How is the MA Financial Journalism different from the MA Business Journalism?

The MA Business Journalism covers corporate journalism broadly — markets, companies, personal finance, macro. The MA Financial Journalism specialises further into markets, regulation, banking and the technical plumbing of finance. Students who know they want a City beat usually pick Financial Journalism; those with broader business interests pick Business Journalism.

Do I need a finance qualification for the MA Financial Journalism?

No — but you do need either an undergraduate degree in a related field (journalism, economics, finance) or significant relevant professional experience. The technical content is taught at postgraduate level on the assumption you can build on a working base.

Is the MA Financial Journalism aligned with the FCA or other regulators?

The financial regulation strand covers FCA, PRA and Bank of England frameworks in working depth. The qualification itself is a UK academic credential, not a regulatory designation, but it maps cleanly onto the regulatory context UK financial journalists work in.

Can I take the MA Financial Journalism part-time?

Yes — over 24 months. Online and distance routes support working journalists and finance professionals with evening tutorials and weekend masterclasses. The dissertation runs across the final six to nine months.

Will the MA Financial Journalism prepare me for a role at Bloomberg or Reuters?

It is one of the natural target destinations. Wire-service hiring tests for accounts literacy, markets fluency and speed — all of which the MA is built around. Several graduates each year move into roles at Bloomberg, Reuters and other major financial newsrooms.

MA Financial Journalism in London | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The MA Financial Journalism at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a one-year UK postgraduate degree for journalists, finance professionals and graduates moving into specialist financial reporting — markets, regulation, banking, asset management, sovereign debt and the systemic plumbing of global finance. The course is built around the working practice of London's financial press and the regulatory standards the FCA, Bank of England and Prudential Regulation Authority operate to.

You finish able to report markets with method, read complex financial filings, navigate the legal and regulatory framework that governs financial reporting, and write a substantial dissertation on a question of professional or scholarly significance.

Key Features

Markets-reporting module — equities, bonds, derivatives, structured products at working-journalist level.
Financial regulation strand — FCA, PRA, Bank of England, EU and US frameworks for context.
Advanced corporate-disclosure module — prospectuses, rights issues, proxy battles, complex M&A.
Specialist beats across banking, asset management, sovereign debt and fintech.
Industry-led masterclasses from senior financial journalists at UK and international titles.
12,000–15,000 word dissertation on a financial-journalism topic, supervised by working financial reporters or relevant academics.

What You Will Learn

The MA Financial Journalism assumes either a business-journalism foundation or a finance background. It exists to take you to specialist standard — able to call a markets story, read a Tier 1 capital ratio, interpret central-bank minutes and explain the working plumbing of finance to a general readership.

Markets reporting — equities, fixed income, derivatives, FX, commodities.
Financial regulation — FCA, PRA, Bank of England; comparative US and EU frameworks.
Banking journalism — capital, liquidity, prudential frameworks, supervisory architecture.
Asset management reporting — fund structures, performance, retail vs institutional.
Sovereign debt and macro — yield curves, central-bank policy, currency.
Complex corporate disclosure — prospectuses, rights issues, proxy battles, complex M&A.
Financial law for journalists — market abuse, insider dealing, embargo discipline, defamation at City level.
Dissertation research methods — qualitative interview, document analysis, quantitative literacy.

Who This MA Is For

Working business reporters at UK or international titles specialising further into finance.
Bachelor's graduates in journalism, finance or economics targeting City-track journalism.
Finance professionals (bankers, asset managers, regulators) moving into journalism mid-career.
Wire-service trainees and graduate-scheme entrants seeking deeper specialist grounding.

Career Pathways

Financial journalism is one of the better-paid and most consistently recruited corners of UK journalism. Graduates of the MA Financial Journalism typically progress into:

Senior Markets Reporter (national title, specialist financial publisher)
City Correspondent (national title, broadcaster business team)
Banking Reporter (wire service, specialist title)
Asset Management Journalist (sector-specific title, consumer financial publisher)
Financial Investigations Reporter (longform investigative outlet)
Senior Financial PR Director (City consultancy)

The MA also opens senior in-house comms roles at financial institutions and doctoral routes in financial journalism scholarship.

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.