MA Broadcast Journalism: Theory and Practice

Total time

MA Broadcast Journalism: Theory and Practice

University of East Anglia
Logo University of East Anglia
Provider rating: starstarstarstarstar_border 8 University of East Anglia has an average rating of 8 (out of 1 reviews)

Need more information? Get more details on the site of the provider.

Starting dates and places

There are no known starting dates for this product.

Description

This is a relatively new MA degree designed to give students both core practical and theoretical skills in the field of journalism and electronic communications – equipping you for work within the communications industries, or an academic career. As well as gaining practical broadcast and journalistic skills, you will develop the ability to reflect critically on the nature and limitations of news coverage. Key issues in news and media studies will be covered and also legal and ethical concerns for media professionals. You will practice interviewing, reporting and video production and learn how to produce and structure broadcast and online news stories. The course is supported by the EU “Sea…

Read the complete description

Frequently asked questions

There are no frequently asked questions yet. If you have any more questions or need help, contact our customer service.

Didn't find what you were looking for? See also: Broadcast Media, Journalism, Digital Publishing & Editing, Publishing, and Concepting.

This is a relatively new MA degree designed to give students both core practical and theoretical skills in the field of journalism and electronic communications – equipping you for work within the communications industries, or an academic career. As well as gaining practical broadcast and journalistic skills, you will develop the ability to reflect critically on the nature and limitations of news coverage. Key issues in news and media studies will be covered and also legal and ethical concerns for media professionals. You will practice interviewing, reporting and video production and learn how to produce and structure broadcast and online news stories. The course is supported by the EU “SeaMedia” project, which provides a public platform for student work. Videos produced by students can be seen on the project’s online TV platform – seame.tv.

Course Content and Structure

In semester one, students will undertake two largely practical modules each worth twenty credits: Journalism, Practice and Ethics (which will be an introduction to reporting skills and practices) and Online Journalism (which will develop skills for creating content for online media as well as looking at the practical and theoretical circumstances which have led to the development of this new area of journalistic activity.) They will also take a compulsory 40 credit theory module, Media & Society, which offers a multi-disciplinary overview of today’s media. In the second semester, they will take 40 credit module in Broadcast Journalism. This will develop practical TV journalism skills and will also cover elements of essential public affairs and law for journalists. During the year, they will take one additional 20 credit module from a range of media-related courses available within the faculty. Those students who plan to work as journalists in the UK are very strongly urged to take as this option a new module on Essential Law and Public Affairs for Journalists (semester 1). This will equip them to work within the UK legal system and to understand the functioning of politics and government – always a prime source for stories. Students taking the Broadcast Journalism MA also have the option of undertaking a written dissertation, or of producing a ‘dissertation by practice’ which will take the form of a substantial piece of TV or video journalism.

Media and Society

This module is intended to provide all students studying media related postgraduate degrees with a broad, current and inter-disciplinary understanding of the media today. The guiding philosophy informing this module is the belief that in order properly to understand the media, whether as a lawyer, economist, development studies professional, media studies specialist political scientist or journalist, it is essential to have a wide-ranging and multi-disciplinary understanding of the modern media. The module looks at the structure of the media industry today in the UK and globally. It considers, from several different academic perspectives, how media content is constructed, what factors and influences go to shape content and how content may be controlled and even censored. The module also looks at the media industry, examining how it is currently organised and managed, what factors influence its current organisation and how it might develop.

Journalism, Ethics and Practice

Journalistic practice has come under the spotlight in the UK following disclosures of malpractice at the ‘News of the World’, and the establishment of the Leveson inquiry. This module will enable students to develop reporting and writing skills while developing their appreciation of a proper ethical framework for journalism. Students will look at how newsrooms are run, the reporter’s working day and how stories are found and developed.

Essential Law and Public Affairs for Journalists

With regard to law, teaching will survey the judicial system of England and Wales and journalist’s rights and responsibilities within it. It will ask how the UK membership of the European Union and the Council of Europe influences the British judicial system and legislation, where relevant to journalism.

In particular, students will learn how law and legal process impact upon newsgathering and publication for audio and audio-visual media. They will be made aware that legal precedents established in online practice (now a core element of multi-platform journalism) are gaining more widespread application.

Practical sessions will include students attending and reporting Magistrates’, Crown and/or Coroners’ Courts. Taught sessions will reflect on the principles of democracy, freedom of the press, freedom of information and the public interest as these relate to broadcasting regulation.

Public Affairs covers principal elements of the UK political system, including the electoral process, the roles of elected members of local authorities, British and European parliaments; the role of civil servants, politicians, political parties, government communication techniques, contemporary political issues and government finance.

Students shall be given opportunity to practice the rights, responsibilities, and techniques of journalists in relation to the British and EU systems. Students will be helped to develop a critical understanding and familiarity with current affairs, particularly in relation to the reporting of issues such as national identity, citizenship, cultural diversity, and the role of the media in such matters.

On-line Journalism

Online Journalism is a rapidly expanding field. This module looks at changes within the industry underlying this development. The module will also give you further practical experience of the issues and techniques of journalism, within the context of developing content for online news and information sites.

Broadcast Journalism

This module will provide you with a thorough overview of all aspects of broadcast journalism including, journalism skills – reporting and editorial - as wells as technical elements such as camera operation, sound, video editing, studio practice and production. We work with local media to arrange work experience placements and other production opportunities. In previous years, students were placed at the BBC East, Future Radio, BBC Voices, Radio Norwich, Archant and EPIC.

Option - Dissertation (by practice)

The dissertation by practice is an opportunity for you to produce a video project which is both a substantial piece of journalism, and a demonstration of broadcast production skills. You will also reflect on the development and practical execution of your project. You will be assigned a member of staff as a supervisor to advise you on the production and writing up of this dissertation. The format of your practice-based dissertation will be agreed in discussions with your supervisor.


Course Organiser:Mr. Mark Wells
  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
    • Postgraduate Taught Degrees
    • Postgraduate Research Degrees
    • Science Research Projects
    • Apply
    • Fees & Funding
    • Request a prospectus
    • Open Days
  • International Students
  • International Preparatory Courses
  • Study Abroad
  • Information for New Students
  • myUEA
Entry Requirements Degree Subject: Humanities or Social Sciences Degree Classification: UK BA or BSc (Hons) 2.1 or equivalent Students for whom English is a Foreign language

We welcome applications from students whose first language is not English. To ensure such students benefit from postgraduate study, we require evidence of proficiency in English. Our usual entry requirements are as follows:

  • IELTS: 6.5 (minimum 6.0 in all components)
  • TOEFL: Internet-based score of 88 (minimum 18 listening, 21 speaking, 19 writing and 20 in reading)
  • PTE (Pearson): 62 (minimum 55 in all components)

Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.

Other tests such as TOEIC and the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English are also accepted by the university. Please check with the Admissions Office for further details including the scores or grades required.

INTO UEA and INTO UEA London run pre-sessional courses which can be taken prior to the start of your course. For further information and to see if you qualify please contact intopre-sessional@uea.ac.uk (INTO UEA Norwich) or pseuealondon@into.uk.com (INTO UEA London).

Intakes

The School's annual intake is in September of each year.

Alternative Qualifications

If you have alternative qualifications that have not been mentioned above then please contact university directly for further information.

Course Open To

This degree is particularly suitable for applicants who have gained an area of specialist knowledge at first degree level, and who wish to combine that with broadcast journalism expertise, opening up for themselves the possibility of a career in the media, perhaps as a specialist reporter or broadcaster.

Assessment

All applications for postgraduate study are processed through the Faculty Admissions Office and forwarded to the relevant School of Study for consideration. If you are currently completing your first degree or have not yet taken a required English language test, any offer of a place will be conditional upon you achieving this before you arrive.

The School of Political, Social and International Studies offers a wide range of MA degrees. They all aim to combine an emphasis on student choice with professional training in research skills, but vary in the emphasis they place on the latter. Several of the MA programmes have Economic and Social Research Council (ERSC) recognition. This means that they meet national criteria for the training of social scientists. These skills are very valuable to a wide range of careers.

The MA degrees are led by a team of enthusiastic teachers. We offer a distinctive set of MA programmes that reflect UEA's long-standing tradition of research-led, interdisciplinary teaching. Read more

Our MA students in Media and Cultural Politics were recently given the opportunity to attend a day long seminar with the leading critical theorist Stuart Hall. As part of the Issues in Media and Cultural Politics core module, we took our students to the 'Soundings' day long research seminar held at Marx House in London. Professor Stuart Hall provided the keynote address in which he described how modern capitalism has colonised public life, and provided a critical reflection upon the extent to which there was any opportunity for symbolic meaning to generate an alternative culture and politics. There was a lively discussion by many of the participants which gave our MA students the opportunity to engage with significant figures in the world of media and cultural politics at first hand.

Career Destinations for our MA and Diploma Students

The careers that our students follow after gaining one of our MAs or Diplomas vary greatly, but typical careers include: further postgraduate research in universities or other more policy-oriented domestic or international institutions, the media, diplomacy, international marketing and business. The 2005 EU Studies Guide featured the experience of two former MA students on "Why choosing the right degree could land you the perfect job".

Catch the latest debates and issues in the field of international relations at www.irrationalmagazine.wordpress.com/. Latest essays range from refugee repatriation to rape as a weapon in war. Irrational is edited by post-graduate students at UEA in PSI and Development Studies.

Fees and Funding Tuition fees

Tuition fees for Postgraduate students for the academic year 2013/4 are £5,000 for Home/EU students and £12,500 for International Students.

If you choose to study part-time, the fee per annum will be half the annual fee for that year, or a pro-rata fee for the module credit you are taking (only available for Home/EU students).

Please note that all the above fees are expected to rise for the year 2014/15. We estimate living expenses at £600/650 per month.

International scholarships

All international students (outside the European Union) are considered for a scholarship of between £1000 and £2000 towards tuition fees. In order to be considered for an International Scholarship you do not need to make a separate application. Please indicate on your application for admission that you wish to be considered for a scholarship. It is important to make the application as early as possible because they are considered as they are received. So apply early to make sure of the best chance of success.

Scholarships are awarded to students on the basis of academic merit and are for the duration of the period of study (which will be one year). Students of outstanding academic ability will also be considered for Faculty Scholarship Awards, usually in March and May each year, which can be worth up to 100% of the tuition fee. These are highly competitive and prestigious awards. Those students being offered a scholarship will be notified directly by the School of Study.

Scholarships and Awards:

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities has a number of Scholarships and Awards on offer for 2013 entry. For further information relevant to the School of Political, Social and International Studies, please click here.


There are no reviews yet.

Share your review

Do you have experience with this course? Submit your review and help other people make the right choice. As a thank you for your effort we will donate £1.- to Stichting Edukans.

There are no frequently asked questions yet. If you have any more questions or need help, contact our customer service.