A university has launched a new masters degree in journalism.
Manchester Metropolitan University is to begin the MA journalism course in September, with hopes it will allow graduates to “immerse themselves in Manchester’s rich media environment”.
The university says it its currently working towards getting the course accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists.
The programme will be led by lecturer Dave Porter, former editor of the Heywood Advertiser and Tameside Advertiser.
He said: “It’s a really exciting time for journalism at MMU. We only launched our undergraduate programme two years ago and with our other MA going from strength to strength, we decided now was the time to launch a second MA with what we hope will be NCTJ accreditation.
“Apart from seeking NCTJ accreditation, our new MA differs from the current one in being full-time only and with a strong emphasis on producing journalists to work in the UK domestic market.
“Students applying to study on the course will be taught key broadcast skills, law and PA, the whole range of digital journalism, as well as the traditional subject of shorthand, something we feel very strongly about.
“We have great links with employers in the region and students benefit from being in the heart of Manchester and all it has to offer graduates.”
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Why anyone should need a first degree to work in journalism is a mystery; why anyone wants a second degree (an MA) is totally baffling. Especially given the £8,500 price tag on what is a one-year course. That applicants will have their knowledge of grammar and punctuation tested before they can immerse themselves in Manchester’s rich media environment speaks volumes about the type of (wealthy/thick/ unemployable) candidate that course leaders expect to come knocking on their door.
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To work `where` in the uk market?
is there a sudden influx of jobs with a real career being advertised that i have missed?
I can but wonder just what the course prospectus will be having seen the more traditional journalistic skills wither away and the role becoming more of a “curator” of other peoples input eg;scraping twitter,facebook and open emailing folk to ask if they can use their snaps in paper maybe?
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Courses in the declining world of Journalism are the default position of second-rate universities desperate to maintain a sustainable level of courses. It is notable that the two institutions that occupy the bottom two places (out of 116) in the definitive Complete University Guide; London South Bank and London Met both teach Journalism. Manchester Met, up the road from the real University of Manchester, has fallen to 93rd on this list. Applicants able to pay the fees will tend to be dilettantes from well-off backgrounds and, I suspect, gullible students from abroad. As I posted before about the fashion journalism degree at Sunderland, let’s pray that these courses are entirely self-financing and do not cost the public one penny.
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