“This course is a fantastic opportunity to study the cutting edge of news, journalism and social media, through a detailed critique of and experimentation with new media innovation.”
Dr Einar Thorsen
Programme Coordinator MA Journalism and New Media
This course aims to develop postgraduates who can critically explore the ways in which new media forms and practices are facilitating a transformational shift in news and journalism.
Of particular interest is the impact the internet is having on the news industry, with relevant issues including the emergence of innovative strategies of news gathering, distribution and presentation; efforts to secure new business models; changing patterns in news consumption; challenges for government policy-making and regulation; and the rise of collaborative, citizen-based approaches to news reporting.
Key debates concerning online journalism, blogging and social media will be explored in a diverse range of contexts, such as environmental, war, conflict and crisis reporting. In addition, you will consider how new types of journalism can be developed to foster renewed civic engagement among citizens, empowering them to take action on issues of local, regional and/or global concern.
You will be encouraged to develop critical perspectives to re-invigorate traditional thinking about news and journalism.
Course content
Students will study the following units (for detailed description, see course website):
- New Media Innovation;
- Citizen Journalism & Social Reporting;
- Investigative Journalism;
- Environment, Conflict & Crisis News;
- Digital Magazines & Photojournalism;
- Researching Journalism & the Internet;
- Dissertation or Journalism Project.
Career paths
Graduates will be equipped with the skills necessary to identify and pursue a number of career options, particularly with respect to research enquiries and/or journalistic investigations of topics relevant to their interests.
Career paths of the MA Journalism and New Media include:
- journalist for online and mobile platforms, and digital magazines;
- computer-aided reporter and investigative journalist;
- social media and digital communication specialist;
- civic media strategist;
- communication and research officer for government and non-government organisations;
- further research in academia (e.g. MPhil or PhD).
Recent graduates from our other postgraduate courses in journalism are now working as:
- Journalists for Associated Press;
- Journalists for BBC Southampton – where the course has an unbroken line of employment of editorial roles in online journalism since 2002;
- Supervising Editor at CNN.com;
- Manager of a radio station in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Classic FM, and launch manager of another, Magic FM;
- Journalist for BBC Breakfast TV News, and also working as an ambassador for the BBC visiting colleges and universities in the UK;
- Freelancer, for publications, such as Campaign magazine;
- A TV reporter in Norway;
- A multimedia journalist and leading website development for Ericsson, the Finnish telecommunications company;
- An Online Journalist with The Lawyer magazine, London;
- Trainee journalists on the Bloomberg traineeships;
- Director, Sunpoint Project, Russia;
- Editorial: Red Magazine Online, Deputy Editor (NewWoman Online (Emap)).
Further information
For further information and to apply for MA Journalism and New Media, please visit the course website. This degree is one of three postgraduate courses in journalism and communication at Bournemouth University, the other options being MA Multimedia Journalism and MA International Journalism.