PME School of Media : Freelancing and Journalism Enterprise - MA

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Freelancing and Journalism Enterprise - MA

Summary
  • Campus
  • City North
  • Duration
  • Full-time (Sept start): 12 months
    Full-time (Feb start): 15 months
    Part-time (Feb start): 27 months
    Part-time (Sept start): 24 months
  • Fees
  • 2012/2013: £6,500
    2012/2013 (Part-time): £3,250 per year
    2012/2013 (International): £10,300 per year

Overview

Register now to attend our Postgraduate Open Eveing on Thursday 10 May 2012

Please note: Courses starting in February include a break from August until the start of autumn term (late September).

We know that the journalism industry is changing beyond recognition. Developments in technology have led to a transformation in the way people view information and the way it is delivered. Our audiences are no longer willing to sit back and receive the news from experts on an occasional basis – they want regular access to the latest developments and they want to comment upon, challenge and influence events. This means that the existing news organisations and the people who work for them have also had to transform the ways in which they operate.

This course is designed to cater for existing journalists and those about to enter the profession who recognise that the world has changed and have decided that they wish to change with it.

The MA in Freelancing and Journalism Enterprise offers journalism graduates, those who have experience in the news or magazine industries or who can demonstrate core journalism skills, the chance to think about how they can use their existing skills in a new and enterprising way. Students will have the chance to learn or develop new media techniques and to experiment in finding creative ways of gathering and distributing news. Because of the business focus, there will be an emphasis on how to build a portfolio of skills and carve out a career in the fast-changing media world.

The course offers a high degree of flexibility which means that it is ideal both for graduates looking to broaden their experience and for professional practitioners who want to extend their range of skills and identify new directions for their careers. It involves exploring the future of news and feature writing and identifying new ideas that can help you exploit existing talents and develop new ones.

Course Outline

Course Structure

You will start your studies in this masters degree in Freelancing and Journalism Enterprise with two very practical modules which will ensure that very, quickly you, are operating as a journalist involved in freelance or entrepreneurial activity. In both the Online Journalism and Enterprise modules, you will be encouraged to practise and experiment with newly-learned skills and to use them to implement your own journalistic ideas. There will also be the opportunity in the second semester to study the changing journalistic landscape and to consider how other journalists and academics are trying to make sense of it. In the module New Journalism in Context, you will have the opportunity to research an area of special interest and to plan and prepare for the project which will form the basis of your final piece of work for the MA by Practice.

You will meet with your tutors in small classes and in individual tutorials, and you will work in small groups with other students on practical tasks. We invite a wide range of relevant speakers from industry, and we want you to get involved in the interesting research undertaken by members of the Interactive Cultures team, who are part of the school’s Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research. There is a vibrant creative industries sector in Birmingham, which includes a wide range of journalists and bloggers, and of course we are very close to London, one of the major bases of the international journalism industry.  We keep in close contact with our journalism graduates, and there will be opportunities to work with them and other companies from across the world on real projects.

Later in the course you will establish your own journalism enterprise possibly as a freelance journalist, making use of the skills, knowledge and contacts that you have gained over the previous year. We encourage you to experiment, to try out innovative ideas, and to produce truly original work.

You can find out more details about the course modules below.

Modules

Online Journalism (30 credits) Enterprise (30 credits)

This very practical module introduces you to the world of online journalism and will take your skills to an advanced level. You will learn important new journalism techniques, such as blogging and microblogging, podcasting, online video production, social networking and online distribution strategies. 

Crucially, you will also be expected to network and interact with other online journalism practitioners, including the very active community in the West Midlands, and to engage with communities to create your own online journalism platform.

This module explores entrepreneurial techniques, processes and practices. You will put ideas into practice, develop a strong sense of your professional development needs, be involved in creating networks (in and outside the university) and refine an action-orientated approach.

By focusing on a spirit of entrepreneurship, we will encourage you to take ownership of your own personal professional development. You will identify industry challenges appropriate to your award, and turn them into opportunities for you to enhance your independence, confidence, networking capacity and strategic thinking. This will encourage you to become a reflective creative worker.

New Journalism in Context (30 credits) Production Lab (30 credits)

This theory into practice module explores the issues and themes that are currently having a major impact on journalism. Students will identify and develop a research idea through reading and investigation of the current journalism landscape. They will then use this information to draw up a proposal for a small piece of research based on a case study, which is designed to provide insight into an aspect of the broader journalism context such as practices, conventions, technologies, audiences or ethics.

Students will then plan, manage and organise their research, and write a report which outlines their findings and draws conclusions about its wider relevance to their studies and journalism in general.

This module prepares you for MA by Practice, and draws upon other taught modules which established professional conventions and explored current industry challenges. 

You will be provided with the opportunity to innovate, and to apply and experiment with a range of production skills appropriate to your award, supported by a systematic exploration of methods for research and production development.

MA by Practice (60 credits)

To complete your award, you will originate, execute and deliver an individual and extended practice-based professional project at the forefront of your field.

You will develop and consolidate your mastery of key skills, and knowledge of and engagement with current opportunities in the field of production. This module encourages and tests skills of initiative and independent practice and is conducted largely outside the classroom with support from a tutor.

Assessments

Assessment takes the form of independent study tasks based on production activities.

Placements

Interaction with the current journalism industry will be essential. Depending on your own interest and experience this could either be a placement or you could carry out a workplace study as part of your research.

Staff

Photo of Sue Heseltine

Sue Heseltine

Programme Director for BA (Hons) Media and Communication and Award Leader for MA Freelancing and Journalism Enterprise

During her professional career she spent more than 20 years as a working journalist in the print and broadcasting industries.

She started out on her local weekly newspaper, the Craven Herald and Pioneer at Skipton in the Yorkshire Dales. She then went on to work for regional newspapers in South Wales and the North of England, including The Star in Sheffield and the Yorkshire Post in Leeds. She has also worked for BBC Radio Sheffield and spent eight years as a TV journalist working mainly for Yorkshire’s regional news programme, Calendar, as well as for Sky News and Granada TV.

Sue teaches modules in print and broadcast journalism, media law and professional studies and she is a member of the Association for Journalism Education.

She continues to write for newspapers and magazines on a freelance basis and, as the village correspondent for the Staffordshire village where she lives, she also writes a weekly column for the Lichfield Mercury.

She says that the undergraduate programme aims to provide students with the skills to generate news stories for print, broadcast or online platforms.

“Graduates going out to find jobs as journalists these days need a much broader range of technological skills than they did when I started out as a reporter.

“Our job is to make sure they have those skills and that they understand how to use them. However journalists still need to be able to find information and communicate effectively – some of those important core skills remain fundamentally the same.”

She added that the post graduate course in Freelancing and Journalism Enterprise caters for a different type of applicant.

“Our MA is designed for people who already have some training or experience as journalists. The course aims to help work out how to make use of their existing skills ion a fast-changing world.

“We know that there are people who know how to be a journalist but feel that they need something extra to help them achieve their aims.

“In some cases that will be extra qualifications, in some cases it will be additional new media skills, in some cases it will simply be the opportunity to study and analyse the emerging journalistic landscape and work out how they can fit into it.

“The MA offers them all of these things”

After your studies

Further Studies

For anyone interested in taking their research interests forward into an MPhil or PhD speak to the course director about your particular area of expertise.

Employment Opportunities

Upon successfully completing the MA in Freelancing and Journalism Enterprise you will have the skills to move your career forward in a new direction - whether you are working in the print, broadcast or online sector.

You will have a new perspective on the role of journalism and how you fit into it. You will be able to find stories from alternative sources stand them up and tell them using a range of platforms. You'll have a broader range of skills and be a more flexible, self-reliant and entrepreneurial journalist.

Entry Requirements & Applications

Entry Requirements

Applicants should possess a relevant first degree or equivalent, or have considerable relevant experience. This would mean proven experience in journalism or closely related area of media. Good spoken and written English are vital. IELTS level 6.5 is a minimum. Applicants must be able to demonstrate outstanding ability and potential.

Application Details

Please apply direct to faculty:

Online Application Form

Telephone: +44 (0)121 331 6618
Email: media.admissions@bcu.ac.uk

Enquiries

Prospective students from the UK or EU may enquire online by using the Course Enquiry Form or call +44 (0)121 331 5595.

Prospective students from non-EU countries may enquire via the International Enquiry Form or call +44 (0)121 331 6714.

Further Information

Birmingham School of Media
Birmingham City University
City North Campus
Perry Barr
Birmingham
B42 2SU

Telephone: +44 (0)121 331 6618
Fax: +44 (0)121 331 6501

Email: media.admissions@bcu.ac.uk

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