Journalism

Previous study of journalism is not a requirement. If necessary, we may ask you to undertake a short course that covers essential skills and knowledge, before you join the main Masters course.
Journalism is an intensive course that trains, write and research like a journalist. It covers media ethics and law, reporting and public affairs, shorthand, sub-editing and production. You will develop your own specialist areas of interest such as crime, health or political journalism. In the final stage of the course you can produce your own newspaper or series of in-depth articles, with support from our professional journalists.

An important benefit of a Masters at Sunderland is the relevance of our research expertise, which includes sports and magazine journalism as well as web writing and social media. Sunderland hosts the Centre for Research in Media and Cultural Studies (CRMCS) and our Media Department has been recognised for producing some world-leading and internationally excellent research.

*Note: the Journalism and PR MA programmes begin in September.

The Journalism Diversity Fund is aimed at people from diverse backgrounds who need help funding their journalism training.

Candidates must be from a socially or ethnically diverse background,
be able to demonstrate genuine commitment to becoming a successful
journalist and have secured a place on an NCTJ-accredited course.

Modules on this course include:Journalism Stage 160 Credits

* News Journalism: Principles and Practice 1
* Essential Media Law
* Essential Public Affairs
* Shorthand

Journalism Stage 2 (60 Credits)

* News Journalism: Principles and Practice 2
* Reporting
* Media Ethics and Society
* Shorthand

Journalism Stage 3 (60 Credits)
You will complete a supervised dissertation on a topic of your choice. As the culmination of the course, it will build on all the skills and knowledge that you have gained up to this point.

We will consider applicants with professional and vocational experience.If you are suitably qualified, we will invite you to an interview to assess whether this is the right course for you.We may ask you to undertake a short course that covers essential skills and knowledge, before you join the main Masters course.If you have already covered one or more of the topics covered by the course, and would like to apply for accreditation of prior learning (APL), please contact the course leader.*Note: the Journalism and PR MA programmes begin in September. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 7 IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa. The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.

Scholarships on offer include cash bursaries, reduced tuition fees, free accommodation and free public transport.

Accreditation

This Masters is one of the few postgraduate degrees in the UK to be accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). NCTJ accreditation is widely recognised as a gold standard for courses that turn out highly skilled, highly motivated and highly employable trainee journalists.