Is the MA Journalism Research a media law degree?

It includes advanced media-law content but is broader — editorial standards, ethics, comparative regulation, platform regulation and journalism scholarship all sit alongside. Students wanting a pure media law degree should look at an LLM in Media Law; the MA Journalism Research is interdisciplinary.

Will the MA Journalism Research prepare me for a PhD?

Yes — directly. The research-methods core and dissertation are calibrated to the entry expectations of UK doctoral programmes in journalism studies, media law and platform regulation. Several graduates each year move into PhD-track research at LSJHML or partner universities.

Does the MA Journalism Research cover platform regulation?

Yes — substantially. The UK Online Safety Act, EU Digital Services Act and the wider intermediary-liability landscape are core content. Platform trust-and-safety practice is treated as an emerging journalism-adjacent regulatory field.

Can I take the MA Journalism Research online?

Yes. The reading-and-research structure of the MA Journalism Research translates well to online study, with synchronous case-study seminars, recorded regulator-decision sessions and structured dissertation supervision. Distance learners complete on extended deadlines with named tutor support.

What is the dissertation on the MA Journalism Research?

An independent 12,000–15,000 word piece of original journalism research. Recent topics have included impartiality patterns in UK general-election coverage, IPSO adjudication outcomes over time, source-protection practice in regional newsrooms, and platform trust-and-safety decision-making in the UK Online Safety Act context.

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

Course Overview

The MA Journalism Research at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a one-year UK postgraduate degree for working journalists, regulator staff, in-house media-law-adjacent professionals and aspiring journalism scholars who want advanced, structured grounding in the standards, law, ethics and research methods of contemporary journalism. You will engage with current journalism scholarship, conduct original research, and graduate with a 12,000-to-15,000-word dissertation that contributes credibly to the field.

The MA Journalism Research is taught in dialogue with IPSO, the Editors' Code Committee and the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism's research framework. It is for the people who already work in or around journalism standards and who now want to lead, advise on, or study them at advanced level.

Key Features

UK postgraduate degree — one year full-time or two years part-time, with online and distance routes.
Advanced editorial-standards module — the Editors' Code, Ofcom Broadcasting Code, IMPRESS and IPSO complaint adjudication at senior level.
Comparative regulation strand — UK, US, EU and selected emerging-market press regulation and platform regulation.
Journalism research methods — content analysis, newsroom ethnography, interview studies, archival research, computational methods.
Industry-led masterclasses from senior editorial-standards editors, regulators and journalism scholars.
Dissertation — an independent 12,000–15,000 word piece of original journalism research.

What You Will Learn

The MA Journalism Research is structured around the advanced competences of a senior editorial-standards practitioner, regulator-track professional or journalism scholar. You graduate able to read journalism scholarship critically, conduct original research, contribute to standards and regulatory decisions, and advise senior leadership on editorial-policy questions.

The Editors' Code and IPSO adjudication practice at senior level.
Ofcom Broadcasting Code, BBC Editorial Guidelines and broadcast complaint handling.
Comparative press regulation — UK, US, EU and selected emerging markets.
Platform regulation — UK Online Safety Act, EU Digital Services Act, intermediary liability.
Advanced media law — defamation, contempt, privacy, harassment, data protection at senior-practitioner level.
Source-protection law — journalistic privilege, RIPA, the Investigatory Powers Act.
Journalism research methods — content analysis, newsroom ethnography, interview studies, computational methods.
Public-interest analysis — applying the test at regulator and pre-publication stages.

Who This MA Is For

Editorial-standards editors and complaint-handling professionals at UK publishers and broadcasters.
Press-regulator and platform-trust-and-safety staff (IPSO, IMPRESS, Ofcom, platform policy teams).
In-house media-law-adjacent professionals at publishers and broadcasters.
Aspiring doctoral researchers and academic-track journalists preparing for PhD-track work.

Career Pathways

The MA Journalism Research opens onto senior editorial-standards, regulatory, in-house legal-adjacent and academic-research roles. Typical post-MA destinations include:

Senior Editorial Standards Editor (national title, broadcaster, online publisher)
Senior Compliance Adviser (publisher, broadcaster, platform trust-and-safety team)
Media Lawyer (in-house — with subsequent legal qualification)
Senior Press Regulator Caseworker (IPSO, IMPRESS, Ofcom complaints team)
Journalism Researcher (Reuters Institute-style centre, university journalism department)
Doctoral Researcher (journalism studies, media law, platform regulation)

The MA serves as preparation for doctoral research, senior editorial-standards leadership and regulator-track careers.

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.