Broadcast/ Television Journalism  MA

Overview

The Broadcast/Television Journalism MA at City is one of the UK's leading courses in this field. Graduates of these BJTC-accredited courses include the BBC's Sophie Raworth and Gillian Joseph from Sky News.

Broadcast Journalism Training Council

Course Fees:

  • Full-time EU: £9,000
  • Full-time Non EU: £18,000

Start Date:

24 September 2012

How to Apply

Entry Requirements

Applicants should have at least a good second class degree in any subject. Consideration will also be given to mature applicants with substantial work experience in radio and/or television journalism. Students whose first language is not English are advised to apply for the International Journalism MA, which is designed specifically for students from outside the UK.

Pre-requisites

  • You should have at least a good second class degree in any subject.
  • Applicants for both courses must demonstrate a knowledge of TV and/or radio news and current affairs. We expect a high standard of general knowledge relating to politics, international news, sport and entertainment.
  • Broadcast Journalism applicants should also have work experience in a local radio station.
  • Television Journalism applicants should also have work experience with a TV company or student TV, but this is desirable rather than essential. You should be able to demonstrate an interest in visual media
  • The Broadcast Journalism and Television Journalism courses are taught together for two-thirds of the syllabus. We urge applicants to look at both courses, but please only apply for one. We reserve the right to suggest you transfer your application between these courses if we feel you are better qualified for one or the other.

Other Suitable Qualifications

As well as new graduates, we also welcome applications from mature applicants with substantial work experience in radio and/or television journalism.

English Requirements

If your first language is not English, we advise you to apply for the International Journalism MA, which is designed specifically for students from outside the UK.

Visa Requirements

The way that you apply may vary depending on the length of your course at City, there are different rules for:

  • Students on courses of more than 6 months
  • Students on courses of less than 6 months
  • Students on a pre-sessional English Language course

For more information see our main Visa page.

When and Where

Start Date:
24 September 2012
Duration:
Full-time (10 months). There is a part time option available for a very small number of students on the Broadcast Journalism MA. Part-time students study on Monday and Tuesday in the first year and on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in the second year. Part-time students also need to be prepared to take week- or fortnight-long holidays from other work in order to study some modules and to undertake work placements. Being a part-time student requires strong motivation and excellent personal organisation skills. Part-time places are awarded at the discretion of the pathway director.

Course Content

City University London has been training aspiring broadcast journalists since 1981, and our broadcast training courses are among the best-known and most highly-regarded in the UK today. Course alumni include Gillian Joseph (Sky News), Sophie Raworth (BBC News), Brigid Nzekwu and Keme Nzerem (Channel 4 News) and Barbara Serra (Al Jazeera).

These two MA courses prepare you for a first job in radio or television journalism. Both are accredited by the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC).

All students use state-of-the-art facilities opened in 2009, including a purpose-built digital television studio, two radio studios, and five newsrooms.

Which course is for you? 

Broadcast Journalism: offers practical training in radio and television. Newswriting, television and radio journalism are taught through lectures, workshops and broadcast simulation

Television Journalism: this covers news, documentaries and lifestyle TV journalism. Please apply for this course if your interest is primarily in television journalism of any kind

If your first language is not English, you are advised to apply for the International Broadcast Journalism MA, which is designed specifically for students from outside the UK

Course Structure

Modules include

Teaching and Assessment

All MA Journalism courses at City are practical, hands-on courses designed for people that want to become journalists. As a result, much of your coursework will be journalistic assignments that you produce to deadline, as you would in a real news organisation.

Some courses are taught in lecture theatres, such as Journalism and Society 1 and Media Law, but most are small-group workshops that allow you to develop your journalistic skills and knowledge with the support of our expert academics.

We advise our students that they need to be available for classes and assignments from Mondays to Fridays during working hours, and occasionally outside those times.

Recommended Reading

Sample reading list for Journalism & Society 1

Belsley, Andrew, Chadwick, Ruth (eds) Ethical Issues in Journalism And the Media, Routledge, 1992
Hicks, Wynford, English for Journalists, Routledge,1998
Quinn, Frances, Law For Journalists, Pearson Education, 2007
Morrison, James, Public Affairs For Journalists, Oxford University Press, 2009

Fees

  • Full-time EU: £9,000
  • Full-time Non EU: £18,000
Please note that, for part-time courses, the tuition fee is likely to increase by a small percentage in subsequent years.

Funding

For up-to-date information about tuition fees, living costs and financial support, visit Undergraduate Fees and Finance or Postgraduate Fees and Finance.

A small number of bursaries are advertised and awarded by media organisations. Please visit our website for details.

Scholarships

AHRC Scholarships

We advise applicants about the availability of AHRC funding and the application process after you have received your offer of a place on the course. In recent years details about scholarships have not been confirmed by the AHRC until late spring / early summer.   

Bursaries

Some bursaries are advertised and awarded by media organisations. Please visit the Department of Journalism's bursaries page for more details.

Placements

Work placements are an integral part of both broadcasting MA courses, giving you the chance to put your learning into practice and, more importantly, make contacts in the industry.

Broadcast Journalism

Broadcast Journalism students do two work placements, one of which must be in radio.

Television Journalism

Television Journalism students have a weekly placement in the TV industry during term time. Organisations hosting Television Journalism students during the 2011/2 academic year include:

  • ABC
  • Al-Jazeera
  • BBC Africa
  • BBC Andrew Marr Show
  • BBC Breakfast
  • BBC Click
  • BBC Current Affairs
  • BBC HARDtalk
  • BBC London
  • BBC News
  • BBC Newsnight
  • BBC Sport
  • BBC The One Show
  • BBC Watchdog
  • Blakeway Productions
  • Blink
  • CTVC
  • Flame
  • Hardcash Productions
  • ITN
  • ITN Sport (Olympics)
  • NorthOne
  • October Films
  • OR Media
  • Plum Films
  • politics.com
  • Reuters
  • Sky Arts
  • Sky Business
  • Sky Channel 5 News
  • Sky News (Planning)
  • Sky News Sunrise
  • Sky Sports
  • Sky World News
  • Talkback

Career Prospects

Prominent alumni

We have been running Journalism courses at City since 1976. In the 34 years since, over 4,000 students have graduated and are now working in the media in the UK and internationally.

Read alumni stories and see the full list of graduate destinations in the 25th anniversary issue of our alumni magazine XCity.

City University Journalism alumni occupy top positions in broadcast journalism in the UK and overseas. They include:

  • Samira Ahmed, Channel 4 News presenter and journalist
  • Richard Klein, Controller of BBC4
  • Kirsty Lang, BBC presenter
  • Dermot Murnaghan, Sky News presenter
  • Sophie Raworth, BBC News presenter

See more leading City Journalism alumni in broadcasting.

See also where graduates of the 2009/10 MA class are working now.

Application Deadline

12 March 2012


MA Broadcast Journalism / Television Journalism

You can apply either in hard copy by post or online. Please follow the instructions below carefully.

To apply for a course, please submit the following:

  1. One application form
  2. Two references. We prefer you to submit one academic reference, and one reference from a journalism-related work placement.
    Please note that you are responsible for ensuring that your references reach us no later than 12 March 2012.
  3. A copy of your degree transcript. We require one of the following: an original transcript; a copy certified by your university; or an electronic scan of your transcript. If you have not yet graduated, you will be required to submit your degree transcript as soon as it is available. You will not be able to register as a City student without having supplied your degree transcript.
  4. Details of your work experience in journalism. Applicants should be able to demonstrate commitment to journalism through relevant work experience.
    Either include these on a separate sheet with your postal application, or copy and paste the details into the "Personal Statement" section of the online application form.
  5. Two written critiques:
  • write a critique of 200 words on a factual or news radio programme broadcast at any time in the last month
  • write a critique of 200 words on a factual or news TV programme broadcast at any time in the last month

    Either include these on a separate sheet with your postal application, or copy and paste the details into the "Personal Statement" section of the online application form.

Application forms

Selection process

Application deadline

  • 12 March 2012 for submission of applications and all supporting documents (references, articles, etc.)
  • It is your responsibility to submit a completed application, including references and articles specified above, by the application deadline. We do not accept applications submitted after the deadline

AHRC Scholarships

We advise applicants about the availability of AHRC funding and the application process after you have received your offer of a place on the course. In recent years details about scholarships have not been confirmed by the AHRC until late spring / early summer.   

Consideration of your application

Your application will only be read and considered after the deadline has passed.

Interviews

Interviews will take place in April 2012. Further details will be posted here as soon as they are available.

Offers

You should expect to hear whether or not you have been selected for a place on the course in early May 2012.

Return address

Please return your postal application form and/or supporting documents, marked "Postgraduate Applications 2012", to: Admissions, Graduate School of Journalism, City University London, Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB, UK.