The Department of Journalism was established in 1983. At the time, it constituted one of the branches of Political Science, Law, and Journalism within the Faculty of Economics. It awarded a bachelor's degree— as a minor major— in print journalism. In 1995, the department became independent and stood as a self-contained entity, offering a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism as a single, major, or minor. In 1997, the department was transferred to the Faculty of Arts, becoming its seventh department, and offered a single specialization in Journalism and Media.

By 2010, the Faculty of Media was established, and the Department of Journalism moved to this new faculty. It became one of its three departments:

• Print and Electronic Journalism
• Public Relations and Communication
• Radio and Television

Following a restructuring of the university's faculties, the three departments of the Faculty of Media—including the Department of Print and Electronic Journalism—were transferred to the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the beginning of the first academic year 2013/2014, and later to the Faculty of Business and Communication.

Based on the rapid advancements in communication technologies and their global impact on traditional media, there arose an urgent need to keep pace with these developments. It became imperative for those managing the program to design a study plan that aligns with these changes and prepares journalists capable of serving local, Arab, and global communities. Consequently, the curriculum was modified, and the department was renamed the Department of Communication and Digital Media.