About Global Journalism And Public Relations MA in Coventry University

In our increasingly connected, digital world, news spreads quickly and without the constraints of national boundaries. Journalists are frequently called upon to report on diverse global issues and this Master’s course aims to prepare you for practice and analysis of global journalism and media.

Benefiting from our links with the media industry, including the BBC, Al Jazeera, Sky, Africa-based media and online outlets both here in the UK and USA, this Master’s course aims to prepare you for practice and analysis of global journalism and media. It covers all the areas of journalism, from legal and ethical issues to practical interviewing, writing, broadcast and web skills. More importantly, it aims to improve your intercultural competence and familiarity with the international issues that make headlines worldwide.

Taught by award-winning journalists and presenters, you will in addition have opportunities to attend guest lectures, which amongst others, have previously been delivered by the BBC Director General and Channel 4 founder, as well as presenters Jon Snow and Jeremy Paxman.

Gaining hands-on experience, you will be expected to work as part of a team to write articles, as well as edit, design and publish a digitally-distributed magazine, Global Eye. In the 2016 edition, one student predicted Wales’ success in the European Championships, while another wrote an analysis on the perceptions around immigration – one of the key issues in the European Union ‘remain or leave’ vote in the UK.

Why Coventry University?

An award-winning university, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible experience. We continue to invest in both our facilities and our innovative approach to education. Our students benefit from industry-relevant teaching, and resources and support designed to help them succeed. These range from our modern library and computing facilities to dedicated careers advice and our impressive Students’ Union activities.

Course information

If you’re interested in a career in the media industry worldwide, our course aims to be a comprehensive interdisciplinary introduction to and advancement of global journalism and public relations, which is underpinned by hands-on professional practice from the outset.

We will consider how news and other related outputs are produced and consumed in the modern world – and why media and communication is no longer an issue of control and concern either for the Nation State or a factor limited to national economies or internal affairs alone. Examples include Wikileaks exposés and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ work.

We cover the different functions, communication policies and activities of transnational and international, governmental and nongovernmental organisations or institutions, such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the European Union (EU) and World Trade Organisation (WTO).

We will analyse the role of international media and communications, for example, exploring ethical or socio-cultural issues, using specific examples to demonstrate how the media constructs identities and reinforces stereotypes through social stratification, nation, class, gender, race, religion, sexuality and age. We will also examine some of the contemporary global issues facing and addressed by various media – drawing from recent headlines. For example, in recent years, we have looked at Middle East conflict, UNESCO recognition of Palestine and US withdrawal of funding to UNESCO, climate change, environmental disasters, global health challenges, global security, weaponisation of media e.g. propaganda and fake news, freedom of expression restrictions and resistance, sexual harassment and resistance e.g. the #MeToo campaign.

We aim to provide general tips on how to build and maintain networks of contacts, peers and audiences, using both conventional techniques and social media methods, for example, we will cover how to establish and build contacts, carry out pre-assignment and on-assignment research, deliver outputs in consideration of deadlines and time zones, work with others and consider safety measures.

You will be expected to plan, coordinate and implement specific ‘assignments’ – organising photo-shoots, interviews and video/audio recording, often in multiple locations – working to a series of tight deadlines, as you would be expected to in professional employment. You will develop a portfolio of journalistic work across the segments of study in a wide range of formats and subject areas – anything from news to features and documentaries.

Career prospects

This course aims to prepare you for a broad range of positions in regional, national or international journalism, media and communications – as a researcher, reporter, writer, editor or presenter, for example.

Career prospects are vast and varied, from established national and international media outlets, broadcasting organisations, newspapers and magazines, to emerging broadcast contexts, such as web-based text journalism, web-TV and web-radio.

Our Faculty of Arts and Humanities employment team is on hand to offer tailored career and enterprise support if you wish to gain employment or take advantage of professional practice opportunities within course specific industries. The course aims to equip students for work in a wider range of careers that require transferable knowledge and skills such as global awareness, research, writing and communication with specific or general audiences including via various media. Our dedicated enterprise officers also can offer valuable assistance on how to begin as a freelancer/entrepreneur.

Coventry University is committed to preparing you for your future career and giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market. The University's Careers and Employability team provide a wide range of support services to help you plan and prepare for your career.

Where our graduates work

Recent graduates have secured jobs as regional director of a government radio station in Pakistan and social media director for an online music platform. Other roles have included writing for online news sites like Huffington Post or mainstream media outlets, such as The Guardian UK.

Others have gone into public relations, communication for social change, cultural entrepreneurship and various forms of media research. The programme is also an excellent preparation for doctoral research in Journalism, Media and Communication Studies or Information Systems.

Entry requires a good undergraduate degree in any field – but preferably in journalism or in a cognate discipline in the arts, humanities or social sciences.

Applicants with professional/industrial experience and /or training, but not meeting the normal entry requirements will be considered on their merits.

English as a Foreign Language: This course requires IELTS of 7.0 overall, with no component lower than 5.5. Pre-sessional English is available if required.

Our International Student Hub offers information on entry requirements for your country, as well as contact details for agents and representatives should you need more advice.

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