, with scholars working on a wide-range of pertinent themes.