International Journalism  MA

Overview

Open Evening: Wednesday 19 June

Join us on Wednesday 19 June (17.00-19.00) to find out more about the International Journalism MA and talk to academics about the course and applying. Book your Open Evening place now.

Overview

The International Journalism MA is a one-year practical course in which you will develop skills in print, radio, TV and online journalism. You will learn how to gather and report news alongside an international group of students who will become your future professional network. The course is designed for students from outside the UK.

You will benefit from:    

  • our central London location. City is based in the heart of London's media district, giving you unrivalled access to contacts and internships
  • excellent graduate prospects. Employment rates are outstanding, with 97 per cent of our 2011 graduates in employment within six months with organisations including Al Jazeera, BBC, Thomson Reuters and Sky News.
  • world-famous guest speakers. Recent visitors to the course have included Tyler Brûlé (Editor-in-Chief, Monocle), Christina Lamb (The Sunday Times, four times Foreign Correspondent of the year), Tom Standage (Digital Editor, The Economist), American photojournalist Lynsey Addario, and Ghaith Abdul-Ahad (The Guardian's award-winning correspondent)
  • an international learning experience. You will share journalistic and cultural experiences with your fellow students from all over the world. (Students from 29 countries are in the class of 2013.)

A film about Journalism at City 

International Journalism MA graduate Nicole Young (CBS News) talks about studying Journalism at City and her life since graduating. 

 

Course Fees:

  • Full-time EU: £9,000 (2013 entry)
  • Full-time Non EU: £16,000 (2013 entry)

Start Date:

16 September 2013

How to Apply

Entry Requirements

The International Journalism MA is intended primarily for applicants from outside the UK. Our MA courses in Broadcast/Television, Investigative, Magazine, and Newspaper Journalism are designed for students who wish to work within the UK, and include UK-specific modules including UK Media Law and Public Administration.

  • You must have a degree equivalent to a good second-class British Bachelors Honours degree (ie. a 2.1 - Second Class Upper Division - or above); or, exceptionally, a minimum of seven years' work experience in journalism.
  • It is highly desirable that you have some relevant work experience in journalism. This may be paid work, an internship, student journalism at your university/college, freelance work, or a combination of these.
  • If English is not your first language, you must get a minimum overall score of 7.0 in the IELTS English language test, including at least 7.0 in the Writing element of the test. (See also 'English Requirements', below)

Other Suitable Qualifications

Postgraduate Preparatory Courses for International Students

If you do not qualify for direct entry, our partner INTO City University London offers an academic preparation programme - the Graduate Diploma in Business, Law and Social Science. The course offers a route to City University London through an excellent teaching and learning experience, located in purpose built study facilities. Successful completion of the Graduate Diploma at INTO City University London to the standard required provides guaranteed progression to this Masters degree.

English Requirements

If your first language is not English you are required to get a minimum overall score of 7.0 in the IELTS English language test, including at least 7.0 in the Writing element of the test.

IELTS certificate

You may submit an application without your IELTS certificate. However, you are at an advantage if you submit an IELTS test with your application, as we may be able to offer you an unconditional place on the course (subject to you meeting our other entry requirements).

If you are yet to take the IELTS test, please indicate in the "English Language" section of the application form the date you have arranged to take the test.

INTO English Language Programmes

If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, our partner, INTO City University London offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to this degree.

Please click the links below for more information.

Visa Requirements

City University London retains Highly Trusted Status from UKBA, enabling us to sponsor international students to study in the UK.

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:
16 September 2013
Duration:
Full-time (10 months). You will be treated as professional journalists throughout the course of your studies and teaching hours will resemble those of a full-time job.

Course Content

All students on the International Journalism MA take a course in print, radio, television and online journalism before specialising in either:    

  • print and online journalism    
  • radio and online journalism    
  • television and online journalism

Towards the end of the first term, we discuss with you and advise you on which specialist pathway would be best for your future career.

All students should complete an internship, either in the UK or overseas.

Course Structure

Modules include:

 

Read the full 2014 programme specification.

Teaching and Assessment

The International Journalism MA is vocationally-oriented with a high emphasis on developing practical skills in print or broadcast journalism. We focus on "learning by doing" - you cover real stories and produce newspapers, run a radio station, broadcast on the internet, and produce television news programmes and multimedia websites.

You have opportunities to meet, listen to and question journalists and other people from the media. You are encouraged to reflect on your own experiences as journalists and the ways in which practising journalists do their jobs by developing an understanding of ethical issues in journalism, the media and international reporting.

You will be treated as a professional journalist throughout the course of your studies and teaching hours will resemble those of a full-time job.

Teaching staff

Industry visitors

The International Journalism MA course prides itself on its close connections with the journalism industry. Here are some of the high-level industry figures who have contributed to the course in recent years:

  • David Schlesinger, Global Managing Editor, Reuters
  • Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor, Channel 4 News
  • Phil Harding, Director English Networks & News, BBC World Service (as External Examiner)
  • Yosri Fouda, London bureau chief and host "Top Secret", Al Jazeera
  • Salim Amin, ceo A-24 African network and head Camera Pix
  • Mark Brayne, Director, Dart Europe
  • Waleed Ibrahim, Reuters Iraq Bureau
  • Tim Lambon, Deputy Foreign Editor, Channel 4 News
  • Gavin McFaydean, Director, Centre of Investigative Journalism
  • David Leigh, Investigations Editor, The Guardian
  • Sandy McIntyre, head of APTN

Read the full 2014 programme specification.

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

Morrison, James, Public Affairs for Journalists, Oxford University Press, 2009

Quinn, Frances, Law For Journalists, Pearson Education, 2007

Fees

  • Full-time EU: £9,000 (2013 entry)
  • Full-time Non EU: £16,000 (2013 entry)

Funding

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

Bursaries

The following organisations have supported students in the Department of Journalism in the past. This is not a guarantee of future sponsorship, and you are advised to check the websites of these organisations for details of future bursary and scholarship schemes. 

  • NUJ (George Viner Memorial Fund). See the George Viner website.
  • Postgrad Solutions. Two bursaries of £500 each, open to both international and UK students. See the Postgrad Solutions website for more information.
  • British Council: Chevening awards. Usually for non-UK/EU students. See the Chevening website for further information. Please note: the deadline for 2012/3 awards has passed.
  • CBA-Chevening MA Awards. Open only to employees of Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) member organizations. Available for International Journalism MA applicants only. See the CBA website for more information. Please note: details to be announced for 2013.


Placements

Internships

The internship (or work placement) is a key component of the International Journalism MA course, giving you the chance to put your learning into practice and, more importantly, make contacts in the industry.

You are very strongly advised to undertake at least one work placement (internship) during your course in International Journalism. This can take place during the winter break (December/January) and/or during the spring break (April) and/or during August. A minimum of three weeks overall is advisable. Although you are responsible for arranging your own placements, your personal tutor will be responsible for guiding, advising, discussing and working with you in formulating and evaluating work placements and their reviews.

Recent internships

Students took internships at the following organisations during the winter break 2011/2:

  • Agence France Presse
  • AraCity, City Radio Productions s.a (Luxembourg)
  • Asharq Alawsat
  • BBC World Service News (World Update)
  • BBC World Service Newshour
  • Deepam TV
  • The Independent
  • German Embassy, London (Press Department)
  • Financial Times
  • Guestlist
  • Haaretz
  • Huffington Post
  • Il Giorno
  • Independent on Sunday
  • Maclean's Magazine, World/National desk (Toronto, Canada)
  • MO*
  • Monocle
  • Moskovskij Komsomolets in Volgograd
  • Polsat, working in "Wydarzenia", a daily prime-time news bulletin
  • Quicksilver Media
  • Reuters TV, Rome
  • Skai TV
  • The Guardian
  • Ville Rail et Transport

And looking back to the last two-three years, students took internships at the following organisations:

  • A24 Media LTD
  • A-magasinet (Aftenposten newspaper)
  • Asian Age, Mumbai
  • Associated Press TV News
  • B2B Marketing
  • BBC African Service
  • BBC Horizon
  • BBC News - Economics and Business Department - Working Lunch
  • BBC Radio 4 - The World Tonight
  • BBC Russian Service
  • BBC World Service / Europe Today
  • Belfast Telegraph
  • Biosphere / Bioscience News
  • BMI Voyager - b.there
  • Bocut Audiovisuelle Medien GmbH
  • Bureau of Investigative Journalism
  • CBC London
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • China News Service (CNS)
  • Commonwealth Secretariat Publications Section
  • Cosmopolitan (India)
  • CTV National News - Toronto
  • Daily Mirror
  • DR2 Upland
  • FBC Media
  • Gay Times Magazine
  • Green Futures Magazine
  • Informa
  • Insight News TV
  • Institute for War & Peace Reporting
  • IPCN
  • IQ Magazine
  • Irish Times
  • Kappa Studios
  • Latin News Daily
  • Menu One
  • NDTV 24/7 India
  • New York Times, Frugal Traveller
  • News Talk Radio
  • Newscore
  • Newsday (Dailynews LTD.)
  • Newsweek Polska
  • NME
  • PEI Media
  • Pensions Management/Pensions Week
  • Periscope Post
  • Pink Paper
  • Quicksilver Media
  • Radio France Internationale
  • Radio Telefis Eireann RTE
  • Reuters
  • RTBF- Belgian national TV channel
  • Screen International
  • Simply terra Ltd.
  • Sky News
  • Spear's Wealth Management Survey -Quarterly Financial Journal
  • Stod 2
  • SWR German public broadcaster
  • Tageblatt
  • The Independent
  • The Post
  • The Score
  • The Times
  • Third Sector
  • ThisIsMoney.co.uk
  • Time Out - Amsterdam
  • TV Plus Cyprus
  • Vox Africa
  • WCSC - TV
  • Wired UK

Career Prospects

Alumni network

We have been running Journalism courses at City since 1976. In the years since, over 5,000 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 26th issue of our alumni magazine XCity.

Employment

Graduates of the International Journalism MA work in a wide variety of organisations, including:

  • international news agencies, eg. AP, AFP, Bloomberg, Dow Jones
  • international broadcasters, eg. BBC, CNN
  • print, broadcast or online media in their home country

Many also work as freelancers or stringers.

Alumni case study

Nicole Young, who graduated from City's International Journalism course in 2002, now works as a producer for CBS News. In this video, she talks about researching for a documentary on homeless families for 60 Minutes:

Watch other documentaries co-produced by Nicole:

Find out more about City University London

Application Deadline

The deadline for applications is 31st July 2013.
Please note: Places on the course are limited and we recommend that you apply as early as possible, as admission will close when the course is full. Applicants from outside the EU who require UK visas should be sure to apply early. Applicants may be placed on a waiting list.

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

  • It is your responsibility to ensure references and other required documents are submitted to the University on your behalf
  • All supporting documents (degree transcripts, samples of journalistic writing etc.) must be translated into English.
  • Please note: Degree transcripts must be officially translated by a certified translator.

Application material

To apply for the course, please submit the following:

1.    One application form.
2.    Two references

  • We would like you to submit one academic reference and one reference from a job or internship in journalism.
  • Please note that it is not compulsory for your referees to use the reference form we provide. We also accept references written on headed paper or those that have an institutional stamp. Please note that an institutional stamp (where applicable) and referee's signature are required. Please remind your referees to include your full name and the course you are applying for in their references.
  • We encourage you to contact your referees prior to submitting a postal or online application in order to secure references as early as possible.
  • You can post your references with your application (or upload them with your online application). You can also arrange for your referees to send them directly to us.


3.    A copy of your degree transcript.
We can accept either a good quality scanned copy of your degree transcript or an original. If you are an overseas student and will be applying for a student visa, please retain your original degree transcript and email the University a good quality scan instead. This is because you will need to supply the original to the UK Border Agency as part of your student visa application at a later stage.

If you have not completed your degree please indicate your expected date of graduation in the 'Higher Education' section of the application form. You can submit an application without your degree transcript.

4.    Details of your work experience in journalism.
It is highly desirable that you have some relevant work experience. Please include details of any completed or planned work experience in your personal statement.

Application forms

Return address

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

Application response time

You should expect to receive a written response to your application within six weeks of your application being assessed. Your application will only be assessed by the course director when it is complete with all the requested application materials listed above.