Do I need to be running a publication to enrol in the MA Content Creation and Digital Publishing?

Helpful but not required. Many students arrive running a substantive newsletter, podcast or in-house publication; others arrive from journalism or strategy backgrounds. The applied dissertation can be built around your own publication or a partner organisation if you don't have one.

How is the MA Content Creation and Digital Publishing different from a journalism master's?

A journalism MA centres on reporting craft and editorial leadership inside news organisations. This MA centres on the publication itself — audience strategy, business model, platform choice, scaling — across journalism, brand publishing and independent creator contexts.

Can I do the MA Content Creation and Digital Publishing part-time?

Yes. The MA can be taken over 24 months part-time. Online and distance routes are designed for working senior practitioners — most students continue running publications or holding editorial roles through the course.

What kind of dissertation do students write on the MA Content Creation and Digital Publishing?

Applied research, 12,000–15,000 words, on a real strategic question. Recent dissertations have covered newsletter subscription pricing, creator-platform fee economics, brand-newsroom editorial governance and the political economy of podcast advertising.

Is the MA Content Creation and Digital Publishing recognised by UK employers?

Yes. It is a UK-recognised master's degree taught in London — the European base of much digital publishing — and the applied dissertation gives graduates substantive evidence of strategic thinking that hiring publishers and platforms look for at senior level.

MA Content Creation & Digital Publishing | LSJHML London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The MA Content Creation and Digital Publishing at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a one-year UK postgraduate degree for senior creators, in-house editorial leaders and digital publishers ready for strategic-track work. You will study the political economy of the creator economy, lead editorial and business strategy for an existing or new publication, and produce a 12,000-to-15,000 word applied dissertation that addresses a real strategic question in digital publishing.

The creator economy now intersects with journalism, brand publishing, education and entertainment. The MA Content Creation and Digital Publishing trains the people who lead in that space — not just make for it. By the end of the MA you can set publication strategy with discipline, lead an editorial team, defend commercial choices to investors or boards, and contribute to scholarly and industry conversation on digital publishing.

Key Features

Strategic editorial leadership core — audience strategy, beat allocation, hiring, commissioning, performance management.
Political economy of the creator economy — platforms, intermediaries, payment infrastructure, regulation.
Creator business module — pricing, subscription economics, sponsorship contracts, accounting, scaling.
Industry-led masterclasses from senior creators, in-house editorial leads, publisher executives and platform-policy specialists.
12,000–15,000 word applied dissertation on a real strategic question — taken with a publication, in-house team or independent context.
September and January intakes with full-time and part-time routes.

What You Will Learn

The MA Content Creation and Digital Publishing is structured around the working practice of a digital editorial leader or senior independent creator. You graduate able to lead strategy, run an editorial operation, defend the business and editorial decisions you made, and engage with academic and industry conversation on the field.

Strategic editorial leadership — vision, audience strategy, beat planning, hiring.
Audience research and segmentation — qualitative and quantitative methods, behavioural insight.
Creator business — subscription economics, paid tier design, sponsorship, contracts, scaling.
Political economy — platforms, intermediaries, payment systems, current regulation.
Platform strategy across newsletter, podcast, video and emerging formats.
Editorial ethics for independent and in-house publishers — accuracy, contributor care, disclosure.
Media law for digital publishers — defamation, copyright, advertising standards, online safety.
Dissertation methodology — applied research design, write-up at MA standard.

Who This MA Is For

Senior independent creators ready for strategic-track credentialing.
In-house editorial leaders at digital publishers, content agencies and brand newsrooms.
Publisher executives at small and mid-size organisations wanting structured grounding.
Career-changers from journalism or strategy entering senior digital publishing roles.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the MA Content Creation and Digital Publishing move into senior editorial, publisher and strategy roles across UK digital media. Typical post-MA destinations include:

Senior Content Strategist (in-house brand newsroom, digital-native publisher)
Editorial Producer (lead — digital-native publisher, content agency)
Digital Publisher (own-imprint creator at scale, indie newsletter network)
Newsletter Editor (lead — specialist publisher, in-house comms team)
Video Content Director (lead — YouTube channel, video-first publisher)
Head of Audience (digital-native title, broadcaster online unit)

The MA also serves as a launchpad for doctoral research in digital publishing, platform studies or creator economy, or for senior in-house editorial leadership roles.

Entry Requirements

A UK 2:2 honours degree (or international equivalent) in a related subject, OR a 2:2 in any subject with two years of relevant professional experience.
IELTS 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) for non-native English speakers.
Personal statement (max 1 page) outlining your motivation, relevant experience and intended specialism.
Two academic or professional references.
Applicants without a related undergraduate degree may be considered with significant industry experience and a written sample.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.