MA International Journalism

This course is for students seeking to take their journalism experience to an advanced level and for students who have no background in journalism but are eager to supplement their academic knowledge with journalism skills. The course is open to people with degrees in other fields or with equivalent professional experience. It is offered as a one-year full-time degree or as a two-year part-time degree. It introduces students to the theory and practice of journalism in a global context. It has an international scope and deals with the practice of journalism across different media, cultural and regulatory environments. Students will have the option to tailor their studies by choosing a practice- or theory-led route depending on their interests and career ambitions. The practice track is useful for students who are coming from other disciplines but want to supplement their knowledge with journalism skills; the theory track is useful for those considering a PhD in journalism studies. Our MA is the first in UK to offer complete training in cutting-edge Open-Source Journalism techniques. The course is also enhanced by its link to Essex's prestigious Human Rights Centre, which will give students an opportunity to contribute directly to issues of contemporary significance by participating in the Digital Verification Corps.

Students would usually attend a two-hour seminar for each module each week. Seminar groups would usually have about 10-15 students.

Our expert staff

Within our Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies, you will be allocated a supervisor whose role it is to guide you through the different stages of your degree. In some cases, you may have joint supervision by two members of our staff.

The support provided by your supervisor is a key feature of your student experience and you will have regular one-to-one meetings to discuss progress on your research. Initially, your supervisor will help you develop your research topic and plan.

The course will be taught by a team of experienced journalists with strong academic credentials who have covered conflicts and crises around the world, including Dr Idrees Ahmad and Dr Fatima El Issawi.

Your future

A number of our graduates have gone on to undertake successful careers as journalists.

The MA in International Journalism prepares you for a rapidly transforming journalism sector and gives you transferable skills for a range of other careers in the fields of communication, human rights, politics, entertainment, environment, and migration.

UK entry requirements

A 2:2 honours degree, or international equivalent in any subject.

Applicants without a formal qualification but with significant appropriate work experience are encouraged to apply.

We encourage applicants from the arts, humanities, business, sciences and the social sciences.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, we require IELTS 7.0 overall with a minimum component score of 6.5 in writing and 5.5 in all other components.

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Additional Notes

The University uses academic selection criteria to determine an applicant’s ability to successfully complete a course at the University of Essex. Where appropriate, we may ask for specific information relating to previous modules studied or work experience.

Course structure

Students will be required to complete four core modules, each worth 20 credits, before they take on a project or dissertation worth 80 credits. They will also get to pick an optional module from Human Rights, Creative Writing, Film, Politics, and Sociology depending on their preference. These are the core modules:

Journalism Practice 1

This is the core practice module. It will focus mainly on reporting, writing, and digital skills. The aim is to give students the ability to research newsworthy stories and write with accuracy, brevity, and clarity. The first four sessions will focus on news writing. The next three will focus on feature writing. The last three sessions will be devoted to podcasting, with an emphasis on storytelling.

Journalism Practice 2

This module focuses on visual storytelling. It starts with photography since composition, lighting, and subject are fundamental to all visual stories. Students then introduce the element of motion through mobile journalism. The module ends with rigorous training in editing techniques. Throughout, students will deconstruct and analyze the best works of visual storytelling so they can adapt or incorporate the same ideas for their own stories.

Open Source Journalism

This module starts with traditional investigative research methods—analysing documents, using archives, accessing public records, using FOIA. The latter half will focus entirely on cutting edge, digital open source journalism where students will learn to collect, analyse and document publicly available online information for use in law, advocacy, or journalism. They will learn to authenticate audio-visual data, geolocate photos and videos, and mine social media for useful information. Students will also learn advanced fact-checking methods.

International Journalism

This module forms the conceptual core of the degree. It introduces students to key issues in international journalism and the practical challenges of gathering and reporting news in an international context. It complements students' practical skills with analytical tools to address contemporary trends in global journalism and an understanding of different political, regulatory, and cultural contexts. Students will also gain knowledge from experienced foreign correspondents on the practicalities of reporting from conflict zones, minimizing risks and handling constraints.

Journalism Project

For students taking the practice track, the Journalism Project is the culmination of the MA International Journalism. It gives them the opportunity to develop and demonstrate their skills as a journalist as they devise and investigate their own topic with a written submission of 10,000 – 12,000 words OR a 20 minute documentary podcast OR a 15 minute video documentary.

Journalism Dissertation

For students taking the academic track, the Journalism Dissertation is the culmination of the MA International Journalism. It gives students the opportunity to develop and demonstrate their skills as an academic researcher as they devise and investigate their own topic with a written academic dissertation of 15,000 words (excluding bibliography and footnotes) on an issue of contemporary relevance in journalism studies.