Intro

Our accredited Journalism MA is a new and exciting degree that will prepare you for a media career by developing both the practical skills to work in the industry and the critical abilities to challenge and improve journalistic practice.

Our course will suit you if you have studied an undergraduate degree in a non-journalism subject area or are looking to gain a professional qualification to pursue a career in the industry.

National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) accreditation is recognised in the industry as a strong indication that new recruits have the skills and knowledge to become effective multimedia journalists in a busy newsroom. In addition to your masters degree, you will also have the opportunity to take the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism. The NCTJ diploma is a widely recognised entry-level qualification for professional practice.

You will study new digital and social media practices alongside core, traditional story-gathering methods. You will learn the technical skills of video and audio recording that have become key parts of a multi-platform journalist’s tool kit.

The course will underpin your professional practice by exploring contemporary journalistic issues and debates, such as fake news. You will also study the contextual knowledge needed by professional journalists, such as media law and local and central government,

The course will be delivered by media industry professionals and respected academics. Our student journalism website, overtimeonline.co.uk, will enable you to publish articles to a wider audience.

Through our Professional-Based Learning module, you will spend time in a newsroom environment on placement. We have close links with both national and local organisations including Sky News and the Brighton Argus. You'll also gain insight from field trips and from visiting industry guest lecturers.

We have been running journalism courses since 2003 and you'll benefit from industry-standard facilities including our newsroom.

Key facts

Location Eastbourne

Full-time 1 year
Part-time 2–6 years

Accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists

From September 2021, our journalism courses will be based in Brighton on our Moulsecoomb campus.

Find out about postgraduate events

Apply online

Please review the entry requirements carefully and if you have any questions do get in touch with us.

Apply now for your place

Course content

Course structure

The Journalism MA comprises six 20-credit modules that each involve 30 hours of contact time plus an independent final project where you will work with an allocated supervisor.

The course is taught by industry professionals and highly respected academics who will help you develop key journalism skills as well as academic research and writing methods.

You will compile an e-portfolio of assorted journalistic work that will act as a showcase to prospective employers. Practical journalism modules will feed into your portfolio and you will also publish your work on our website, Overtime Online.

Your placement will enable you to demonstrate hands-on experience in a journalistic environment.

The course is flexible in that it allows you to exit with a postgraduate certificate at the end of one semester (three 20-credit modules) or a postgraduate diploma at the end of two semesters (six 20-credit modules). You must complete the 60-credit research project to qualify for the MA.

For international students, the MA offers an extended masters route with English language study for between two and six months before the course begins.

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Our journalism courses have moved from our Eastbourne campus to Brighton – see some of the students exploring the industry-standard facilities on offer and hear them talking about what they love about their degrees.

Areas of study

The Journalism MA will give you the critical, contextual, and practical skills and knowledge to succeed in the journalism industry.

Analyse the state of the industry and critically appraise how professional standards can be improved with particular focus on ethically and socially responsible journalism.
Explore how the industry has changed in the digital age, the challenges posed, and how this new media environment shapes what journalism can and should be.
Apply theoretical models of understanding journalism such as tabloidisation, gatekeeping theory, sociology of work and professions, and political economy in exploring occupational and industry shifts.

Evaluate key legal and ethical debates affecting the industry including regulatory bodies, codes of conduct, legislative changes impacting on journalists such as the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, and privacy versus public interest arguments.
Learn key contextual knowledge for journalists, specifically local and central government and media law, and are expected to problem solve in these areas using mock newsroom scenarios.

The course structure ensures that key thematic areas of general journalism education are covered, while providing opportunities for you to specialise in your own journalistic interests.

Modules

Core modules

Journalism in Society
News Journalism
Digital Journalism
Critical Issues in Journalism
Specialist Journalism
Professional Practice
Journalism Dissertation

The Critical Issues in Journalism module enables you to explore the critical and contextual knowledge needed to underpin good journalistic practice.

Professional Practice will oversee your professional development and you will also synthesise your learning in the dissertation.

Practical journalism modules (News Journalism and Digital Journalism) explore newer, forward-thinking digital practices such as live blogging, social media and data journalism alongside the core, traditional skills of interviewing, writing skills and networking. You will evaluate the most appropriate technique to the story in question and consider relevant ethical considerations.

You will also be able to study long-form, specialist areas of journalism that are of interest to you, such as gaming, fashion, music, and film, through the Specialist Journalism module.

NCTJ Diploma

In addition to gaining a Journalism MA we offer you the opportunity to take the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism and include the examination costs within your university course fees.*

The NCTJ Diploma in Journalism is the qualification that editors look for when recruiting a trainee journalist.

The NCTJ Diploma examines in general reporting, ethics and regulation, public affairs, media law, court reporting, video journalism for online, Teeline shorthand, and a portfolio of journalistic work.

Although not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to engage with this opportunity. Achieving gold standard of A-C in all components of the diploma and 100 words per minute in shorthand will boost your qualifications and your employment prospects.

* The university will pay for your first assessment attempts of the NCTJ Diploma but you would need to finance any re-sits yourself.

Professional experience

The Professional-based Learning module is a great opportunity to get some practical experience in a journalistic work environment and gain invaluable firsthand knowledge. You'll be able to further engage with journalism, and to reflect upon and improve your academic, personal and professional skills.

Our school-based Employability Hub is on hand to assist you in securing an experience that best meets your career goals and aspirations. Professional experience will also help you gain invaluable contacts – many of our students have started their careers with their placement organisation. You will also compile an e-portfolio of journalistic work that will act as a showcase to prospective employers.

We have links with many organisations for placements including:

The Daily Telegraph
Harper's Bazaar
BBC Sussex
The Brighton Argus
Guestlist
The Eastbourne Herald
The Hastings Observer
Etc Magazine
Sky News.

Features

Field trips
As a journalism student you will benefit from industry field trips. Previous trips have included:

a bespoke development day at Sky’s HQ in West London which involved guest speakers and activities
a field trip to Westminster with a guided tour by Eastbourne MP Stephen Lloyd
a visit to De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill to see how the press and publicity operation works.

Guest speakers
Journalism at Brighton also has a vibrant guest speaker programme. Previous visitors have included:

Dr Stephen Quinn, author of The Mobile Journalism Handbook
Lawrence Marzouk, editor, Balkan Investigative Reporters Network
Richard Evans, social media manager, Sky News
Joseph O'Leary, Full Fact
Colin Campbell. BBC investigative reporter
Rebecca Vincent, Reporters Without Borders
Maria Hudd, acting chief reporter, Hastings Observer
Bella Todd. freelance, Time Out
Bill Gardner, deputy news editor, Daily Telegraph.

Facilities

Journalists in the digital age need to be able to multi-skill and our facilities ensure that you will gain all the skills you need.

You'll be able to explore photo editing, desktop publishing and audio and video editing.

The newsroom with live news and sports feeds gives you authentic real-life journalistic experience. And our sound, filming and editing equipment familiarise you with the latest technology and ensure that you graduate with the technical skills essential for your media career.

Meet the team

Ben Parsons, course leader

Ben Parsons joined the University of Brighton after a decade working for daily regional newspapers. He started out as an online sub-editor at sportinglife.com, before joining the North-West Evening Mail in Cumbria, becoming health reporter and then assistant news editor.

As crime reporter for The Argus in Brighton, he covered serial killer investigations and Old Bailey trials. His work has also appeared in The Daily Telegraph and Racing Post.

Ben has a BA in English, NCTJ certificate (qualifying as a Senior Journalist), PGCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, and a Masters in Arts and Cultural Research. He lectures on modules in practical journalism, newswriting and law, teaches political philosophy for journalists, and supervises final-year projects. Ben also sits on the NCTJ Media Law examinations board. His research interests are in approaches to journalism training, and in public sphere theory.

Dr Simon Mcennis, Principal Lecturer

Simon has a professional background in both national and local newspapers. He was a sports journalist with The Sun for nine years and was previously deputy sports editor of the Colchester Evening Gazette. He has also contributed sports reports to the Daily Mirror, Daily Mail and the Press Association. Simon holds both the National Certificate qualification for senior newspaper journalists and the NCTJ pre-entry certificate.

Simon has worked in academia since 2009 with research interests in journalism professionalism. He has had scholarly work published in Digital Journalism, Journalism and Journalism Practice. He received his PHD by publication from University of Brighton in 2019, entitled ‘Sports journalists and the professional crisis’.

Simon has a close working relationship with Sky Sports News where he delivers a 20-session advanced journalism programme to industry professionals. Simon writes national examination papers on sports journalism for the industry training body, the NCTJ.

Owen Evans, Senior Lecturer

Owen is a sports business academic and ex-professional sports journalist. He was editor for SportBusiness International magazine, the oldest magazine covering the business of sport, and covered major events including the 2012 London Olympics and the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

He was previously a news reporter for three years with Northcliffe Media, reporting mainly for the Surrey Mirror. He holds a MSc in Sport Management and the Business of Football from Birkbeck College, University of London, and completed his NCTJ pre-entry certificate from News Associates. Previously he has been a returning guest speaker on postgraduate programmes such as CIES (Centre for International Sports Studies) Fifa Master, The MESGO (Master of European Sport Governance) and Vrije Universiteit’s Master in Sport, Economics and Communication.

Owen is the Sport Journalism BA(Hons) course leader and lectures across the journalism courses. He is a PhD candidate with Brighton Business School, investigating Qatar's soft power approach to hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Justine Fisher, Senior Lecturer

Justine joined the University of Brighton after a 20-year career in radio and television, predominantly at the BBC and ITV. She started as a staff reporter at BBC Radio Cumbria, before producing and presenting Drivetime. She moved on to BBC1’s Consumer Unit and worked for Watchdog and Rogue Traders. She also produced video appeal films for Children In Need. She spent five years as a Producer/Director at ITV1’s This Morning programme.

Justine has a BA(Hons) in Drama and an NCTJ accredited Postgraduate Diploma in Radio & Television. She has worked in academia since 2010, and now leads the first, second and MA modules in digital journalism. She has a particular interest in multimedia multiplatform journalism and the evolving social media newsroom. She is a self shooter and video editor.

Karen Dugdale

Karen is an NCTJ trained journalist and who leads the Public Administration module for the undergraduate courses in Journalism and Sports journalism. In addition to lecturing, tutoring and freelance journalism (she has written for a range of national and local publications including The Guardian, Observer, Marie Claire, The Times and Morning Advertiser) Karen sits on the NCTJ Public Affairs board that involves maintaining national industry standards for trainee journalists in response to the ever-changing world of political drama.

Karen also helps to deliver the undergraduate media law and court reporting and news-writing and ethics and teaches on the Journalism in Society MA module.

How this course is delivered

How will my course be taught?
For the academic year that starts in September 2022 we’re planning for all students to be taught face-to-face on campus, enhanced by some online learning.

Students who started their course with us in 2021 are on campus for some face-to-face learning including tutorials, workshops, laboratory classes and studio sessions. They are also taking part in off-campus learning activities such as placements, field trips and study visits. And all of our campus facilities – libraries, learning spaces, restaurants, gyms and more are open.

Like all universities we are following government guidance and we are monitoring the pandemic very closely. Should Public Health advise it we have robust plans in place for additional safety measures to be introduced to enable everyone to continue learning on campus, and, as a last resort, for students to continue their learning remotely.

We will update you regularly on our teaching plans for the next academic year as you progress your application with us.

When does my course start?
The 2022 academic year begins on Monday 26 September 2022. Teaching for most courses starts the following week.

Many education courses, some health science courses including Medicine, and some postgraduate business courses have an earlier start date. Check your offer letter for the start date of your course.

Careers

This degree will open up career opportunities in areas including television, radio, print, web, and PR.

The first students will graduate from this course in 2020 and we expect them to build successful careers in the industry as our undergraduates have, including:

Alex Smith, senior BBC broadcast journalist
Fiona McGeever, production runner on C4 Food Unwrapped
Polly Johns, social media editor at dealchecker.co.uk
Jon Vale, parliamentary correspondent for the Press Association
Talia French, deputy news editor for Heart Sussex Radio
Luke Adams, audience and content editor/senior reporter for Reading Chronicle
Lorenzo Ottone, music and style writer at Cool Brother
Nammie Matthews, editor of BN1 magazine
Gareth Burton, Essex County Council senior communications officer.

Graduate Lorenzo Ottone is now a music and style writer at Cool Brother.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

The entry requirements listed here are our typical offer for this course if you wish to begin studying with us in 2022. They should be used as a general guide.

Degree and experience
Honours degree in any subject normally with a minimum 2:2 or equivalent, or an HND equivalent plus at least five years of relevant work experience. Other applicants with extensive industry experience will be considered on an individual basis.

English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall, with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements.

International students whose language skills do not match the IELTS scores set out here should consider applying for this course through our Extended Masters programme.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language centre

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Fees

Course fees

UK (full-time)7,866 GBP

International (full-time)13,842 GBP

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more about postgraduate fees and funding.

Journalism Diversity Fund bursary

You may be eligible to apply for this award which helps postgraduate students from socially or ethnically diverse backgrounds to fund NCTJ journalism training. Bursaries are awarded four times per year and recipients will also be mentored by a working journalist. Find out more about the Journalism Diversity Fund.

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies, although we have tried to keep this to a minimum. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included in your fees, while studying a course in the School of Art and Media in the 2021–22 academic year are listed here.

Typically, practice-based courses incur more costs than text-based subjects.

For most courses you will need to budget for the cost of specialist materials, equipment, stationary and printing and are likely to spend between £50–£300 per year.
Course books and a wide range of magazines and journals are available in the university libraries. You do not need to have your own copies, but if you wish to, you should budget up to £200 over your course to buy them.
For some courses you may also need to budget up to £100 for specialist personal protective clothing which, with care, will last for the whole of your course and beyond.
Specialist equipment is provided to cover essential learning, and you will have access to computers and necessary software across the university, but students may choose to buy their own specialist equipment. These may include cameras, or computers and software. Budgets can range from £50–£2,000. Buying specialist equipment is best undertaken in consultation with our academic and technical staff. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses.
For some courses you will need to budget up to £200 for printing and publishing. Photography courses may incur higher costs (£500–£2,000) when printing and framing images of professional standard for public presentation.
Costs in your final year of study are very likely to be higher than in earlier years as you bring together your final body of work and portfolio, and you may need to budget between £200 and £1,000.
Final-year graduation shows are opportunities to present your final, independent project work to the public. Practice-based courses will typically incur higher costs. Depending on the specific nature of your final project you will need to budget between £20–£2,500. 
For most courses you will have the opportunity to attend field trips and off-site visits, for example to galleries, exhibitions and studios both in the UK and overseas. These are optional and are not required to pass your course. The nature of the costs vary from provisions for a packed-lunch to flight and accommodation costs for international field trips. The amount spent would be based on location and number of trips taken, and typically range between £30 and £700 across the duration of your course.
For courses which feature an optional placement year, you will need to budget for living costs (rent, food, travel etc) in that city/country, as if you were on site at the university.

You can chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2022–23.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Location

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Two miles north of Brighton seafront, Moulsecoomb is our largest campus and student village. Over the last four years Moulsecoomb has undergone a major transformation, planned with accessibility, inclusivity and sustainability in mind.

Over 900 students live here in our halls, Moulsecoomb Place and the new Mithras halls – Brunswick, Goldstone, Hanover, Preston and Regency.

On campus you’ll find professional-standard facilities and learning resources for all of our subjects and a brand new academic building Elm House, alongside the library, student centre, fitness facilities and the Students’ Union.

Moulsecoomb has easy access to buses and trains and to all the exciting things happening in our home city.

Accommodation

Brighton: Moulsecoomb

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students who apply by 30 June.

Halls of residence
We have halls of residence across Brighton in the city centre, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

You'll be prioritised for accommodation in the halls that are linked to your teaching base, subject to availability.
Moulsecoomb campus is linked to Moulsecoomb Place, Mithras halls and Varley Park. All halls are self-catered.
- Varley Park offers a mix of rooms. It is around two miles from Moulsecoomb campus and four miles from the city centre. Public transport in the city is excellent, and there’s a shuttle bus between our Brighton campuses during term time.
- Moulsecoomb Place halls are all self-catered and are located right on campus.

Want to live independently? We can help – find out more about private renting.

Modern accommodation at nearby Varley Halls

Modern accommodation at nearby Varley Park

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Students eating at the Hub

Local area

About Brighton

The city of Brighton & Hove is a forward-thinking place which leads the way in the arts, technology, sustainability and creativity. You'll find living here plays a key role in your learning experience.

Brighton is a leading centre for creative media technology, recently named the startup capital of the UK.

The city is home to a national 5G testbed and over 1,000 tech businesses. The digital sector is worth over £1bn a year to the local economy - as much as tourism.

All of our full-time undergraduate courses involve work-based learning - this could be through placements, live briefs and guest lectures. Many of these opportunities are provided by local businesses and organisations.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and less than 40 minutes to Eastbourne. There are also daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Maps

Moulsecoomb campus map

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Sport at Brighton

Sport Brighton

Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition.

Find out more about Sport Brighton.

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

Cricket Academy

New for September 2023, our Cricket Academy offers aspiring players the opportunity to continue their cricket development alongside studying for a degree. The programme offers a world-class training environment with the highest quality coaching.

Find out more about the Cricket Academy.

Stay in touch

Find out about postgraduate events

Ask a question about this course

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644

Read the latest course news on our postgraduate course blog. You can also get in touch with postgraduate students, graduates and staff by joining our postgraduate Facebook group.

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