Program Overview

The MA Journalism and Media Communications with Placement Year is a two-year programme which includes a 36-week, full-time work placement.  By choosing this programme and taking up a work placement you will gain valuable professional practice and enhance your understanding of media theory.

Study our MA in Journalism and Media Communications and gain the skills you’ll need for a successful, dynamic career in today’s complex global media industries.

This Masters course aims to prepare you in both practice and analysis of global journalism and media. You’ll benefit from our extensive links with the media industry, including the BBC and the Sunday Times, and gain a grounding in all its aspects, from fast-changing multimedia to magazines, advertising and the excitements of sports journalism.

You may have studied humanities subjects and be looking to deepen your research interests. Or you may have been working in areas such as business or healthcare and need communications skills. Whatever your background, taking this MA will enhance your career by equipping you to operate effectively in a professional media environment. Our business-facing approach means you’ll be taught by lecturers with extensive professional experience of print, web design, journalism and PR, giving this MA its strong focus on your future employability.

During the course you’ll explore the synergies between social media, PR and journalism, focusing on current media practice and the technologies of convergence. You’ll consider how to make communication more effective in professional settings by looking at journalism and its associated business models; learn how to interview and report on events; gain expertise in internal and external corporate communications; and analyse the impact of technology on the communications industries.

Modules may change from year to year but are likely to include Corporate Communication, PR and Advertising; International Journalism Trends; Writing for Magazines; Sports Journalism; and Media Production as well as modules on research methodology. You also have a range of options for your final project. This can be a dissertation on a media subject of your choice, a short work placement, the one-year placement or a larger media research project, depending on your chosen route.

For Media Production you’ll create multimedia – podcasts, video and advertising – for online magazines, pitch and measure a campaign and use social media to promote your work.  A strong practical element in Writing for Magazines will equip you to write for social media and understand how to create content and engage audiences.

Our module International Journalism Trends explores news ownership and media production on a global scale and provides deeper insight into the theoretical and cultural framework of media and journalism. Sports Journalism will give you a grounding in the exciting practices of sports journalism, from interviewing top stars to reporting on breaking sports stories.

Two modules on research methods and critical and theoretical debates will equip you with advanced research skills and the transferable communications skills - including interviewing, identifying a story and building connections - that are vital for roles in PR and Corporate Communications.

The year placement will allow you to work in the creative industries and develop your professional skills. The University’s Careers and Placement Service will help you apply for this one-year work placement. Previous graduates have worked for Sunday Times Travel, Euromoney and Cosmopolitan magazine.

All students gaining 60 credits in the first semester and an additional 60 credits in the following semester will be eligible for a work placement, but it cannot be guaranteed. The University’s Careers and Placement Service will help you apply for, and obtain, a work placement. For students with visa restrictions, the placement will need to be based in the UK.

Students will typically need to secure a placement by the end of April in order to process the necessary paperwork. Students who do not secure a placement by then will be transferred from the Sandwich programme to the two-year ‘with Advanced Research’ programme. 

This course is also available through a standard route, or with Advanced Research.
MA Journalism & Media
MA Journalism & Media with Advanced Research.

Why choose this course?

We give you

• A broad range of media communications skills with a strong focus on digital media
• Expert lecturers widely experienced in the communications industry
• An opportunity to take a short work placement in a media-based environment
• Insights into emerging trends in the fast-changing digital media world
• Research and transferable skills valued by a range of related industries