Entry requirements | how to apply

Entry requirements

  • You should have at least a good second-class degree in any subject. Consideration will be given to mature applicants who can demonstrate substantial work experience
     
  • You should have gained a minimum of four weeks’ work experience on local/regional UK newspapers (or have this arranged when you apply)
     
  • The MA in Newspaper Journalism focuses primarily on journalism in the UK. Applicants from outside the UK are encouraged to apply for the MA in International Journalism. 

How to apply

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

 

Please submit the following:

 

1. One application form. You can download a pdf file of our application form or apply online by following the links below.

 

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 1 March 2010.

 

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. The following two articles. Either include these with your postal application, or copy and paste them into the "Personal Statement" section of the online application form.

  • Article 1: explain in not more than 200 words why you want to come on our course and what you expect to gain from it. (This replaces the "Statement in Support of Application" requested in the application form.)
  • Article 2: a 250-word article suitable for a local newspaper, based on an interview you conduct with someone interesting in your local area.

Application forms

Selection process

1. Application deadline
  • Monday 1 March 2010 for submission of applications and all supporting documents (references, articles, etc.)
  • Please note: deadlines are earlier if you wish to be considered for AHRC funding (see next section below).
  • 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.
2. AHRC Scholarships
  • If you wish to be considered for nomination for support from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (ARHC), through its highly competitive Professional Preparation Master's awards, you are required to submit a separate scholarship application.
  • Please note: only applicants with an actual or predicted degree result of First Class or, exceptionally, a very high Second Class Upper Division (2.1) will be considered for AHRC support.
3. Consideration of your application
  • Your application will only be read and considered after the deadline has passed.
4. Selection days
  • Interviews will take place in April 2010. Further details will be posted here as soon as they are available.
5. Offers
  • You should expect to hear whether or not you have been selected for a place on the course in early May 2010.

Scott Trust Bursaries

The Scott Trust, owners of the Guardian Media Group, offers a number of bursaries to assist students who face financial hardship in attaining the qualifications needed to pursue a career in journalism. The bursaries cover tuition fees and provide a subsistence allowance.

Please note that ou must apply separately for the Newspaper Journalism MA and the Scott Trust Bursaries, as applications are considered independently of each other. An application for a Scott Trust Bursary does not constitute an application for a non-funded place on the Newspaper Journalism MA, and vice versa.

Return address

Please return all application material, marked "Postgraduate Applications 2010", to: Admissions, Graduate School of Journalism, City University London, Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB, UK.