MA Multimedia Journalism

"This course put me out of my comfort zone and enabled me to really develop my skills as a journalist as no other course could. If there was anything I was struggling with or confused by there was always an excellent team of experienced teachers able to answer my questions and get me back on the right track. I was able to combine what I'd learned as an undergrad with my new rapidly developing skillset to produce a portfolio of work that I'm proud to show employers. I'm so glad I chose BU."   

“The MA Multimedia Journalism programme is great for those wanting to gain hands-on experience in media-related fields. My favourite part is that you’re not limited to just one sector of journalism and with multiple modes of teaching it really helps prepare you with the necessary skills and knowledge to launch your career.” 

“BU’s Multimedia Journalism course was decisive for my personal and professional growth. I learned several skills that I hadn't learned before and that makes me more confident and prepared for the job market.” 

"This course is intense and equips you with the necessary tools and training to prepare you for a developing multimedia environment."

"Studying MA Multimedia Journalism in Bournemouth University has been truly remarkable for me. It’s a great course and I’m glad I made the choice." 

• Digital Journalism: Insights and practices of multi-media journalism, using a mix of text, radio and TV. You'll become familiar with multiplatform publishing, collaborating in multimedia teams, and develop competence in producing and analysing evolving styles of journalism in many digital forms.

• Journalism in Global Contexts: This unit explores journalism in global contexts, offering insights into the issues relating to gathering and distributing news in - and for - varied news cultures. You'll be challenged to debate the ethical, political, social and cultural dimensions involved in journalism products for national and transnational audiences, which will prepare you to assess journalism in today’s predominantly digital media environment.

• Legal & Ethical Context: Gain an understanding of media regulation, issues with press and broadcasting freedoms and approaches to the role of journalism and journalists, along with their ethical dilemmas and professional codes of conduct. You'll learn what you're legally allowed to report in the UK in situations including court proceedings and council meetings and how to avoid being sued, and consider what might be justified for publication in the public interest. This unit continues in Semester 2.

• Multimedia Reporting Skills: Develop your skills in researching and reporting news and current affairs in radio, TV and online formats. The unit will nurture your ability to write fluently, concisely and coherently to deadline, develop contacts and sources using traditional and emerging social media techniques, consider intellectual, ethical and professional issues associated with news reporting and execute depth of research and imaginative presentation. Tasks include researching, interviewing and editing, in professional standard newsrooms and studios.
• Journalism Project: You'll complete a self-conceived piece of independent research and produce an extended journalistic production under the guidance of a nominated supervisor. You’ll critically explore key issues and debates in journalism studies and develop a more specialised understanding in an area of your choice. There will be an opportunity to consider the relationship between journalistic practice and digital technologies. You’ll produce a reflective submission linked to your practical project. You’ll also be integrating, synthesising and extending the skills and knowledge you’ve gained so far and be able to prove you've met the intellectual, technical and personal skills demanded of a Master’s graduate. You can take this unit as distance learning, subject to your supervisor’s approval.

Choose two of the following option units:

• Documentary Journalism: Examine documentary forms and practices in radio and television. Technical workshops in recording and production techniques are also included, and you'll produce an audio or video documentary.
• Media & Global Challenges: This unit explores the function and role of the media in the context of shared global challenges, and specifically those defined by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Agenda. It will also examine the role of media and journalism to empower communities to respond to and reduce the risks posed by the challenges defined in the SDGs.
• Immersive & Interactive Storytelling: The unit aims to explore existing and emerging digital technologies which put the audience experience of a story at the heart of storytelling.
• Investigative Journalism: The history and practice of investigative journalism, and how it's applied to traditional and online media. You'll gain skills for reporting this way, be exposed to a variety of writings and approaches to the genre and gain insights into the key issues and debates around such journalism.
• New Media Innovation: Explore areas where journalism and new media overlap. There's a focus on how new media innovation helps different forms and practices for news production, distribution, consumption and interaction. You'll engage with key issues and debates facing a networked media landscape, where audiences as passive consumers make way for collaborative reporting and crowdsourcing. Ways new media can complement and improve existing journalistic processes will be at the forefront, including data journalism, increased transparency and accountability, mobile news applications and augmented reality. You'll gain an understanding of how to undertake developing online civic media projects for journalistic purposes.

*Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.

You are required to undertake a minimum three-week placement during the course (usually during the Easter break), providing an opportunity to apply your acquired knowledge and skills in the workplace. You are required to find your own placement; however, our Careers & Employability Service and your faculty placements office are on hand to support you.

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the university’s taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

For MA Multimedia Journalism we are looking for applicants who:

• Enjoy working with other people
• Want to make a difference with their lives
• Are flexible with time and energy levels
• Are creative, and critical
• See their future in journalism
• Are curious and open-minded.

The academic team will look at your online application including your qualifications, personal statement and any work experience. Please make sure your application stands out from the crowd and leaves us in no doubt that you want to study at Bournemouth University.

For more information, take a look at our how to apply pages

There is no application deadline for this course. However, if you will need a visa to come to the UK to study, think carefully about the length of time it will take for your visa application to be processed and make sure your visa will be ready in time for the beginning of your course. 

December and January is one of our busiest application periods and therefore it may take us a little longer to process incoming applications. For courses with a January start date, we recommend submitting your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Click the green ‘Apply now’ button to submit your application free of charge online through myHub, our application portal. You will create your own myHub account so that you can track the progress of your application. Don’t forget to save your application as you go; you can return to it at as many times as you want before you submit it. For more information visit our How to apply section.

This course has compulsory elements involving practical production activities. When required, students must complete a health and safety risk assessment to take part in these activities, for their safety and that of others. As part of that assessment students provide information about any conditions or disabilities that might affect their ability to undertake these activities fully or safely. 

If you have such a condition or disability, please let us know as soon as possible. You can contact our Additional Learning Support (ALS) service about this before or after making an application. We will then work with you to identify any support or adjustments you would need. Our ALS team works with the Faculty to seek to put in place reasonable adjustments and health and safety plans.

Exceptionally, it may not be possible to arrange for a student to access these courses without either over-riding their core standards or competencies or creating unacceptable risks to health and safety. If that is the case we will help you explore alternative course choices.

The normal requirements for embarking upon a postgraduate taught degree are:

• A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in any subject

• Applicants encouraged to provide details of relevant work experience

If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow - some based on experience. Contact the Future Students Enquiry team for more information.

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

• India: Bachelor’s degree (4 years) from a recognised HE institution with a minimum overall result of 55%
• Nigeria:  Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution with a minimum classification of 2:2
• Thailand:  Thai Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution with a minimum GPA of 2.5/4.0
• Turkey: Bachelor’s degree (Lisans Diplomasi - four years) with a minimum overall GPA of 2.3/4.0
• Vietnam:  Bachelor's degree/Bang tot nghiep dai hoc with an average score of 6.5/10, or a Master’s degree/Thac si.

All applications will be subject to a minimum grade and your degree may need to be in a relevant subject area.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you can understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

• IELTS (Academic) 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in writing and 5.5 in each component, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level. 

Roles our Multimedia Journalism graduates have taken on include:

• TV Reporter
• Radio Producer
• Online Content Editor
• Social Media Consultant
• Multimedia Journalist

Among the companies that our graduates have worked for are:

• BBC
• Sky
• Press Association
• ITV
• ILR
• Al Jazeera
• CNN
• Associated Press
• Reuters
• Bloomberg

• Media
• Journalism
• PR
• Digital
• Management

If you want to continue your studies after achieving your Master’s, you can look into our range of doctoral programmes.

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Materials for laboratory and mandatory field-based teaching activity.
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement if this is part of your course of study.
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service.
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces.
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features.
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow.
• Disability and additional learning support, according to individual circumstances.
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills.
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• ​Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses.
• Accommodation and living costs. Please visit our website for more information.
• ​Travel costs for optional field trips, outdoor wear and footwear for mandatory and optional field trips (if applicable).
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass can be purchased alongside your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchased separately.
• ​Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas) if this is part of your course of study. Placement year funding information can be found on our website.
• Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement if this is part of your course of study. 
• SportBU membership.

While all aspects of the programme, including required field trips, are included in the fee, additional, optional or extra curricula activities may be available for which a student contribution is required.

If you need to repeat one or more units during the course of your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full time fee.

International (not Rep. of Ireland) students need to pay a non-refundable £3,000 deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

• You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
• You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

We offer a range of scholarships to eligible students who are beginning their studies at BU. Please visit our funding pages for details on living costs, budgeting and paying your tuition fees.

Mike Sunderland is a lecturer in video, television and documentary journalism at Bournemouth University. He was a producer and reporter at Sky News, where he specialised in foreign news. He was later a freelance video journalist and filmmaker covering East Africa. He has spent much of his career in Africa, both as a journalist and during two stints managing media relations for Save the Children. He has covered wars in Somalia, Nigeria, DRC and Ivory Coast, as well as humanitarian crises across the continent. His video content has been used by the likes of Sky News, ITV News, Associated Press, Voice of America, Reuters, Al Jazeera and France 24. His research interests focus on the media framing of humanitarian crises.

David was a newspaper journalist for more than 25 years, the last 19 at the Southern Daily Echo in Southampton, and his aim is to pass on as many insights as he can to our students. He started as a trainee reporter on a weekly newspaper in south London and worked his way up to deputy news editor and, later, features editor at the Echo. He was also heavily involved in staff training for more than 10 years including running the Classroom in the Newsroom course at the Echo in partnership with Highbury College in Portsmouth, where he taught the NCTJ diploma course, which forms part of the BA Multimedia Journalism course at BU.

Dr Majin has more than 20 years’ experience working in TV news as a documentary and factual film maker, on-screen reporter, news editor and senior producer. 

During a 14 year career at BBC News in addition to producing the main evening news on a regular basis, and running a multi-platform newsroom, Graham was responsible for training journalists to shoot and edit their own material. 

Graham is also a professional film maker who produces video and animations for a wide range of public and private sector clients, NGOs and non-profits.  

Dr Majin's research area is fake news, media literacy and how the concept of truth is understood differently by audiences, journalists and academics.

In summary, Graham fuses professional, real-world expertise with relevant, cutting-edge research and effective, engaging pedagogy.

Chindu Sreedharan is Associate Professor of Journalism at Bournemouth University. His research focuses on ‘abnormal journalisms’—reportage that extends the boundaries of conventional newswork, from crisis and post-disaster situations, news on social media, as well as new forms of nonfictional narratives.

Before moving into academics, Chindu worked as a journalist, combining reportorial and newsdesk experiences in New Delhi, Mumbai, and New York. Till 2003, he was Associate Editor for Rediff.com and India Abroad (a New York-based weekly newspaper), reporting and editing multi-chapter long narratives and political interviews.

An Nguyen is Associate Professor of Journalism. A former Vietnamese journalist and Australian-educated scholar, An has taught in five British and Australian universities. Prior to BU, he headed journalism at University of Sussex. Before Sussex, he lectured at University of Stirling, where he co-founded and directed its successful Vietnam-based MSc in Media Management.

An serves as Editor of Anthem Studies in Emerging Media and Society Book Series and on the Editorial Boards of four journals (Journalism Education, Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies, Media and Communication, and Journal of Southeast Asian Media Studies).

Dr Dalia Elsheikh is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She completed her doctorate in Political Communication at Bournemouth University in 2017.

Her research interest includes the study of campaign communication with emphasis on both the professionalisation and its impacts upon citizen engagement in nascent democracies. She is currently working on a research project studying the culture movements in the Egyptian public sphere assessing their impact on the democratisation of Egypt. She is also interested in journalism studies.

David has around 30 years’ experience in journalism, training and development, and PR writing. During his career he has been a journalist working in staff or freelance roles for print and online consumer and business titles. He spent four years as editorial training manager at major web and magazine and web publisher Reed Business Information. He has also been a director of two limited companies: Journalism Training Centre, which won a National Training Award in 1994; and PMA Training. In addition, David spent time as consultant to specialist PR agency Simons Communications, working on press release writing and staff development. He is an examiner in Court Reporting and Essential Media Law & Regulation for the National Council for the Training of Journalists.

Educator, media specialist, and writer, Mary Hogarth was previously Head of Features Journalism at Solent University and is now a HEA Senior Fellow with a fractional post at Bournemouth University.

With more than 20 years’ industry experience – including her role as Managing Editor of Writers International Ltd overseeing two national magazines – Mary set up The Magazine Expert Ltd in 2015. Her consultancy practice specialises in new title launches (print, online and digital), audience engagement, editorial development and sustainable business strategies.

Her research interests include sustainable publishing strategies and developing pedagogical practices to enhance employability while improving the student experience.