International Journalism (MA)
- Duration: 1 year
- Mode: Full time
Conversion course
This is a conversion course. Conversion courses allow you to study a subject unrelated to your undergraduate degree or current career, and support you with a change of career path.
Open day
Find out more about studying here as a postgraduate at our next Open Day.
Why study this course
Suited to those with an international outlook, the course offers a mix of practice and theory for either aspiring journalists or midcareer practitioners to gain a perspective of journalism in different media and in different countries.
All-new facilities
Our new studios and newsrooms use industry standard equipment and software - ensuring you’re fully prepared for your first day in work.
Never miss an interview
You’ll be connected to the entire city with Cardiff’s main train station Cardiff Central just 100 metres away.
Join the press pack
Our city centre location means you’re next to Cardiff’s local and national media companies such as the BBC and Wales Online.
A global viewpoint
Your fellow students, from a range of national and cultural backgrounds, will provide a richness of exposure to comparative media practices.
Our MA International Journalism aims to offer knowledge and expertise for a career in the international media or in related fields.
The course offers the opportunity to gain a perspective on 21st century journalism in different media and in different countries. It offers a mix of practice and theory – blending journalistic techniques and advanced academic study.
While the programme offers practical journalism it remains an academic Master’s degree. The practical working environment within the degree aims to deepen professional knowledge and challenge understandings.
You’ll choose to specialise in broadcast, documentary, or multimedia journalism.
Where you'll study
School of Journalism, Media and Culture
We provide a scholarly environment to help you acquire both the knowledge and skills needed to enter your chosen area of the media.
Admissions criteria
This is a conversion course. Conversion courses allow you to study a subject unrelated to your undergraduate degree or current career, and support you with a change of career path. No prior knowledge or degree in the subject is required.
In order to be considered for an offer for this programme you will need to meet all of the entry requirements. Your application will not be progressed if the information and evidence listed is not provided.
With your online application you will need to provide:
- A copy of your degree certificate and transcripts which show you have achieved a 2:2 honours degree in any subject, or an equivalent international degree. If your degree certificate or result is pending, please upload any interim transcripts or provisional certificates.
- A copy of your IELTS certificate with an overall score of 7.0 with 6.0 in all subskills, or evidence of an accepted equivalent. Please include the date of your expected test if this qualification is pending. If you have alternative acceptable evidence, such as an undergraduate degree studied in the UK, please supply this in place of an IELTS.
- A personal statement which covers the following:
- Your interest in journalism and your motivation for studying this programme. (100 words)
- Any previous experience of journalism, whether in a professional, voluntary, or hobby capacity. (Please note, however, that experience is not required to study this programme.) (200 words)
- What do you want to achieve in the world of journalism? (100 words)
- Why do you want to study at Cardiff University? (100 words)
If you do not have a degree, your application may be considered on the basis of your professional experience. Please provide additional evidence to support your application such as signed and dated employer references.
Application Deadline
We allocate places on a first-come, first-served basis, so we recommend you apply as early as possible. Applications normally close at the end of August but may close sooner if all places are filled.
Selection process
We will review your application and if you meet all of the entry requirements, your personal statement will be scored. If your scored personal statement meets the minimum threshold, and places are still available on the programme, we will make you an offer.
Find out more about English language requirements.
Applicants who require a Student visa to study in the UK must present an acceptable English language qualification in order to meet UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) requirements.
Criminal convictions
You are not required to complete a DBS (Disclosure Barring Service) check or provide a Certificate of Good Conduct to study this course.
If you are currently subject to any licence condition or monitoring restriction that could affect your ability to successfully complete your studies, you will be required to disclose your criminal record. Conditions include, but are not limited to:
- access to computers or devices that can store images
- use of internet and communication tools/devices
- curfews
- freedom of movement
- contact with people related to Cardiff University.
Course structure
The taught component of the course amounts to 120 credits and is taught across two semesters (Autumn and Spring) from the end of September to the beginning of June and combines core and elective modules.
You will submit a dissertation at the end of August. The dissertation carries 60 credits.
The modules shown are an example of the typical curriculum and will be reviewed prior to the 2024/25 academic year. The final modules will be published by September 2024.
| Module title | Module code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Information Gathering and Analysis 1 | MCT414 | 20 credits |
| Information Gathering and Analysis 2 | MCT415 | 20 credits |
| International News Production 2 | MCT453 | 20 credits |
| International News Production 1 | MCT458 | 20 credits |
| Foreign News Reporting | MCT483 | 20 credits |
| Dissertation Project | MCT522 | 60 credits |
| Module title | Module code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| In the Editor's Chair | MCT588 | 20 credits |
| Reporting Business, Finance and Economics | MCT589 | 20 credits |
| Citizen Media: Digital Storytelling | MCT590 | 20 credits |
| Communicating Causes | MCT591 | 20 credits |
| EMERGING JOURNALISM | MCT592 | 20 credits |
| Media, Science and Health | MCT608 | 20 credits |
The University is committed to providing a wide range of module options where possible, but please be aware that whilst every effort is made to offer choice this may be limited in certain circumstances. This is due to the fact that some modules have limited numbers of places available, which are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, while others have minimum student numbers required before they will run, to ensure that an appropriate quality of education can be delivered; some modules require students to have already taken particular subjects, and others are core or required on the programme you are taking. Modules may also be limited due to timetable clashes, and although the University works to minimise disruption to choice, we advise you to seek advice from the relevant School on the module choices available.
Learning and assessment
How will I be taught?
You will be taught through a variety of practical workshops which replicate an industry environment as well as a series of lectures and seminars which complement the academic nature of the course.
How will I be assessed?
You will be assessed through a wide range of formative and summative classroom activities, essays and practical assessments throughout the course.
How will I be supported?
You will be allocated a Personal Tutor, for help and support with academic and pastoral needs, who is available when needed to discuss progress, provide advice and guidance.
You will be supported by the Student Support services in the school and through wider university resources.
You will have regular tutorials with programme directors/personal tutors as well as the opportunity to meet with module co-ordinators on request.
Feedback
Feedback is provided at each assessment point for summative assessments, formative feedback is provided in practical sessions and throughout teaching.
What skills will I practise and develop?
You will develop very strong written, spoken and visual communication skills targeted to a career in international journalism but highly transferable to other areas of media and beyond.
You also gain experience of working in multicultural, multilingual global teams and will emerge with a valuable combination of research skills spanning academic method and techniques of investigative journalism.
Tuition fees for 2024 entry
Your tuition fees and how you pay them will depend on your fee status. Your fee status could be home, island or overseas.
Learn how we decide your fee status
Fees for home status
| Year | Tuition fee | Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Year one | £11,700 | None |
Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland
If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss national, your tuition fees for 2024/25 be in line with the overseas fees for international students, unless you qualify for home fee status. UKCISA have provided information about Brexit and tuition fees.
Fees for island status
Learn more about the postgraduate fees for students from the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
Fees for overseas status
| Year | Tuition fee | Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Year one | £22,700 | £2,500 |
More information about tuition fees and deposits, including for part-time and continuing students.
Financial support
Financial support may be available to individuals who meet certain criteria. For more information visit our funding section. Please note that these sources of financial support are limited and therefore not everyone who meets the criteria are guaranteed to receive the support.
Additional costs
Living costs
We’re based in one of the UK’s most affordable cities. Find out more about living costs in Cardiff.
Funding
Career prospects
Graduates of the MA International Journalism programme are employed in a wide and varied range of occupations including editorial positions in International Broadcast and Multimedia Journalism industries such as BBC Worldwide, CNN, NDTV, SABC, Russia Today, Al Jazeera, Reuters and Bloomberg. Graduates have also gone on to work in global marketing and publication industries as well as becoming freelance documentary producers and web content developers.
Next steps
Open Day visits
Register for information about our 2023 dates.Make an enquiry
Contact us for more information about this course.International
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HESA Data: Copyright Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited 2021. The Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived by third parties from its data. Data is from the latest Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20, published by HESA in June 2022.
