MA JOURNALISM

The MA journalism at Winchester takes place in one of the most highly regarded and most forward looking journalism departments in the country.

Our MA journalism courses create journalists with the highest ethical standards, passion and with genuine experience of the professional world.

Our alumni, and those who have worked with our unrivalled teaching team, can be found all over the broadcast media an beyond, and our graduates represent the future of journalism. Why take risks?

The MA journalism course is one of a few in the country which is based entirely around live output and trains journalists across all three main areas of journalism - broadcasting, news and newspaper reporting as well as magazines and the internt.

We have extremely close realtionships with all these branches of the journalism profession: Newspapers, magazines and broadcasting.

The MA journalism courses is industry accredited, and we frequently have guest editors working with our students, including newspaper editors and reporters, senior magazine journalists and editors, and reporters, producers and editors from radio, television and the internet.

“I had no idea that journalism students were doing things at this level. It is fantastic and I was completely blown away by the professionalism of the students’ work.”

LAURA BARTON, senior feature writer, The Guardian on the MA journalism courses at Wincheste .

"Multiskilled graduates are like gold to a newspaper newsroom. The quality of the students and the work they do as a team is right up there with the best I have ever seen. Editors and employers are going to be chasing graduates from the Winchester journalism courses”.

IAN MURRAY, editor, Southern Daily Echo

On the MA Journalism course and other courses you are intensively taught, coached and tested on vital profesional skills such as shorthand and media law and - uniquely - get to spend hundreds of hours working on live output on a remarkably realistic live news operation - the multi-award-winning Winchester News Online - which year after year is recognised by the industry as producing the most advanced journalism of its type in the country.

The MA journalism course is one of ther most successful in the country at placing people in the industry, making use of a vast network of alumni and contacts built up over 25 years by our teaching team.

Our small group teaching ensures that our students get exceptional support in finding work attachments and employment.

Our fantastic location on the doorstep of the world's media capital, with the additional strength of being exceptionally close to the core of the magazine industry on the south side of London. Waterloo and Westminster are less than an hour away by train, and south London is less than thirty minutes away.

At the same time our location means that our costs are lower, allowing us to invest our resources in your future rather than in sky high London rents.

INDUSTRY ENDORSEMENTS FOR THE MA JOURNALISM COURSES AT WINCHESTER.

“If students have been at a place like Winchester and they have the experience and resources at such a high level they will stand out in the job market.”

GEOFF HILL, Editor Channel Five News, former Editor CNN Europe on the MA journalism courses.

“A very impressive and really professional set up”.

TIM BURKE, Editor, BBC Politics Show on the BA and MA journalism courses at Winchester.

“So impressive, all the students are so confident and competent. The students are so lucky to be in amongst such expert tutors who are so obviously in tune with what it is like to be in the workforce. And also the technology you have is amazing.”

MARIA MILANO, online editor, InStyle magazine (IPC magazines) on the magazine element of the MA journalism courses.

Our masters and MA journalism courses are highly regarded by employers because they are "future proof" and fully multimedia. We have been described by senior figures as being "ahead of the industry itself" . After the one year course at Winchester you'll be ready to enter a really exciting profession which is changing every year. That it is why it is vital to choose a course with industry recognition and a record for innovation.

The journalism courses at Winchester won the BJTC innovation award two years running, and the course leader won this award in four out of the last five years. Winchester now has many immitators, but few of them have been able to repeat anything like our success.

The MA journalism course was also national runner up in the inagugral BBC College of Journalism postgraduate innovation award. In terms of innovation Winchester has moved into a league of its own. The course the first to base teaching around continuous production of live multi-platform journalism, the first to set up and run our own local news website with video as integral, the first to over a General Election live with multiple Skype OB units.

Unlike other leading MA journalism courses, our department is not divided up into seperate awards dealing with the different media such as radio, or television or newspapers and magazines. At Winchester we believe that it is vital that you study in all of these fields on the same course, with no 'pathways' or sub-divisions to limit youir chances.

“Winchester students get an excellent training. Full multimedia training is a unique skill and students at Winchester get just that.”

CHRIS SHIP, political editor, ITV News/ITN on the MA journalism courses.

“Winchester (journalism) is a real replica of what goes on in the industry. A course and an environment like this is a real opportunity to experience the reality of working as a journalist, and so they are in a really good position to get jobs.”

IAN ANDERSON, BBC World Service Trust, former output editor BBC 10 O’Clock News

“Being on a BJTC course is important in starting a career and if you have worked on a project that has won a national award that will make you stand out. The awards that Winchester students are winning are very well deserved and it is great to see such a new course producing such outstanding work”.

ALEX GIRLIS, BBC College of Journalism and BJTC National Council.

And our superb multimedia newsrooms offer the perfect preparation for the digital workplace. And our expert teaching staff includes some of leading authorities on journalistic ethics and law in the world.

Last year one student on the MA journalism course - Shira Pinczuk was award the prize of national student broadcast journalist of the year. The MA journalism student team was also honoured for their work on live journalism and news production. Three students out seven went straight into dream jobs with national and international broadcasters.

Our location on the doorstep of London enables you to take part in work attachments and reporting and feature writing assignments in London, while avoid the hassle, congestion and cost of having to live in London. Studying at Winchester gives the best of both worlds. we are also very close to the South London and surrey centres of the UK magazine industry.

The MA journalism course is designed for graduates and mature students with a clear ambition to work in the media. The course is 100 percent practical and dedicated solely and exclusively to helping graduates start careers in the journalism and media industries.

Bursaries and grants forthe MA journalism courses:

The George Viner Memorial Trust was set up by the National Union of Journalists to broaden the diversity of journalists working within the media in the UK and Ireland. The funding round opens in May and the deadline for applications is in August each year. Application is open to students on the MA journalism course. See: The George Viner Memorial Trust.

“I love the way the Winchester journalism courses simulate the reality of journalism. When I visited Winchester it was great that it was organized like a real newsroom - just like I would see in a professional news organisation. It was excellent. 

“… before my visit to Winchester I had never seen a college send their students out to cover a general election live, working as proper journalists. It was really impressive and the atmosphere amongst the students was really positive.”

LOUISE BAMFIELD, Managing Editor APTN (Associated Press)

“This course is really, really impressive. The facilities are fantastic and the moment I walked into the student newsroom there was a buzz. It was brilliant and really professional - nothing beats actually doing the job, and that is what the Winchester students do on a daily basis. The way this course work makes students so much more employable. It is excellent.”

RACHEL CANTER, Reporter, BBC South.

“Journalism and television is changing all the time, so to have people who are actually on the inside of the industry training you is exactly what you need. I am really impressed by the way students at Winchester train within a range of roles so they are truly multi-skilled. Students at Winchester are taught by people who are actually in the industry. That is excellent and exactly what is needed.

RACHEL HEPWORTH, presenter/journalist, ITV News/ Meridian

“It was absolutely fantastic to watch the training that was going on when I visited the students. They were superb. These students are getting the inside track knowledge. … and this is the best student journalism I have ever seen”.

KAY OLIVER, senior journalist, GMTV

“The journalism training and education at Winchester is ahead of the industry itself.”

MIA COSTELLO, BBC South and BBC College of Journalism

“I am very, very impressed and even slightly envious of the equipment you have to train on. It is very, very professional and what is going on the journalism course at Winchester is great stuff.

“What the university is doing is absolutely essential for the industry. Multiskilled graduates are like gold to a newsroom. The quality of the students and the work they do as a team is right up there with the best I have ever seen. Editors and employers are going to be chasing graduates from the Winchester journalism courses”.

IAN MURRAY, editor, Southern Daily Echo

“The attitude of the students is absolutely phenomenal. The students I saw would fit into a newsroom as soon as they graduate. The way the course is run doesn’t happen in every university, it isn’t commonplace. What you have go going here is really special. How many universities up and down the country would be able to do a live programme on the day’s breaking news, and do that again and again? Not many. The teamwork that I witnessed during my visit was phenomenal.”

RICHARD EVANS, News Producer, Sky News

“The training that Winchester students get is incredibly well done. It is fantastic because simply to be able to do the job week after week gives you a tremendous advantage and will be a tremendous advantage as well in progressing in the industry when you get your foot in the door in the profession.”

FIONA FOSTER, ITV national network news presenter

“The students I saw during my visit to Winchester did extremely well, handling a live breaking news story. I was very, very impressed by the standard of student work, particularly the sport element which was I think good enough to grace any of the BBC’s regional output. These are students just starting out in television, radio and online news and I was thoroughly impressed by the way they gelled together as a team. There are some very promising young journalists here.”

MIKE SMARTT, founder-editor, BBC News Online

“The quality of student work from students at Winchester is extraordinary.  The sharpness of the students the quality and sophistication of the content and the presentation is really admirable.  I have seen a student television programme of this kind of quality. 
“The election programme I saw is proper journalism and it is the same as the BBC is doing and it is as good as anything the BBC is doing. As these students go forwards in their careers they will take that with them and as editors interview them for jobs, their experience at Winchester will give them very, very real experience to draw upon.” - SAM WOODHOUSE, Editor, BBC Elections Unit

“Some of the student work I have seen at Winchester is the best I have ever seen outside a professional newsroom….

“The courses at Winchester are in many ways in leading journalism training in this country…

“I have been tremendously impressed with the quality of the students and the energy and determination that they show.

ROB KIRK, head of training and development at Sky News, former home news editor, Sky News.