February 19, 2024 (Updated )
If you’re toying with the idea of postgraduate education and a Master’s (MA) in Journalism is striking a chord, it’s vital to get your head around the different courses available. While we’ve written previously about how to apply for an MA Journalism programme, we’ve also been investigating particular courses that might pique your interest.
At City, the University of London’s Journalism Department, postgraduate courses are carefully constructed and developed to match the needs of the students. There are a whopping 10 MA Journalism programmes available in total — with options including a Master’s in Newspaper Journalism, Broadcast Journalism, Investigative Journalism, and International Journalism.
In the case of the MA International Journalism programme, the course builds specific skills in students who aim to become a foreign correspondent or hope to work on an international news desk. To find out more, we spoke to the lecturers who teach the programme at City University and the students who’ve successfully enrolled.
Lecturers Yuen Chan (L) and Dr Zahera Herb (R) both teach on the course.
Starting in mid-September (with a two-week orientation), City’s MA International Journalism is a full 12-month programme. The final project deadline is at the end of July and, following this submission, students are required to also write a reflective essay on their project that is due at the start of September. While the content of other courses in international journalism varies, the syllabus at City gives a good indication of what you’re expected to learn.
“First and foremost, this course is for people who want to be journalists,” says City University’s Senior Lecturer in Journalism, Yuen Chan. “It suits people with an international perspective and mindset — those who are curious about other parts of the world and who already have an interest in another country or culture — and want to expand their skills in order to report on those regions. It is a hands-on, practice-based course.”
The first term introduces you to the journalistic storytelling module — something Yuen calls a “Journalism 101”. You’ll also take two core academic modules — global news, taught by Dr Zahera Harb, and international news, taught by Dr James Rodgers — which serve as the building blocks in addressing how journalism is practised in different cultures and regions around the world. The elective modules that follow are varied but focused, such as ‘reporting the Middle East’, ‘arts and culture’, and ‘humanitarian reporting’.
Additionally, students are given an assignment each week that centres around a theme or topic. Working with a partner, and in rotations of three weeks, you are asked to produce stories in text, audio and video formats. “It’s only after you have had this hands-on experience that we ask you to choose whether you wish to take a text-print pathway or a broadcast-audio-video pathway,” adds Yuen. Depending on your choice, students produce their own magazine and website or full news programme in their term three ‘production’ module.
British students, who make up more than half the International Journalism MA, should have an upper second-class undergraduate degree or higher in any field, while international students must meet the equivalent undergraduate requirements in their country of study and pass an English language test before submitting their application.
Both home and foreign students are asked to demonstrate a ‘commitment to journalism’ in their personal statements. “This could mean showcasing any kind of related experience — like student journalism or something you’ve written for your local paper, work experience at a newspaper, or even a blog,” suggests Yuen.
• British students applying to MA International Journalism should have a 2:1 Undergraduate degree or higher in any field.
• International students must meet the equivalent undergraduate requirements in their country of study and pass an English language test before submitting their application.
• Both home and international students should demonstrate a ‘commitment to journalism’ in their personal statements — this could be related to experience like student journalism, writing for a local newspaper, work experience, or a blog.
• Remember, your undergraduate degree can be in any field — recent students have undergraduate degrees in English literature, history, and biochemistry.
While this might seem daunting, remember that a little advanced planning can help. If you know you would like to submit your application for the next intake, spend time gaining that experience beforehand — after all, this is a field you would like to work in.
A frequent misunderstanding is that postgraduate studies are only for students who have an undergraduate qualification in the same field — however, Yuen reassures us that this isn’t the case. “We have students from English literature, history, and biochemistry backgrounds. I encourage people who have backgrounds in different professions or disciplines who want to pursue journalism to apply.”
If you were to apply to City, there’s no doubt you’d be in good hands. “Our tutors bring their own extensive experience and perspectives to these modules,” comments Chan. “Dr. Zahera Harb, for example, is an expert in reporting in the Middle East and Dr. James Rodgers was a BBC correspondent, based in Moscow, for many years.”
Shafie Agard Rodriguez, 28, moved from her home in Peru to enrol at City University. Her dream, she says, is to become a foreign correspondent or to work in production for companies such as France24, CNN, or the BBC. “Such roles often require journalists who can speak more than one language. I already speak Spanish and I am learning the skills to report in English — so this course is very beneficial for me,” she explains.
Amber Lennox (L) and Shafie Agard Rodriguez (R) both study MA International Journalism at City University.
Meanwhile, it is the interactive and inclusive nature of MA International Journalism at City that 22-year-old Amber Lennox enjoys most — particularly having studied Law as an undergraduate degree. “My cohort are from all different walks of life. It’s really cool to be discussing a specific news subject in a lecture, only to realise you’re sitting next to someone from that country who can add even more insight into the news coverage.”
“This year, just over a third of our students are international,” concurs Yuan. “London truly is an international city, with so many international media. Our students get the chance to meet journalists through guest speaker events — and our international students bring their own attributes and experiences to the course.”
With at least 10 hours in class every week and out-of-hours study on top of that, keep in mind that you need to be committed to take on an MA in International Journalism. Days off-campus are generally spent gathering interviews and producing stories — which means working full-time isn’t recommended.
“Working part-time, however, is achievable,” advises Amber. “I work at the university, and my course colleagues have other jobs — from working at the Odeon Leicester Square to working as a researcher at a hospital. It just comes down to time management.”
There are so many reasons why students embark on a Master’s in International Journalism programme – and they’re not all to do with further education. “I love getting to know people from all over the world, so I chose this course because of the diversity in London.” Shafie laughs.
“Then, the second reason is because of City’s prestige. It’s one of the best universities for postgraduate journalism. As a result, City has great employability rates — which is obviously important to me.”
Amber agrees: “I understand that the world we live in today isn’t a local one, which is why I want to study journalism on an international scale. I applied for the MA in International Journalism because it allowed me to try both print and broadcast extensively before deciding what I wanted to specialise in.”
If an MA in International Journalism could be for you, find out more about the City University’s programme here, or check out the other postgraduate Journalism offerings.
