Do I need to be an editor already to enrol in the MA Editorial Management?

Strongly recommended. The MA is built around senior practice and assumes meaningful editorial leadership experience or a clear trajectory toward it. Applicants with non-editorial leadership experience (in-house newsroom, content marketing, broadcast production) are welcome where the case is made.

How is the MA Editorial Management different from an MBA?

An MBA is a general management degree. The MA Editorial Management is sector-specific — editorial strategy, newsroom production, regulatory environment, platform relationships — taught by people who have run newsrooms. Some senior leaders take both; many take this MA as the editorial-specific alternative.

Can I do the MA Editorial Management 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 in senior editorial roles through the course, with the applied dissertation built around live strategic questions in their organisation.

What kind of dissertation do students write on the MA Editorial Management?

Applied research, 12,000–15,000 words, on a real strategic question. Recent dissertations have covered newsroom hiring pipelines, regulator-relationship management, AI use in editorial workflow, and beat reallocation under shrinking budgets.

Is the MA Editorial Management recognised by UK employers?

Yes. It is a UK-recognised master's degree taught in London with senior industry contributors, and is the kind of credential UK publishers and broadcasters look for when filling editor-in-chief, publisher and editorial-director roles. Applied dissertation work doubles as evidence of strategic thinking for any senior application.

MA Editorial Management in London | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The MA Editorial Management at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a one-year UK postgraduate degree for senior editors, executive producers and publisher executives stepping into editorial leadership roles. You will study editorial strategy, newsroom production management, hiring and people management, and the legal, regulatory and ethical environment senior newsroom leaders operate inside — and produce a 12,000-to-15,000 word applied dissertation on a real strategic question facing your own newsroom or a partner organisation.

Editorial management is the discipline newsrooms most consistently fail to train for. The MA Editorial Management exists to close that gap. By the end you can lead a newsroom through a publishing cycle, set strategy that holds up commercially and editorially, run hiring and performance management at scale, and engage credibly with regulators, lawyers and platform partners.

Key Features

Editorial leadership simulation — lead a substantial newsroom team through a multi-week publishing cycle with editor-mentor review.
Strategic editorial planning module — vision, audience strategy, beat allocation, performance management.
Newsroom production management — workflow, kit, software, freelance commissioning, budget management.
Hiring, induction and performance core — fair selection, structured feedback, support plans, difficult conversations.
Industry-led masterclasses from working editors-in-chief, executive producers, publisher CEOs and senior platform-relations leads.
12,000–15,000 word applied dissertation on a real strategic question in editorial management.

What You Will Learn

The MA Editorial Management is structured around the working life of a senior newsroom leader — strategy, operations, people, regulators, finance. You graduate able to run a substantial newsroom or editorial division, defend the choices you made to publishers, regulators and staff, and contribute to industry and scholarly conversation on the field.

Editorial strategy — vision, audience strategy, story-mix balance, KPIs that don't distort journalism.
Newsroom production management — workflow, software, kit, budget management.
Hiring, induction and performance — fair selection, structured feedback, support, difficult conversations.
Diversity, equity and inclusion in newsroom practice — sourcing, hiring, story selection.
Legal sign-off at senior level — defamation, contempt, privacy, prior-restraint, regulator referral.
Regulator engagement — IPSO, Ofcom, ICO, Online Safety Act provisions.
Platform and commercial-partner management — distribution deals, content licensing, partnership editorial standards.
Crisis management — corrections, social pile-on, contributor protection, staff welfare.

Who This MA Is For

Senior editors, executive producers and head-of-output staff stepping into editor-in-chief or publisher roles.
Mid-career managers in adjacent fields (in-house newsrooms, content marketing leadership) moving into editorial.
Newsroom managers without formal credentialing wanting recognition for existing senior practice.
Future publisher founders preparing to set up new editorial operations.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the MA Editorial Management move into senior leadership roles across UK and international media. Typical post-MA destinations include:

Executive Producer (broadcaster current affairs, podcast network)
Newsroom Editor (regional title, specialist national publisher)
Production Manager (broadcaster, longform digital, podcast network)
Head of Output (rolling-news desk, online publisher, broadcaster online)
Editorial Director (publisher, specialist title group)
Publisher / Founder (independent editorial venture)

The MA also serves as a launchpad for senior editorial leadership roles at platforms, partnerships and trade bodies, and for doctoral research in media management.

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.