This is a highly-flexible Masters, suitable for graduates from any discipline, not just journalism. Through optional modules and coursework, you can specialise in a genre of journalism that interests you and decide whether to focus on practical skills, research, or both.

Course description

The highlights

• Tailor this MA to your interests and aspirations: with only one prescribed module per trimester, you will have plenty of choice around what you study
• Choose your focus: if you want to be a journalist or are already working as one, you can focus on developing or refreshing your practical skills. However, if you’re more interested in further study or academia, you can focus on developing your research and intellectual skills
• Our journalism facilities are some of the best in the country, including radio studios, a television studio, video editing suites, Mac suites and a newsroom featuring the latest software
• This is a new Masters but our other journalism courses, including football journalism, have a good reputation and we have particularly strong connections with sports journalists and the magazine industry
• We’ll make sure you have an exceptional student experience, with more contact hours than most universities and staff that go the extra mile to support you.

How you are assessed

There are a variety of ‘summative assessments’ towards the end of each module, such as essays, oral presentations, reports that draw on qualitative and quantitative data, and critically reflective pieces.

On the more practical modules, you will create journalistic content that can be published by professional media outlets, using a variety of platforms and technology. You will be able to choose the journalism genre and media format for these assessments. We will usually ask you to write short academic essays to accompany this practical work, which contextualise and reflect on what you have produced.

Careers

This MA provides great preparation for a career in journalism or communications. You could go on to work for local, regional, and national newspapers, the BBC or independent radio, specialist magazines, and a wide variety of online businesses.

Alternatively, you could work in PR and marketing roles for public, private or third sector organisations, thanks to your advanced writing skills, knowledge of traditional and digital forms of communication, and your ability to gather and interpret qualitative and quantitative data.