MA Broadcast and Digital Journalism (Part Time)
Key details
- Attendance
- Part Time
- Award
- Degree of Master of Arts
- Course Length
- 2 years
- Course Start Date
- September 2027
Course options
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UEA is ranked top 20 in the UK for Research QualityCourse Overview
Why MA Broadcast and Digital Journalism at UEA?
Work smarter with a two-year, part-time journalism masters designed to fit alongside paid work, pitching, or freelancing. You’ll build contacts, develop your confidence, and take time to discover your path while creating a strong portfolio for employers.
Why Choose UEA
- Career-ready: Build the skills, confidence and portfolio to work as a journalist, communication officer, or social media creator
- Real-world facilities: Learn in the former Heart Radio studios, now converted into radio, podcast and TV facilities
- Small-group learning: Study in small classes, with hands-on workshops and career support
What is MA Broadcast and Digital Journalism?
Build practical skills, industry contacts, and a professional portfolio that shows employers what you can do. On this part-time course, you’ll gain confidence across video, audio, online writing, and social media, preparing you for a wide range of careers.
You’ll learn in small groups at Broadcast House based in Norwich city centre, where there’s a strong sense of community. Guest speakers will help you understand the industry, while the city offers freelance and job opportunities in the media sector.
You’ll also receive one-to-one voice and performance coaching to strengthen your broadcast skills. With two weeks of summer work placement, you’ll leave with a clearer career direction, valuable contacts, and the skills to pursue your chosen media path.
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Accreditations
The degree is accredited by the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC)(opens in a new window). As a successful graduate, alongside receiving your degree, you'll receive a Journalism Skills Certificate from the BJTC. This professional qualification lets future employers know you’vereceived industry-standard training, have learned the core skills they require, and are ready for employment.
The BJTC(opens in a new window) is supported by major industry players such as Reuters, ITN, BBC, Channel 4, Associated Press, ITV and Sky News and hosts a yearly awards ceremony, at which UEA has now won awards three years in a row.
As this is a BJTC accredited course, with regular inspections, you can be confident in our commitment to deliver a course which has undergone industry scrutiny.
Careers
Career Pathways
With a MA Broadcast and Digital Journalism degree, you could launch a career as a:
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Multiplatform Journalist: Create stories for online, audio, video, and social media platforms
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Podcast Producer: Plan, record, edit, and promote podcast content for different audiences
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Documentary Researcher: Support long-form factual productions through research, storytelling, and compliance
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Social Media Content Creator: Produce audience-focused content for fast-moving digital platforms
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PR and Communications Officer: Manage media relations, public messaging, and organisational reputation
Career Support
Your journalism lecturers will be with you every step of the way, guiding and supporting you to apply for your dream job. You’ll get course-specific careers support in the first semester and access to a dedicated LinkedIn group with job adverts. We’ll also support you with additional workshops on how to tailor your application to specific journalism jobs and traineeships. Additional support is available from UEA Career Central(opens in a new window).
After the Course
After the course, you’ll be ready to work as a journalist in local or national newsrooms, as freelancers or on staff contracts. Our graduates(opens in a new window) have gone into roles at BBC, ITV, Newsquest, the Telegraph, the Independent and many more. You’ll also be able to choose an adjacent career such as digital content & social media, corporate communications, video production, and data-driven storytelling.
Study and Modules
Structure
This is a practice-based course and from the very first week, you’ll be out in the city reporting, speaking to people and hearing their stories. In the first year you’ll learn the core skills of recording and editing audio and video news stories for broadcast and online platforms. You’ll generate your own news stories - the best are published on our award-winning website, UEAJournalism(opens in a new window) - and go out into the local community to research and produce them.
You’ll work in teams to produce radio and TV programmes in line with professional standards and take part in 15 news-days during teaching weeks and assessment periods which will replicate the work of journalists in a real newsroom. You’ll develop your reporting and writing skills, instilling an appreciation of the proper ethical framework for your journalism.
Understanding media law and regulation is a core skill for employers so your first year will include study of the judicial system of England and Wales and a journalist’s rights and responsibilities within it. You'll also study the UK political system and civic structures such as local councils which form the basis of many news stories.
You’ll take part in all-day workshops called news-days which replicate industry practice, some of these are during teaching weeks and some take place during assessment periods in January and June.
Compulsory Modules
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Structure
In your second year, you’ll delve into greater detail and pursue more challenging stories through data and investigative journalism projects. You’ll develop your reporting and writing skills, instilling an appreciation of the proper ethical framework for your journalism. You’ll also start your own podcast and you’ll learn inclusive journalism, working with diverse communities to help them tell their stories.
Before the end of degree, you’ll take part in 10 days of work placement which will bring together all the learning from the course and put you in a strong position to apply for jobs in the media industry. You'll be supported to find your own placements from the course team and the UEA’s dedicated Career Central(opens in a new window).
Compulsory Modules
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning, and Assessment
Teaching and Learning
We don’t use huge lecture halls packed with hundreds of students. Instead, our half-day workshops are a mix of short talks, discussion, and practical exercises. You’ll be treated as a journalist from day one of this course, out looking for stories right from the start.
Some modules will follow a lecture and seminar format and you'll also visit courts and local councils to practise your reporting skills. You’ll also take part in exciting and challenging all-day classes called news-days when you’ll produce stories to real deadlines. Independent study time will include watching, reading and listening to the news every day; finding and producing news stories and background reading via textbooks.
As the course progresses, you’ll pursue more challenging stories through long form audio, video, data and investigative journalism projects. Most of your learning will take place at Broadcast House in central Norwich over one or two days per week with some classes on the main campus.
Assessment
Most assessment is portfolio coursework demonstrating your ability to find, research and produce news stories. Media law and regulations are assessed by examinations which you must pass to be awarded your Master’s. You’ll spend the second year and part of the summer working independently towards your final project on a subject of your choice. At the end of the course, you’ll also produce a dossier detailing your two weeks of work placement and industry engagement.
Entry Requirements
- This course is open to
This course is open to UK and International applicants. The annual intake for this course is in September each year.
- Typical UK Entry Requirements
Degree classification
Bachelors (Hons) degree - 2.2
Degree Subject
All subject areas considered
- Additional Entry Requirements
Applicants will need to provide the following as part of their application:
- Journalistic Writing Sample of maximum 500 words (If longer than 500 words, only the first 500 words will be assessed):
The piece must be entirely your own work. It must not have been edited by anyone else or by any AI tools such as Grammarly, ChatGPT or Copilot. Please do not submit work originally written in another language and machine-translated. If you are translating your own work into English, you must do so yourself.
We are looking for evidence of your ability to:
(a) Identify what makes a strong news story
(b) Write in a news or feature style
(c) Use accurate, fluent English- 'Selfie Video' of maximum 3 minutes in length in one of the following format: .vi, .mov, .mpeg, .mpg, .swf, .mp4. Maximum file size is 1GB:
As broadcast journalists must communicate clearly across both audio and video formats, we must be able to both see your face and hear your voice clearly in the video. You must speak in English.
You may add in captions or subtitles, but this is not essential. If you include them, please ensure they are free of spelling and grammatical errors.
You will need to address the following points – in any order:• Why are you applying for this course, and how will it help you achieve your career goals?
• Where do you get your news from, and which journalists do you most admire – and why?
• What skills and qualities do you have that would make you a good journalist?
• What relevant work experience have you undertaken to help you explore or progress towards a career in journalism?- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.
- This course is open to
This course is open to UK and International applicants. The annual intake for this course is in September each year.
- Typical International Entry Requirements
Degree classification
UK Bachelors (Hons) degree - 2.2 or equivalent
Degree Subject
All subject areas considered
- Additional Entry Requirements
Applicants will need to provide the following as part of their application:
- Journalistic Writing Sample of maximum 500 words (If longer than 500 words, only the first 500 words will be assessed):
The piece must be entirely your own work. It must not have been edited by anyone else or by any AI tools such as Grammarly, ChatGPT or Copilot. Please do not submit work originally written in another language and machine-translated. If you are translating your own work into English, you must do so yourself.
We are looking for evidence of your ability to:
(a) Identify what makes a strong news story
(b) Write in a news or feature style
(c) Use accurate, fluent English- 'Selfie Video' of maximum 3 minutes in length in one of the following format: .vi, .mov, .mpeg, .mpg, .swf, .mp4. Maximum file size is 1GB:
As broadcast journalists must communicate clearly across both audio and video formats, we must be able to both see your face and hear your voice clearly in the video. You must speak in English.
You may add in captions or subtitles, but this is not essential. If you include them, please ensure they are free of spelling and grammatical errors.
You will need to address the following points – in any order:• Why are you applying for this course, and how will it help you achieve your career goals?
• Where do you get your news from, and which journalists do you most admire – and why?
• What skills and qualities do you have that would make you a good journalist?
• What relevant work experience have you undertaken to help you explore or progress towards a career in journalism?- English Foreign Language
Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading):
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IELTS: 7.0 overall (minimum 7.0 in all components).
In line with the Broadcast and Journalism Training Council accreditation requirements, students with an English proficiency level below IELTS 7.5 in each component, will be enrolled on English Language Modules.
Test dates should be within 2 years of the course start date.
We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies(opens in a new window) for a list of qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.
If you do not yet meet the English language requirements for this course, UEA International Study Centre offer a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the required English skills.:
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- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.
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Fees and Funding
Tuition fees for the Academic Year 2027/28 are:
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UK Students: £11,200 (£5,600 per year)
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International Students: £23,580 (£11,790 per year)
We estimate living expenses at £1,171 per month.
Further Information on tuition fees can be found here(opens in a new window).
Scholarships and Bursaries
The University of East Anglia offers a range of Scholarships(opens in a new window); please click the link for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course Related Costs
Please see additional course fees(opens in a new window) for details of course-related costs.
How to Apply
Applications for Postgraduate Taught programmes at the University of East Anglia should be made directly to the University.
To apply please use our online application form(opens in a new window).
Further information
If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances prior to applying, please do contact us:
Postgraduate Admissions Office
Tel: +44 (0)1603 591515
Email: admissions@uea.ac.uk(opens in a new window)
International candidates are also encouraged to access the International Students(opens in a new window) section of our website.