Postgraduate programmes in journalism at Kent offer you the opportunity to research and learn in an environment that combines excellence in the practice of convergent, multimedia journalism with intellectual leadership in the history, ethics and future of the news industry.
The MA Multimedia Journalism sets graduates from a wide range of backgrounds on to a career path in the news industry. You learn to report for newspapers, websites, radio and television to a professional standard, while completing the National Council for the Training of Journalists' (NCTJ) Diploma in Journalism. Study at the only UK university which is co-located with a professional TV station, with opportunities for paid internships and invaluable work experience.
Before he sat his exams, Multimedia Journalism graduate Kishan had got a job as a researcher for ITV's Peston on Sunday.
MA graduate Chloé Perceval is now a Communications Manager at non-profit organisation Freedom For All.
The Centre for Journalism leads the way for employability in the news industry. You learn to report for newspapers, websites, radio and television using state-of-the-art technology.
The programme assumes no previous training in journalism. It is designed to convert knowledge gained through undergraduate studies in humanities, sciences and social sciences into a journalistic specialism. Your tutors are award-winning journalists with experience in local, national and international news and leading academics in law and politics. You will study for the National Council for the Training of Journalists' (NCTJ) Diploma in Journalism and produce a portfolio of eye-catching, strikingly original stories. Optional modules may include political journalism, reporting conflict, sports journalism, travel journalism, television production and advanced multimedia storytelling.
Recent guest speakers at the Centre include Sophie Ridge, Senior Political Correspondent Sky News, Amol Rajan, Media Editor of the BBC; Ed Conway, Economics Editor Sky News; Alex Crawford three times RTS TV journalist of the year; John Humphrys presenter BBC Radio 4's Today Programme and Faisal Islam, Political Editor Sky News.
The Centre's graduates work for the Daily Mail, The Sun, Sky News, Sky Sports, The Jeremy Vine Show, CNN, Euronews, BBC Persian, the Financial Times, This Is Money, KMTV and a wide range of local and regional newsrooms.
A second class honours degree (2.2 or above) in a relevant academic subject (eg, politics, history, English, international relations) and demonstrable interest in and aptitude for journalism. Suitably qualified applicants will be invited for interview and will be required to sit an entrance test. In certain circumstances, the Centre will consider candidates who have not followed a conventional education path. These cases are assessed individually by the Head of Centre and/or the Director of Learning and Teaching and the Director of Graduate Studies.
All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and relevant experience may also be taken into account when considering applications.
Please see our International Student website for entry requirements by country and other relevant information. Due to visa restrictions, students who require a student visa to study cannot study part-time unless undertaking a distance or blended-learning programme with no on-campus provision.
This course requires a Good level of English language, equivalent to B2 on CEFR.
Details on how to meet this requirement can be found on our English Language requirements webpage.
Examples:
IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component
PTE Academic 63 with a minimum of 59 in each sub-test
A degree from a UK university
A degree from a Majority English Speaking Country
Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.
The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take modules from other programmes so that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas that interest you.
Different forms of journalism and how they are structured. Distinguishing between comment, conjecture and fact. Investigative reporting. The reporter's sources: how to find them, keep them and protect them. Taking a news story and re-writing it for another medium, adding sound, pictures, links and interactive comments. Working with user-generated content. Following a crime story/court trial. Turning the contents of official reports into various forms of journalism. Textual analysis of the writing styles of ground-breaking journalists. Study of common journalism transgressions.
Concepts of press freedom. Defamation – components and defences. Privacy, copyright, breach of confidence. Regulation and self-regulation of media. Contempt of court. Censorship.
Culture, history and development of British journalism in print, broadcast and online media. Professional use of cameras, editing software and television studio production facilities. Professional use of audio recording equipment, editing software and radio studio production facilities. Team working in radio, television, print and online news production. Advanced use of multimedia authoring software, image manipulation software and print production facilities. The impact of online technologies on planning, reporting, producing and disseminating news.
This module provides an overview of the British political system, focusing on recent political and constitutional developments. It will investigate topics such as the roles of Parliament, the Prime Minister and Cabinet, political parties, and the electoral system. It will assess key issues facing democratic government and institutions within the UK, analysing for example the role of Europe, the challenges posed by devolution, the Treasury and the National Health Service. There will also be discussion of contemporary political behaviour, including the issue of political participation.
The module will guide the student through the research process including identifying the original 'problem'; defining a suitable research ‘question’; choosing a method; designing the research; the use of research materials and resources; conducting research; drafting, writing and submitting the dissertation. The module will demonstrate how different concepts are used in different subject-specific contexts that represent the main fields of inquiry, including ethical analysis, legal analysis, political analysis, historical analysis, and economic analysis.
The module engages with aspects of the way conflict reporting has developed from the 1930s to the digital multimedia reporting of the 21st century. The key topics are covered in seminars and lectures. They include the following: Journalism, patriotism and propaganda: war as a severe test of journalistic integrity and independence; Embeds, independents and reporters' security. Reporting terrorism . The political impact of war reporting. A number of seminars cover the events of key conflicts, and the way they were reported. These include wars in Chechnya; Afghanistan; Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, Northern Ireland. Lecture topics are up-to-date with current research.
Indicative topics are:
• Linear and non-linear narrative structures
• The use of online and open-source tool research and create journalism projects
• The power of interactivity. Putting the user in control of the story.
• Visualisation of data
• Borrowing from Hollywood: quick cuts, splits screens and non-traditional video packages
• Using crowdsourced material to develop and augment core reporting
• Techniques for adapting and creating journalism for mobile media
• How social media and reader interactivity is changing journalism and the legal, ethical, technical and editorial implications
Indicative topics are:
• History and purpose of sports reporting and its rise in the popular press from the turn of 20th century.
• The rise of the tabloid press and its obesssion with sport.
• The role of sports journalism in broadsheets and the impact of the internet and rolling news channels on the working practices of sports reporters.
• Funding, governing and regulatory structures of sports bodies and the effectiveness of sports journalists at holding them to account.
• Produce match reports, analysis and commentary to a professional standad and to deadline.
• Use social media to produce minute-by-minute coverage of live events.
• Textual analysis of some stars of sports reporting and feature writing.
• Produce features on sports issues.
The module will introduce students to some of the key issues and debates in the field of travel and tourism and will principally consider:
• how might we differentiate between travel and tourism?
• how does our cultural experience shape our expectations of travel and tourism?
• as travellers and tourists how do we engage with different cultures?
• how does the media influence how we experience and practice travel and tourism?
These issues will be explored in relation to a range of media forms such as newspapers, magazines, television and radio programmes, blogs and social media.
This module will allow students to gain knowledge of television production from the planning stage through to its execution. During the Autumn term they will learn the language of television, camera work, scripting, organising a production, how to pitch a segment for a broadcaster, filming, editing, organising a crew and directing a live TV programme. They will then produce a TV segment in the genre of their choice (e.g. current affairs, music, arts, cooking etc) with support from their peers and academic staff.
This module will give students an introduction to the skills and habits specialist journalists need in a digital age, as well as encouraging them to develop their own specialism in journalism. It will include studying and critically analysing the key issues and debates in a specific subject area, communicating complex ideas in a simple and engaging way to a general audience, building contacts and expertise, and a critical look at the jobs market for specialists.
Duration: 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time
Compulsory modules in Reporting and Writing, Media Law and Ethics, and Principles and Practice of Convergent Journalism introduce you to the professional challenges of modern reporting and prepare you to pass the National Council for the Training of Journalists’ Diploma in Journalism (this involves passing papers in shorthand, public affairs, law and reporting). In addition you can choose to study Political Reporting, Travel Journalism and Specialist Journalism.
You may choose to complete a dissertation.
The degree is taught by a combination of lectures, seminars, masterclasses, news days, tutorials and editorial conferences. Assessment is by coursework (including essays, reporting exercises and presentations) and examinations.
This programme aims to:
You will gain knowledge and understanding of:
You develop intellectual skills in:
You gain subject-specific skills in:
You will gain the following transferable skills:
The Centre is based in state-of-the-art multimedia newsrooms equipped with the latest audio and video-editing technology, a radio studio and broadcast-quality television facilities. A dedicated postgraduate newsroom opened in September 2010. Newsroom computers offer a wide range of software for teaching and research support. Students have access to Press Association news wires, Sky News Radio and Reuters World Television News feeds. They use the Centre’s dedicated multimedia website, www.centreforjournalism.co.uk which offers live publishing facilities in text, audio and video. The site is a forum for debate about issues in journalism and the news industry involving students and practitioners in Britain and abroad.
The resources for journalism research at Kent are led by the Drill Hall Library at Medway. The journalism collection includes a comprehensive range of texts on the history, principles and practice of journalism. Specialist resources include a complete microfiche archive of popular newspapers of the Second World War. Students have access to online full-text journals plus extensive online newspaper resources. The Centre subscribes to all relevant UK journals. Research students have access to the SCONUL access scheme to visit and borrow from other UK libraries. The Drill Hall Library contains more than 250 study spaces, 370 computers and more than 150,000 items.
Staff regularly contribute to newspapers, magazines, journals and books. These have included: Assessing the Delivery of Radio 5 live Public Service Commitments, This is Today – a Biography of the Today Programme, The Newspapers Handbook, Responsibility without Power - Lord Leveson's Constitutional Dilemma, Afghanistan: War and the Media, Face the Future: Tools for the Modern Media Age. Journalism Studies, Contemporary British History, Ethical Space, George Orwell Studies, Journal of Media Law, Communications Law, Travel Journalism, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times and British Journalism Review.
All students registered for a taught Master's programme are eligible to apply for a place on our Global Skills Award Programme. The programme is designed to broaden your understanding of global issues and current affairs as well as to develop personal skills which will enhance your employability.
Full details of staff research interests can be found on the School's website.
This degree will prepare students for employment in broadcast, print and online media as well as enabling them to take advantage of the new opportunities the awareness of media power has created within campaign and pressure groups, online information providers and businesses.
The 2024/25 annual tuition fees for this course are:
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
For students continuing on this programme fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk.
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.*
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
Find out more about general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Search our scholarships finder for possible funding opportunities. You may find it helpful to look at both:
We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.
Next steps
We are no longer accepting applications for this course for entry in 2024.
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