How long is the MA in Broadcast Journalism?

The MA in Broadcast Journalism runs for one year full-time or two years part-time, with on-campus studio teaching, an online live-bulletin route and a distance-learning option.

Can I study the MA in Broadcast Journalism fully online?

Yes. The MA in Broadcast Journalism is offered fully online with live weekly bulletins recorded under deadline, or as distance learning with packaged showreel submissions.

Is the MA recognised by UK broadcasters?

The MA in Broadcast Journalism is built around NCTJ broadcast standards and the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, the framework UK radio and TV recruiters interview against.

What are the entry requirements for the MA in Broadcast Journalism?

A UK 2:2 honours degree (or equivalent), or five years' media experience, plus IELTS 6.5 for non-native English speakers and a short audio or video sample at application.

What does the MA in Broadcast Journalism cost and are scholarships available?

Fees vary by route and domicile. The MA in Broadcast Journalism offers merit awards each intake — contact admissions for the current fee schedule and bursary eligibility.

MA Broadcast Journalism in London UK | LSCT London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The MA in Broadcast Journalism at the London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a one-year postgraduate degree for graduates and working journalists moving into radio, television and digital-video newsrooms. Designed around NCTJ broadcast standards and the practice expectations of BBC Academy, ITN and major podcast houses, the programme is taught from our central London studio with online and distance routes for those filing copy in another city.

You will present from week one. By the end of the course you will have built a packaged showreel — straight-to-camera pieces, two-ways from the field, a radio documentary and a podcast series — alongside a research dissertation that examines a question the industry actually argues about. The MA assesses what working broadcast editors test for at interview: clarity under deadline, on-air composure and editorial defensibility.

You will publish or broadcast to a real audience from the first term, with editorial standards set on day one and applied consistently across all student output. The faculty maintains active newsroom and agency contacts across UK media so guest practitioners drop into seminars regularly and feedback loops back from the industry into the syllabus continuously.

Key Features

NCTJ broadcast-aligned syllabus with journalism ethics drawn from IPSO and Ofcom codes.
Three study modes — on-campus studio production, online with live weekly bulletins, or distance learning with packaged assignments.
Live newsday pipeline running scheduled bulletins from our central London studio every week.
Industry placement in a UK radio, TV or podcast newsroom in semester two.
Voice, presenting and on-camera coaching with a working broadcaster on faculty.
Final showreel assessed by a panel including a working London-based broadcast journalist.

The programme is scheduled around the rhythm of a working media operation — newsdays mid-week, longer-form work over the weekend — so students experience the cadence as well as the craft. Editorial standards are set on day one and applied consistently across every piece of student work.

What You Will Learn

The MA is built around three muscles every broadcast journalist needs — story sense, performance and law-and-ethics literacy. You will graduate able to write a clean broadcast script, voice it to time, defend a difficult editorial call, and turn a press release into a packaged 90-second TV piece by lunchtime.

Broadcast scripting, voicing and live presenting.
Field reporting, two-ways and packaged news production.
Radio documentary and longform podcast craft.
Media law for broadcasters — Ofcom code, defamation and contempt.
Editorial ethics, complaints handling and impartiality.
Multiplatform publishing — social vertical video, web-first cuts and live updates.
Editing in Adobe Audition, Premiere Pro and broadcast newsroom systems.
Research methods and the dissertation in broadcast journalism studies.

Modules are assessed by working practitioners as well as academics, which means feedback reads more like an editor note than a marker comment. Students leave with cuttings, packaged work and a portfolio that can be sent straight to a hiring desk.

Who This Course Is For

Graduates in journalism, English or politics moving into broadcast.
Working print and digital reporters adding TV and radio craft.
Podcasters and creators formalising their training for newsroom roles.
International journalists seeking a UK-recognised broadcast qualification.

Working journalists adding a specialism are welcome and the media department offers flexible scheduling for those filing daily. International applicants seeking UK media credentials are supported through the post-Brexit publishing landscape and IPSO regulatory framework.

Career Pathways

Graduates feed into UK and international broadcast newsrooms, from regional BBC stations to commercial radio groups and independent podcast houses. Typical destinations include:

Broadcast Journalist (radio / TV)
Multimedia Reporter
Podcast Producer
News Producer
Live Bulletin Editor
Video Journalist (digital-first)

Recent destinations include desks at UK regional and national titles, in-house communications teams at FTSE-listed firms, the press functions of public-sector bodies, charity communications, and independent podcast and digital-publishing operations. The placements team supports portfolio review, pitch practice and direct introductions where appropriate.

The MA is also a credible foundation for a PhD in political communication or international broadcasting.

Entry Requirements

A UK 2:2 honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject.
Applicants from non-cognate fields may apply with five years' senior professional experience in journalism or media.
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers; spoken English assessed at interview given the on-air nature of the work.
A personal statement, two references and a short audio or video sample submitted with your application.

Mature applicants with newsroom, agency or in-house communications experience may apply with a CV and a small portfolio rather than the formal qualifications listed above. International applicants are supported through pre-arrival orientation and CAS issuance, and the media department offers tutorial support for those building UK-context portfolios.

Why Study at LSCT

The London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. We teach in small cohorts so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule that students can rely on, and partner with UK professional bodies so qualifications carry weight with employers. London puts Whitehall, the City, Silicon Roundabout, the Royal Courts of Justice, the West End and the NHS estate within a short tube ride of every classroom — and our students use that proximity in their projects, placements and graduate job hunts. Our media faculty includes working broadcasters who file copy weekly, so the studio drills mirror current newsroom rhythms rather than legacy textbook practice.

The media department brings practitioner panels into every cohort — from working journalists who file daily to PR directors who handle current FTSE reputations — which keeps the syllabus connected to the live UK industry. Students publish to a real audience under their own bylines from the first term.

Apply for MA in Broadcast Journalism

Specialise at postgraduate level with the MA in Broadcast Journalism. Click Enrol Now to apply; admissions teams reply within one working day with scholarship and funding guidance.

Admissions on the media programme respond within one working day with intake confirmation and a short portfolio review where applicable. Tuition discussions and any relevant industry-progression bursaries are flagged privately by the team during enrolment.