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Journalism and Communication

Application options include:

Course Overview

Our MPhil/PhD programme in Journalism and Communication invites you to submit a proposal for research on the journalistic and communicative dimensions of agenda-setting, cities, conflict, ethics, media ownership, mis- and disinformation, professional ideologies, race and related topics.

An MPhil/PhD is an advanced postgraduate research degree that requires original research and the submission of a substantial dissertation. The MPhil thesis is not more than 60,000 words; the PhD thesis is not more than 100,000 words. This programme also welcomes practice-based PhD theses, the requirements for which vary according to the nature of the research and should be discussed with the admissions tutors. Both the MPhil and the PhD are assessed by a viva voce examination.

We offer an exceptionally stimulating environment , where your journalism and communication research will flourish in a wider interdisciplinary context. We have critically engaged research clusters working on cultural policy, creative labour, curatorial practice, digital aesthetics, digital politics, essay film, film exhibition, journalism and democracy, media reform, mediated spaces and television studies.

Our aim is to offer a programme of seminars, lectures, conferences, workshops and reading groups that not only help you build your research skills, but generate a sense of intellectual community, based on dialogue and mutual support. You will also be offered training sessions at all levels of the College, including at the  Birkbeck Graduate Research School (BGRS).

At Birkbeck, you are initially registered on an MPhil and you upgrade to a PhD after satisfactory progress in the first year or two (full time). You need to find a suitable academic supervisor at Birkbeck, who can offer the requisite expertise to guide and support you through your research. Find out more about undertaking a research degree at Birkbeck .

Key information

Journalism and communication mphil/phd: 7 years part-time, on campus, starting 2024-25.

• October 2024
• January 2025

Journalism and Communication MPhil/PhD: 4 years full-time, on campus, starting 2024-25

Journalism and communication mphil/phd: 7 years part-time, on campus, starting 2025-26.

• October 2025
• January 2026

Journalism and Communication MPhil/PhD: 4 years full-time, on campus, starting 2025-26

Find another course:

• This MPhil/PhD in  Journalism and Communication is offered as part of a range of competitively awarded PhD studentships funded by support from UK Research and Innovation, charities, government and external partners.
• The award-winning  Birkbeck Cinema  is central to our research culture. The 70-seat cinema is equipped with 35mm and state-of-the-art DCP projection. Our  Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image  (BIMI) runs a busy, intellectually stimulating programme of events, including conferences, screenings and film-related events of all kinds, including at our cinema.
• You will have the opportunity to participate in and attend the  Essay Film Festival , jointly run by BIMI and the  Institute of Contemporary Arts  (ICA), with free admission to events hosted at Birkbeck. You will also be able to take advantage of practical film-making opportunities offered through the  Derek Jarman Lab .
• The Vasari Research Centre for Art and Technology integrates a wide range of digital culture research at Birkbeck, while making available equipment and systems to students, interns and academics. In addition, the  Birkbeck Interdisciplinary Research in Media and Culture (BIRMAC) provides a unique space for reflective critical inquiry on media and culture, where researchers from different disciplines can gather and participate in a sustained intellectual conversation in a truly interdisciplinary context.
• As well as the Birkbeck Library , you will have access to the nearby Senate House Library , various libraries of the University of London colleges, the British Library , as well as other specialist collections and institutions in central London, including the British Film Institute library.
• Birkbeck was ranked as one of the top four universities in the UK for its Art and Design research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework. Birkbeck’s research excellence overall was  confirmed in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework  with 83% of our research rated world-leading or internationally excellent.

Entry Requirements

A good degree in journalism, media, communication, cultural studies, or other related areas in the social sciences, humanities or political science. Depending on your background and research experience, a BA might be sufficient. Generally we recommend that you apply with a good MA degree.

You will also need to submit a specific indication of research interests with your application, and a 2000-word proposal.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this programme is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 7.0, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.

If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement,  we offer pre-sessional English courses, foundation programmes and language support services  to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.

Visit the International section of our website to find out more about our  English language entry requirements and relevant requirements by country .

Visa and funding requirements

If you are not from the UK and you do not already have residency here, you may need to apply for a visa.

The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:

• Courses of more than six months' duration: Student visa
• Courses of less than six months' duration: Standard Visitor visa

International students who require a Student visa should apply for our full-time courses as these qualify for Student visa sponsorship. If you are living in the UK on a Student visa, you will not be eligible to enrol as a student on Birkbeck's part-time courses (with the exception of some modules).

For full information, read our visa information for international students page .

Please also visit the international section of our website to find out more about relevant visa and funding requirements by country .

Please note students receiving US Federal Aid are only able to apply for in-person, on-campus programmes which will have no elements of online study.

Journalism and Communication MPhil/PhD: 7 years part-time or 4 years full-time, on campus, starting in academic year 2024-25 or 2025-26

Academic year 2024–25, starting october 2024, january 2025, april 2025.

Part-time home students: £2,539 per year Full-time home students: £4,786 per year Part-time international students : £7,525 per year Full-time international students: £14,885 per year

Academic year 2025–26, starting October 2025, January 2026, April 2026

To be confirmed

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see the College Fees Policy .

If you’ve studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a discount on the tuition fee of this course.

Fees and finance

PhD students resident in England can apply for government loans of over £26,000 to cover the cost of tuition fees, maintenance and other study-related costs.

Flexible finance: pay your fees in monthly instalments at no extra cost . Enrol early to spread your costs and reduce your monthly payments.

We offer a range of studentships and funding options to support your research.

Discover the financial support available to you to help with your studies at Birkbeck.

International scholarships

We provide a range of scholarships for eligible international students, including our Global Future Scholarship. Discover if you are eligible for a scholarship .

Our research culture

Our research encompasses journalism, film and television, artistic practice and arts management, and digital media, culture and design . Our work is critically engaged, challenging conventional assumptions about the functions and influence of media and culture, scrutinising institutions, organisations and work practices in the creative industries, and rethinking what media can mean and do.

We place particular emphasis on practice-based research, in which ideas and issues are investigated through activities such as creative film-making and digital design. The research of our academic staff is thoroughly interdisciplinary, and incorporates both historical research and contemporary explorations of our rapidly changing media landscapes.

In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework for Art and Design research Birkbeck was ranked 4th nationally with world-leading achievements for environment (90%), impact (67%) and outputs (65%).

We work with a wide range of partners, including the  V&A , the  Institute of Contemporary Arts ,  University of Pittsburgh ,  BFI ,  Science and Media Museum ,  Lux Cinema ,  Tate Britain ,  Media Reform Coalition ,  Action on Armed Violence  and  Electra , and the facilities available to staff and students include the  Vasari Research Centre , the  Birkbeck Cinema , the  Peltz Gallery  and the  Derek Jarman Lab .

Teaching opportunities

As part of our commitment to professional development, you have the opportunity to gain experience in teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. There is also a 10-week lecture series, Teaching in the Arts, which is designed to prepare students for teaching humanities in higher education.

Follow these steps to apply to an MPhil/PhD research degree at Birkbeck:

1. Check that you meet the entry requirements, including English language requirements, as described on this page.

2. Find a potential supervisor for your MPhil/PhD research. You can look at the Find a Supervisor area on this page for an overview, or  search our Experts’ Database  or  browse our staff pages  for more in-depth information. You may also find it helpful to  view the research projects of our current students .

3. Contact the academic member of staff - or the department they teach in - for an informal discussion about your research interests and to establish if they are willing and able to supervise your research. (Please note: finding a potential supervisor does not guarantee admission to the research degree, as this decision is made using your whole application.)  Find out more about the supervisory relationship and how your supervisor will support your research .

4. Draft a research proposal of up to 2000 words (excluding references). This needs to demonstrate your knowledge of the field, the specific research questions you wish to pursue, and how your ideas will lead to the creation of new knowledge and understanding.  Find out more about writing a research proposal .

5. Apply directly to Birkbeck, using the online application link on this page. If your research proposal meets our entry criteria, and we have an appropriate academic to supervise you, we will invite you for an interview, in person or by telephone. All research students are initially registered on an MPhil and then upgrade to a PhD after making sufficient progress.

Find out more about the application process, writing a research proposal and the timeframe .

Application deadlines and interviews

You can apply throughout the year for commencement in October or the following January.

If you wish to apply for funding, you will need to apply by certain deadlines. Consult the websites of relevant bodies for details.

Apply for your course

Apply for your course using the apply now button in the key information section .

Finding a supervisor

A critical factor when applying for postgraduate study in journalism and communication is the correlation between the applicant’s intellectual and research interests and those of one or more potential supervisors.

Find out more about the research interests of our  academic staff  and their areas of research.

Related courses

• Film and Screen Media (MPhil/PhD)
• Cultural Policy and Management (MPhil/PhD)
• Digital Culture and Communication (MPhil/PhD)

Culture, Communication and Media MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

This is the programme information for 2025 entry

If you require details of the previous year's programme, Culture, Communication and Media MPhil/PhD (2024), click here

The MPhil/PhD programme provides a route for you carry out a piece of research that will make a distinctive contribution to knowledge in the fields of education, culture and communication. You will work closely with your supervisor(s) to develop your project, supported by a flexible programme of methodology courses and a strong research community of staff and doctoral students. This programme is available to study both face-to-face and online.

UK tuition fees (2025/26)

Overseas tuition fees (2025/26), programme starts, applications accepted.

• Entry requirements

The normal minimum requirement is a Master’s degree from a UK university in a subject appropriate to the programme to be followed, or a qualification of equivalent standard appropriate to the programme to be followed awarded by a university (or educational institution of university rank) outside the UK. The majority of our successful applicants hold a Merit at Master’s level, and may have additional relevant experience.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 4

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website .

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The Department of Culture, Communication and Media has innovative, research-active staff able to supervise postgraduate research in the following areas: applied linguistics; TESOL; art, design and museology; music education; English education, social semiotics and multimodality; media education; learning with digital technologies; teacher professional development; and psychosocial studies. We have seven research centres: The Centre for Applied Linguistics, The Academic Writing Centre, The Confucius Institute for Schools, The International Centre for Intercultural Studies, Digital Arts Research in Education, The Centre for Multimodal Research and the UCL Knowledge Lab.

Who this course is for

The MPhil/PhD is for applicants with a strong interest in an aspect of educational and social research, which may be understood broadly across the life course, in relation to other subject areas and wider social, economic, political and cultural changes. You may have a background in education or a cognate area of study. It is suitable for both recent graduates and those progressed in a career.

What this course will give you

IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society is a world-leading centre for research in education and related social science. We host the UK's largest doctoral cohort in these areas. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject (2024), the Institute was ranked first for education for the eleventh year running, ahead of Harvard, Stanford, Oxford and Cambridge. In the UK's recent Research Excellence Framework (2021), we were ranked first for research strength and research power in Education, according to the Elsevier REF 2021 Results Analysis Tool. We attract extensive research funding each year and host many prestigious research centres and projects.

Doctoral students at IOE have access to the wider UCL community as well as the education cluster constituting the ESRC  UBEL Doctoral Training Partnership . The Institute's programme has been designed to provide comprehensive and broadly based research training and to meet the requirements of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the UK Researcher Development Framework.

Students work closely with their supervisor(s) to develop each stage of research; supervisors also help put together a programme of additional courses and activities to support progress towards completion of the final thesis.

Students are able to engage in a unique area of research and make an 'original contribution to knowledge'. As part of a vibrant research culture, they work with supervisors and peers, helping to develop new responses to local, national and global challenges.

The foundation of your career

Students will develop general and specialist skills in research methodology, academic writing and presentation, as well as gaining experience of engaging with a wide range of practitioners across different sectors of education.

UCL’s commitment clearly supports research like mine through bespoke, untested and uncommon approaches. This luxury is something not lost on me - it motivates me each and every day. David Ruttenberg Culture, Communication and Media MPhil/PhD Q&A with David Ruttenberg

Employability

IOE doctoral graduates in the Department of Culture, Communication and Media progress to careers in university teaching, educational research, policy and curriculum development, as well as creative arts education.

The Department of Culture, Communication and Media has a wide range of research seminars, where students can join discussion of our ongoing projects, as well as being the base for national and international conferences. There are also opportunities to work with education practitioners and organisations beyond IOE. The Centre for Doctoral Education holds two annual conferences for IOE doctoral students; and there are opportunities for students to offer specialist reading groups and workshops and to act as facilitators on courses within the research training programme.

Teaching and learning

In addition to UCL's Doctoral Skills Development Programme, IOE's Centre for Doctoral Education provides a comprehensive Research Training Programme.

The Core Courses aim to meets the needs of early stage doctoral students.

There is also a wide range of introductory, advanced methods, advanced theoretical, and generic academic skills courses, as well as student-led workshops and reading groups.

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) consists of a piece of supervised research, normally undertaken over a period of three years full-time or five years part-time. Assessment is by means of a thesis, which should demonstrate your capacity to pursue original research based upon a good understanding of the research techniques and concepts appropriate to the discipline. It must also represent a distinct and significant contribution to the subject, whether through the discovery of new knowledge, the connection of previously unrelated facts, the development of new theory, or the revision of older views. It should reflect the exercise of critical judgement with regard to both your own work and that of other scholars in the field.

For those who decide not to pursue the full PhD, or are unable to do so, the degree of Master of Philosophy (MPhil) consists of a piece of supervised research, normally undertaken over a period of three years full-time or five years part-time. Assessment is by means of a thesis, which should represent a contribution to the subject, either through a record of your original work or a critical and ordered exposition of existing knowledge.

You must ensure you have adequate time to devote to this research, at least six hours a day (2-3 days a week part time).

Research areas and structure

• Applied linguistics: bilingualism and multilingualism; neoliberal ideology and language teaching; materials analysis; English as a global language; language learning and identity; language teacher identity; language education, gender and sexuality; critical discourse analysis; second language acquisition; language testing; translanguaging; ethnography
• Art, design and museology: artists in sites of learning, curatorial practices and the shaping of knowledge in galleries and museums, artists interventions in educational contexts; visual culture
• Music education: musical development, the psychology of music, singing and voice science, music in special education, music ideology, gender and music, the sociology and philosophy of music, informal and popular music education, the wider benefits of music
• English education, social semiotics and multimodality: teacher identities; literature in urban classroom; social and digital literacy practices; identity, subject knowledge and communication; visual methodologies; subject knowledge and policy
• Media education: the moving image and video games; young people’s production of digital animation, film and computer games; online communities, virtual worlds, play and film
• Learning with digital technologies: software interventions to support learners with disabilities; the development of adaptive technologies; learner modelling; virtual learning environments; methods for analysing the effectiveness of interactive learning environments; technology mediated knowledge in the curriculum
• Psychosocial studies: reflexivity; psychoanalytically informed approaches to educational research; knowledge practices in the humanities and social sciences; unconscious aspects of learning, professional practice and research; post-structural theories of gender and subjectivity

Further details of staff research and publications are available on the department website.

Research environment

As a research student in the Department of Culture, Communication and Media, you can participate in the seminars organised by department research centres or according to interest groups.

Since October 2014, we have also – in addition to the campus-based mode - offered the option to study online in a distance-learning mode. Choosing the distance-learning mode means that there are no residency requirements and it is not necessary to attend during doctoral study, the viva examination take place in-person at UCL or online. However, you are welcome to visit and use campus facilities including the library, attend seminars etc. In the first year of full-time study (and first two years of part-time study), distance learners take a series of compulsory research methods modules that are studied online. This typically involves provision of materials (articles, eBooks, videos etc.), forums to facilitate discussion of various tasks, and synchronous sessions to discuss the activities. Alongside these you will work with your supervisors on your research (e.g., using Teams/Zoom and email). In addition, there are other resources and training opportunities to support distance-learning students, e.g., sessions to develop generic skills.

The length of registration for the research degree programmes is 3 years for full-time.

You are required to register initially for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transfer to PhD after successful completion of an upgrade viva 9-18 months after initial registration.

IOE Centre for Doctoral Education provides an extensive Research Training Programme. A mandatory core course is provided that aims to meet the needs of early-stage doctoral students. There is also a wide range of introductory, advanced methods, advanced theoretical, and generic non-credit bearing academic skills courses, as well as student led workshops and reading groups which you can attend.

Full-time MPhil/PhD students are required to fulfil minimum 20 ‘points’ of training activity in their first year, and are encouraged to fulfil the same in their subsequent years of study. This training can be selected from the UCL Doctoral Skills Development Programme, IOE faculty’s Research Training Programme, the multi-institutional Bloomsbury Postgraduate Skills Network, and from other sources. Each point is worth approximately a half-day of face-to-face training, or an online equivalent. Other activities such as attending and presenting at conferences also count towards research training. Students may undertake additional training beyond these minima, as relevant to their research and/or as agreed with their supervisors.

You are expected to upgrade from MPhil to PhD status towards the end of your first year of study if full-time. Students whose performance is satisfactory will transfer from MPhil to PhD status.

Processes aimed at assisting you during your course of study include the Research Student Log (an online project management tool), and periodic reviews of students’ progress.

Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration you may, if necessary, register as a register as a completing research status (CRS) student while you finish writing your thesis.

The length of registration for the research degree programmes is 5 years for part-time.

Part-time students are required to fulfil minimum 12 ‘points’ of training activity in each year of study. This training can be selected from the UCL Doctoral Skills Development Programme, IOE faculty’s Research Training Programme, the multi-institutional Bloomsbury Postgraduate Skills Network, and from other sources. Each point is worth approximately a half-day of face-to-face training, or an online equivalent.  Other activities such as attending and presenting at conferences also count towards research training. Students may undertake additional training beyond these minima, as relevant to their research and/or as agreed with their supervisors.

You are expected to upgrade from MPhil to PhD status at around 18 months if part-time. Students whose performance is satisfactory will transfer from MPhil to PhD status.

Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration you may, if necessary, register as a completing research status (CRS) student while you finish writing your thesis.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble . Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team .

Where you'll study

The Department of Culture, Communication and Media is committed to excellence in research and teaching in the areas of Art, Design and Museology, Academic writing, English education, Applied Linguistics, Music Education, Learning with Digital Technologies and teacher professional development.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees .

Additional costs

Students are responsible for covering any travel, accommodation, and other expenses involved in conducting research for their thesis and should account for these costs when planning their finances.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide .

Funding your studies

UCL's Research Excellence Scholarships (RES) are available annually to prospective and existing UCL research students from any country: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/scholarships/research-excellence-scholarship . The UCL, Bloomsbury and East London Doctoral Training Partnership offers studentships annually. More information is found here: https://ubel-dtp.ac.uk/

UBEL, RES and other funding programmes are not available to online and non-resident students.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website .

After choosing a programme to apply for, you should develop a research proposal and identify a potential supervisor. For more information, visit our website to find a supervisor and get in touch with departmental graduate tutors.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2025-2026

Year of entry: 2024-2025, got questions get in touch.

Culture, Communication and Media

[email protected]

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Department of Journalism

in the UK for graduate prospects in media and communications (Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022)

in the UK for Communication and Media Studies (The Complete University Guide 2023)

in the UK for Journalism (Guardian University Guide, 2023)

Journalism at City

Find out about the Department of Journalism.

About the Department

Where our graduates work.

Wherever you are in the world, on any given day you are likely to see, hear or read journalism from graduates of City’s Department of Journalism.

Each year hundreds of people from diverse backgrounds apply to us who want the best education to enable them to get a great job in the media.

Here at City, we provide an intense and highly focused education to help you acquire the up-to-date journalism skills needed to enter your chosen area of the media.

We have 10 MA courses and two BA courses all tailored to your needs in online, data, broadcast and print journalism.

And alongside the journalism skills, we will push you intellectually during your time with us. City offers the opportunity to study at a celebrated journalism school, in one of the world’s media capitals, with amazing opportunities to meet world famous journalists and join our global network of alumni.

Our courses

The department offers a range of courses at undergraduate, postgraduate taught and research degree level

See which course is right for you:

Undergraduate

• BA (Hons) Journalism
• BA (Hons) Journalism, Politics and History .

Postgraduate

• MA Broadcast Journalism
• MA Global Financial Journalism
• MA Digital and Social Journalism
• MA International Journalism
• MA Investigative Journalism
• MA Journalism, Media and Globalisation (Erasmus Mundus)
• MA Magazine Journalism
• MA Newspaper Journalism
• MA Podcasting
• MA Television Journalism .

Research degrees

• PhD / MPhil Journalism .

Related subjects

• Journalism .

City’s journalism department has a mission to generate world-leading research on global social justice and inclusivity in journalism that brings lasting benefits to the industry. We provide a supporting, creative and vibrant research environment for students, staff, and visiting scholars.

Our department’s internationally recognized expertise falls into the following research clusters, which help us promote mentorship, collaboration and grant capture.

• AI, Innovation & Journalism
• Conflict & Crisis
• Journalism & Democracy
• Gender and Journalism
• Immigration and refugees: Humanitarian reporting

We are proud to produce influential and impactful research from world-leading experts. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework – which measures the quality and impact of university research – our research was rated highly, with 87% recognised as being 4* (world-leading) and 3* (internationally excellent) quality.

In addition to highlighting our publications with leading book publishers and in a wide range of internationally prominent journals, our submission to REF2021 featured two new Impact Case Studies.

One highlights our success in instigating changes in broadcast news, with a  dramatic increase in the number of women used as on-air experts .

The other features our  ground-breaking work to improve reporting on humanitarian crises around the world.

Our PhD students also are active scholars and integral to our research community; alumni hold prestigious academic positions around the world.

The Department of Journalism is home to the  European Journalism Observatory a network of 14 independent, non-profit media research institutes in 13 countries. The EJO seeks to bridge journalism research and practice across Europe, as well as to foster professionalism and press freedom.

Featured academics

Professor Mel Bunce

Professor of International Journalism

Professor Mel Bunce, Professor of International Journalism, is an academic at the School of Communication and Creativity of City, University of London.

Academic staff

• Dr Rana Arafat , Lecturer in Journalism
• Jason Bennetto , Senior Lecturer in Journalism
• Dr Lindsey Blumell , Reader
• Yuen Chan , Senior Lecturer of Journalism
• Colette Cooney , Lecturer
• Glenda Cooper , HoD Journalism
• Dr Richard Danbury , Senior Lecturer in Journalism
• Dr Ben Falk , Senior Lecturer (Education)
• Professor Suzanne Franks , Professor of Journalism
• Dr Zahera Harb , Reader
• Dr Lea Hellmueller , Reader
• Jonathan Hewett , Director of Postgraduate Journalism
• Professor Lis Howell , Professor Emeritus of Journalism
• Dr Paul Lashmar , Reader
• Dr Sarah Lonsdale , Senior Lecturer in Journalism
• Professor Jane Martinson , Marjorie Deane Professor of Financial Journalism
• Joe Michalczuk , Senior Lecturer in Broadcast Journalism
• Dr James Morris , Lecturer in Digital Journalism
• Ayala Panievsky , Presidential Fellowship
• Johanna Payton , Senior Lecturer (Education)
• Dr Colin Porlezza , Lectureship in Journalism
• Dr James Rodgers , Reader in International Journalism and Assistant VP (Global Engagement)
• Dr Barbara Rowlands , Honorary Research Fellow
• Professor Jane Singer , Professor of Journalism Innovation
• Juan Solari , Lecturer in Journalism
• Paul Solman , Senior Lecturer
• Brett Spencer , Senior Lecturer in Podcasting
• Dr Abdullahi Tasiu Abubakar , Senior Lecturer
• Dr Neil Thurman , Honorary Senior Research Fellow
• Adam Tinworth , Lecturer in Journalism (Education)
• Professor Howard Tumber , Professor
• Sandy Warr , Senior Lecturer in Journalism
• Sally Webb , Senior Lecturer in Journalism

Visiting Lecturers

Visiting Lecturers who are part of the teaching team on the following MA courses. The following journalists and lecturers are expected to teach in the academic year 2023/24 but this cannot be guaranteed.

Magazine Journalism MA

Julian Linley is a multimedia creative consultant, formerly Editor-in-Chief of Digital Spy, Creative Director of Bauer Media, and Editor of heat magazine and heatworld.com.

Visiting Professor Barney Jones started a new award winning political programme in the 1990's - Breakfast with Frost - anchored by David Frost, then launched The Andrew Marr Show. Earlier in his career he worked a producer at Newsnight, and BBC Breakfast News, and ran Election coverage at the BBC.

Malvin Van Gelderen is an art director and trainer in InDesign and Photoshop. Formerly a designer of trade publications at Haymarket Press followed by 14 years as Art Director on leisure, specialist and woman's interest at IPC Media. He’s also been a designer of newspapers and colour supplement's at the Daily Mirror, The Sun, and Express newspapers.

Fred Burlage is a copy writer. He was a former Digital Editor of Business and Money at The Sunday Times, and ex Chief Sub-editor of Business and Money Sections of The Sunday Telegraph.

Tom Butler is a film journalist and online editor with extensive SEO, SMO, and content creation experience, including news, features, interviews, videos, and podcasts. He's currently Senior Editor at Yahoo Entertainment UK.

Kat Lister is a writer and editor based in London. Beginning her career as a music journalist at the NME, she has gone on to write widely for publications including Guardian, Observer Magazine, Vogue, VICE, The Big Issue, The I and The Independent. In 2017, she joined the editorial team at The Pool, becoming a features and news editor until its demise in 2019. Since her husband’s death in 2018, she has focused on investigating her experience of grief, writing widely circulated essays and features for The Sunday Times Magazine and Sunday Times Style. Her first book, The Elements: A Widowhood, was published in September 2021 with Icon Books.

Suyin Haynes is a London-based freelance journalist and media consultant, focusing on storytelling around identity, culture and underrepresented communities. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, openDemocracy, CNN, ELLE and more. She was previously Head of Editorial at gal-dem. Before this, she was a journalist with TIME for five years, first as an Audience Editor in Hong Kong, then as a Senior Reporter in London. She is also a published short story writer and the creator of Ginkgo Leaves, a Substack newsletter.

Emma John is a journalist, broadcaster, and author including over a decade on staff with The Guardian where she won multiple awards for her writing, editing, and podcast hosting. She has covered every major sporting tournament including numerous Olympics and World Cups, and is the current sports columnist of Prospect Magazine. She also writes on arts, culture and lifestyle across an array of national magazines and newspapers.

Emily Roe is a freelance producer/multimedia journalist with more than eight years of experience at Reuters, the world’s biggest multimedia provider. She has extensive field, production, planning and management experience on some of the biggest news stories of the past decade as well as multimedia stories ranging from breaking news to human-led features in the UK, Italy and beyond. She recently returned to London after spending three years working as Visuals Producer in the busy, high-pressure Rome bureau, responsible for Reuters’ video and photo coverage of Italy, the Vatican and Malta.

Investigative Journalism MA

Jenna Corderoy is an investigative journalist for openDemocracy. She is one of the UK’s foremost journalistic experts in using access to information laws, and is an author of a handbook on subject access requests. She has also written for - amongst others - VICE News and Finance Uncovered. Her work has been long- and shortlisted for the Paul Foot Award, and the PressGazette British Journalism Awards.

Antony Barnett has a 25-year plus track record of leading major (and award-winning) investigations for both national newspapers (The Observer) and Channel 4. For the past 15 years, he has spearheaded, produced and presented more than 50 investigative documentaries for Channel 4. As well as traditional investigations, he has gone undercover in the UK and overseas.

Innes Bowen is an executive producer at BBC Studios, the UK's largest production company and a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. She oversees investigative podcast serials made by BBC Studios for platforms including Audible UK and BBC Sounds. Her past jobs include executive producing true crime podcasts for independent production companies, editing programmes for BBC radio such as 5 Live Investigates, Analysis, The Briefing Room and The Bottom Line, and being investigations editor at BBC TV’s Newsnight. Her first podcast serial project, The Catch: The Real Freshwater Five Story, won true crime podcast of the year at the British Podcast Awards 2022.

Pete Avery has written scripts for BBC TV, freelanced as a journalist at BBC Radio, produced a podcast and was music editor at Esquire magazine. As an art director he worked first in advertising before becoming Vanity Fair’s UK creative lead and then developing The Guardian’s G-Labs content hub. He is now a creative consultant; brand art director at Wolff Olins, UX workshop facilitator for Ebay and launching Volvo’s electric car brand Polestar. Pete developed UX and Branding sprints, enabling entrepreneurs and incubators to launch and build successful new businesses.

Hannah Cogan is a producer and journalist of current affairs and factual programming and has created programmes for Channel 4, BBC1, National Geographic and Netflix. She is highly experienced in investigative journalism, working with financial and economic data, including corporate and public sector accounts.

Broadcast Journalism MA

Lloyd Watson was Duty Editor at GMTV, before becoming Senior Output Editor for Reuters. His last position with Thompson Reuters was as Editor, Television Production.

Tom Croasdell is a freelance newsreader, who can regularly be heard across the country on some of UK’s biggest radio brands including Heart, Capital, Radio X, Smooth, Times Radio, Talk Radio and Talk Sport. He also presents on the rolling news station, LBC News. Previously, Tom worked as a producer on the BBC News Channel and BBC Radio 5 Live and has also taught audio and TV on the Multimedia Journalism MA at Bournemouth University.

Matt Capon is a freelance video journalist, photographer and social media specialist. He has worked for the Daily Mirror, the Daily Express, The Daily Star, The Independent, and the London Evening Standard and also worked Jeremy Vine Show on Channel 5 as an assistant producer. He currently works as a freelance video producer for ITN Productions.

Television Journalism MA

Mike Trew is a multi-skilled TV producer, whose clients include ABC News, Al Jazeera, and ESPN.

Financial Journalism MA

Jane Fuller is co-director of the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation, an independent think-tank. A former financial editor and Lex writer at the Financial Times, she still trains its journalists. Jane is also director of the Wincott Foundation, which promotes high-quality economic, financial and business journalism.

Mike Dolan is Reuters Editor-at-Large for Finance and Markets and has worked as an editor, correspondent and columnist at Reuters for the past 26 years, specialising in global economics, policymaking and financial markets across the G7 and emerging economies.

Nerys Avery is a freelance journalist and editor. A specialist in covering China, she has been China economy reporter at Bloomberg and has held senior positions at AFX including Beijing bureau chief and editor of the international desk.

Pete Avery is multimedia art director and award-winning writer who has worked for The Guardian, Conde Nast and the BBC. His industry experience includes launching brands and creating content and he is a Fellow of the RSA.

Jenna Corderoy is an investigative journalist for openDemocracy. She is one of the UK’s foremost journalistic experts on using access to information laws and is an author of a handbook on subject access requests. Jenna has also written for VICE News and Finance Uncovered and her work has been long and shortlisted for the Paul Foot Award and the PressGazette British Journalism Awards.

Francesco Guerrera is global economics editor at Reuters Breakingviews. He has worked in London, Brussels, Asia and New York and held senior positions at the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal and has also run media businesses with multi-million-pound revenues.

Newspaper Journalism MA

Susie Boniface has worked almost everywhere in Fleet Street, and spent 10 years at the Sunday Mirror. In 2009 she began blogging anonymously as Fleet Street Fox and published a novel, The Diaries of a Fleet Street Fox, after revealing her identity in the Times. Today she is a freelance columnist, TV and radio commentator.

Laurence Earle is the former Executive Editor of The Week and formerly, Executive Editor and an award-winning Magazine and Features Editor for The Independent and Independent on Sunday newspapers. He is currently Acting Editor of Military History Matters, and Executive Editor of The Past.

Dan Bourke is assistant night editor at The Mirror and has more than 20 years’ newsroom experience at the Mirror Group, The Observer and local papers. He is a highly experienced sub-editor who has worked across most aspects of online and print production, including training staff in subbing and content management systems.

International Journalism MA

Ray Alexander was a reporter on UK newspapers and at the BBC and ITV. Before joining City he was Lead Trainer in broadcasting at the BBC in the UK and also went to 16 countries training journalists as well as sport professionals moving into broadcasting as reporters/commentators.

Julie Hadwin began her career with the BBC as a broadcast journalist - working in news and current affairs as a TV producer/director and programme editor. She also helped to establish and run an independent production company making series and documentaries for Channel 4 and the BBC, before returning to the BBC as Head of Journalism Training.

Jonathan Rugman has reported from over 50 countries and winning 15 awards, including a BAFTA while covering the Paris terrorist attacks in 2015. He began his career as the BBC’s Ankara correspondent. He then joined The Guardian and The Observer, reporting from the Middle East, Central Asia and the Caucasus. He has made 15 current affairs documentaries for BBC Radio 4 and recently left Channel 4 News after 22 years, where he served successively as Business, Washington, Diplomatic and Foreign Affairs Correspondent.

Tom Parry has been a renowned print journalist for more than 20 years, and has won a clutch of prestigious international awards. His dispatches from the 2017 famine in Somalia, the Rohingya refugee crisis, the Japan tsunami, and the West Africa Ebola outbreak - as well his writing on social affairs in the UK - brought particular acclaim during his time as Special Correspondent at the Daily Mirror. Tom has also written two books.

Jane McClenahan trains journalists for the Thomson Reuters Foundation to cover under-reported topics including children’s issues. She works with charities and NGOs developing their media training. She worked at the BBC for more than 15 years as an editor, producer, reporter or presenter in national and international news and current affairs.

Jonathan Paterson is Managing Editor of The News Movement, a start up news provider pressing the reset button on journalism. Previously Head of Video at BBC News, Jonathan’s 20+ year career include production roles at Newsnight, and international postings to New York and Washington

Digital and Social MA

Sophie Murray-Morris is a freelance audience and product consultant. She was Head of Audience and Product at the Metro.co.uk. Previously she was the Engagement Editor of inews.co.uk, and worked in Audience Development for The Sun.

Nicu Calcea is the Data Projects Editor at GlobalData Media and the New Statesman Media Group. He previously created data-led content for the property website Zoopla.

Michael Goodier is a data journalist at the New Statesman Media Group. He previously worked for the Reach Data Unit, a team providing data-driven stories for The Mirror and regional newspapers.

Tom Calver is the Data Projects Editor at The Times and The Sunday Times. He was previously a Data Journalist at the BBC and a Data Journalist at Which? consumer magazine. He was names one of Forbes’ 30 under 30.

Ashley Kirk is a Visual Projects Editor at The Guardian. He’s interested in data-driven storytelling, statistical analysis and multi-platform reporting. In 2021, he was included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list for Media and Marketing. Previously published in the Telegraph, the Independent and City AM.

Visiting Professor Barney Jones started a new award winning political programme in the 1990's - Breakfast with Frost - anchored by David Frost, then launched The Andrew Marr Show. Earlier in his career he worked a producer at Newsnight, and BBC Breakfast News, and ran Election coverage at the BBC.

Podcasting MA

Mark Sandell  is an award-winning podcaster and radio producer who has worked across an enormous list of broadcast outlets including major BBC and commercial networks. He is the director of an independent production company that has developed podcasts on such varied subjects as Louis Armstrong, true crime and breast cancer.

Al Booth is a hugely experienced audio and event producer as a freelancer and with the BBC where she ran the Radio 2 specialist content including musical theatre, jazz and country music. At Radio 2 and 6 music she ran programme teams as diverse as Steve Wright in the Afternoon, Jo Whiley, Cerys Matthews and Graham Norton.

Julian Worricker is a well-known face and voice for the BBC where he has is one of the main anchors on news programmes on radio and TV. He works as a specialist presenting and voice coach across the programme.

Newsrooms and studios

Our sector leading multi-media facilities – which meet the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC) standards and requirements - were developed in consultation with experts from the BBC and ITN, and include:

• a Broadcast standard Television studio with green screen : enabling simultaneous multi-media broadcasting and streaming - allowing for a major expansion in the number of TV news and current affairs programmes produced
• 3 Broadcast standard Radio studios : enabling an increase in output and the potential to explore a permanent radio station
• 2 Radio production newsrooms : high-tech facilities that enable you to learn how to produce a radio programme
• 2 digital newsrooms : impressive modern facilities that enable you to learn the skills required to produce newspapers, magazines and websites
• 2 TV production newsrooms : with state-of-the-art facilities that enable you to learn about TV production and video editing
• In 2019 we added an interactive multi-media newsroom and video studio in collaboration with vSolution MATRIX from WolfVision.

Our students have been graduating from City into long, successful and interesting jobs in journalism for almost 40 years.

Over 6,000 City Journalism graduates now work in the media in the UK and internationally, with many now at the top of their profession - including national newspaper editors, news anchors, magazine editors, and award-winning writers.

Take a look at some of our leading alumni below and what they have achieved since leaving City.

Leading alumni

Over 6,000 City Journalism alumni are working as reporters, broadcasters, anchors, feature writers and in many other roles in the UK and internationally.

Chris Mason BBC Political Editor Broadcast Journalism, 2002

Dolly Alderton Author, screen writer, podcaster, and Sunday Times columnist Magazine Journalism, 2010

Sophie Raworth Presenter, BBC News Broadcast Journalism, 1992

Zing Tsjeng Executive Editor of Vice UK Magazine Journalism, 2012

Gary Younge Award winning author, columnist, academic and broadcaster Newspaper Journalism, 1993.

More leading alumni working in newspapers

• Decca Aitkenhead – Chief Interviewer, Sunday Times | Newspaper Journalism, 1995
• Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff - award winning founder of GalDem – now Senior Editor, New York Times | Newspaper Journalism, 2016
• Celia Duncan – Women’s Editor, Daily Mail | Periodical Journalism, 1994
• Stephen Foley – Deputy US News Editor, Financial Times| Newspaper Journalism, 1999
• Victoria Newton – Editor in Chief of The Sun |
• Sebastian Payne - Whitehall Editor, Financial Times | Investigative Journalism, 2011
• Alexis Petridis - Guardian's head rock and pop critic and the music editor of GQ | Periodical Journalism, 1995
• Ben Preston - Associate Editor and Culture Editor, Sunday Times Newspaper Journalism, 1987
• Ben Riley-Smith – Chief Political Editor, Daily Telegraph – Magazine Journalism, 2012
• Simon Rogers - Data journalist. Author of 'Facts are Sacred' Newspaper Journalism, 1991
• Fay Schlesinger - Head of National News, The Guardian | Print Journalism, 2008.

More leading alumni working in broadcasting

• Szu Ping Chan – Economics and Finance, BBC World Service | Newspaper Journalism, 2010
• Mark Chapman - BBC Sport | Broadcast Journalism, 1996
• Adam Fleming – Chief Political Correspondent, BBC News | Broadcast Journalism, 2002
• Faisal Islam – Economics Editor, BBC News | Newspaper Journalism, 2000
• Ian King – Presenter ‘Ian King Live’, Sky News | Newspaper Journalism, 1994
• Dermot Murnaghan - Sky News | Dip Journalism, 1986
• Ramita Navai – Emmy Award-winning documentary maker | Broadcast Journalism, 2003
• Keme Nzerem - Channel 4 News | Broadcast Journalism, 2000
• Ali Plumb - Film Critic BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra | Magazine Journalism, 2009
• Barbara Serra - Al Jazeera | Broadcast Journalism, 1999
• Dino Sofos – Founder of Persephonica Podcasts, Former Editor, BBC News podcasts (Newscast/Americast) | Broadcast Journalism, 2007.

More leading alumni working in magazines

• Ellie Austin - Editor of Live Journalism at the Wall Street Journal | Magazine Journalism 2013
• Clare Conway - Features Editor, Tatler | Magazine Journalism, 2011
• Hannah Ewens - Features Editor Rolling Stone Magazine | Magazine Journalism, 2014
• Helena Lee – Features Director, Harper’s Bazaar – Magazine Journalism, 2011
• Helen Lewis - The Atlantic and BBC radio | Newspaper Journalism, 2005
• Stuart McGurk - Associate Editor, GQ | Periodical Journalism, 2004
• John Mulvey - Editor, Mojo | Periodical Journalism, 1990
• Fraser Nelson - Editor, Spectator | Newspaper Journalism, 1996
• Susan Riley - Editor of Stylist magazine | Magazine Journalism, 2000.

More leading alumni working in online and digital

• James Ball – Global Editor, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism | Investigative Journalism, 2008
• Kate Day – Deputy Editor in Chief, Politco Europe | Newspaper Journalism, 2007
• James Harding – Former editor of the Times and former Director of News at BBC, now editor of Tortoise Media | Newspaper Journalism, 1995
• John Jelley – SVP Product at Peacock, NBCUniversal | Broadcast Journalism, 2005
• Conrad Quilty-Harper – UK Digital Editor, Bloomberg UK | Investigative Journalism, 2010
• Yara Silva - Group Head of Social for Daily Mirror, Daily Express, Daily Star and OK! | Magazine Journalism, 2013
• Martin Stabe – Data Editor, Financial Times | International Journalism, 2005.

More leading alumni working as writers

• Richard Benson - (former editor of The Face), The Farm
• Imogen Edwards-Jones - Hotel Babylon | Pop Babylon | Beach Babylon | Wedding Babylon | Air Babylon | Fashion Babylon
• Tania Hershman - Writer. Author of ‘The White Road and Other Stories’ | Periodical Journalism, 1994
• Julia Llewellyn Smith - The Love Trainer | If I Were You | Amy's Honeymoon
• James Meek - The People's Act of Love | We are Now Beginning Our Descent | Drivetime
• JoJo Moyes - Silver Bay | Foreign Fruit | The Ship of Brides | The Peacock Emporium | Sheltering Rain
• Patrick Neate - Winner of 2001 Whitbread Novel Prize and 2004 National Book Critics Circle Criticism Award - Jerusalem | Twelve Bar Blues | City of Tiny Lights | The London Pigeon Wars | Musungu Jim and the Great Chief Tuloko | Where You're At: Notes from the Frontline of a Hip Hop Planet
• Justine Picardie - Coco Chanel | Daphne | If The Spirit Moves You: Love and Life After Death | My Mother's Wedding Dress: The Life and Afterlife of Clothes | Wish I May | Truth or Dare.

City Open Days

Register for an Open day, look around our campuses and speak with our staff and students to answer any questions you may have.

• Register for an open day

Scholarships in the Department of Journalism

Find out about scholarships available in the Department of Journalism .

New Scholarships will be available in 2023, so please check back.

Monday, 28 th October 2024

"Too many numbers and worse word choices": why AI is not ready to replace journalists just yet

AI news articles use too many numbers and worse word choices, finds research by Dr Neil Thurman.

Thursday, 24 th October 2024

“Inspiration spreads as fast as anger”: Nobel winning journalist Maria Ressa discusses journalism, AI and democracy

City’s Journalism Department welcomes Maria Ressa and Glenda Gloria of trailblazing Filipino news site Rappler to discuss the future of the news industry – and democracy.

Monday, 14 th October 2024

“I see progress but we’re impatient for equality”: Expert Women project tips the scales towards gender equity in broadcast news

City St George’s journalism conference reveals what progress has been made in ten years of the Expert Women On Air project.

Nov  06

Postgraduate Open Evening

Join us at our Postgraduate Open Evening to learn more about our postgraduate courses and discover all the benefits of studying at City, University of London.

Wednesday, 6 th November 2024 , 17:00 – 19:00

Location: Northampton Square

Audience: Prospective students

Dec  03

Postgraduate Virtual Fair

Join us at our Postgraduate Virtual Fair to learn more about our postgraduate courses and discover all the benefits of studying at City, University of London.

Tuesday, 3 rd – Thursday, 5 th December 2024

Location: Online

Feb  05

Wednesday, 5 th February 2025 , 17:00 – 19:00

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Undergraduate enquiries

+44 (0)20 7040 8716

Admissions enquiries

Journalism Department

+44 (0)20 7040 8221

[email protected]

Northampton Square

City, University of London Northampton Square London EC1V 0HB United Kingdom