Overview
Accuracy, impartiality, truth: The principles of good journalism really matter in today’s world of misinformation and disputed facts. Despite staying true to its core values of free speech and holding the powerful to account, contemporary journalism is constantly changing – as is the wider communication environment of which it is part.
Today’s journalism and communication sector offers a variety of career opportunities, including those funded by new revenue streams and news gathering models. Traditional newspapers, magazines, TV channels and radio stations have been joined by digital-only platforms, podcasts and a growing number of journalists working as freelancers and launching their own start-ups (Source: Journalism, 2024).
Our MSc Journalism and Communication will make sure you have the practical skills to stay relevant and keep adapting to the pace of change. We focus on investigative journalism and research and how this is applied across various cultural, political and regulatory environments – both by traditional journalists and other communication practitioners. You will learn how to navigate the practical challenges of writing, producing and publishing journalism and other forms of research-based communication across multiple platforms.
You’ll learn about:
- basic news gathering and newswriting
- podcasting
- video production and documentary-making
- photography
- data analysis and data-driven storytelling
- interview techniques
- freedom of information rights and processes
- fact-checking and verification
- legal and ethical issues affecting journalists and other communication professionals
Hands-on teaching from experienced experts
Highlights include:
- the opportunity to pitch for expert supervision from investigative journalists working for the award-winning investigative journalism website The Ferret and expert input from BBC documentary-makers;
- hands-on training in online data analysis and fact-checking by international investigative journalism collective Bellingcat;
- expert training in interview techniques by researchers specialising in sensitive and traumatic subjects.
You’ll also receive hands-on teaching from experienced journalists and top academic researchers. Recent speakers and contributors to the course have included:
- Pulitzer Prize-nominated New York Times journalist Azadeh Moaveni;
- BBC Verify social media investigations correspondent Marianna Spring;
- former BBC Washington correspondent and Radio 4 Today programme presenter James Naughtie;
- award-winning Channel 4 News and Netflix investigative journalist Jamal Osman;
- John McLellan, a former editor-in-chief and now leading columnist on national newspaper The Scotsman;
- a former arts correspondent for the Press Association and Independent on Sunday;
- campaigning environmental journalist Jan Goodey;
- Allan Rennie, a former newspaper editor and a member of the complaints committee of the UK’s main press regulator, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO);
- Alison Preston, media literacy expert at UK broadcast regulator Ofcom.
Emphasis on investigative research and reporting
Our course kicks off with a look at how to use online open-source data and other methods for investigations and fact-checking. This is delivered by internationally renowned investigative journalism collective, Bellingcat. During the course, you will learn how to conduct in-depth interviews and produce long-form investigative features, podcasts and documentaries with the help of industry experts, including investigative journalists from award-winning website The Ferret and BBC Scotland. The course also offers an opportunity to attend a summer school in which you will be trained in trauma-informed interview techniques by experts from the internationally funded Climate Disaster Project.
Course flexibility for your career goals
Tailor your studies by choosing a more practice or theory-led route depending on your career ambitions. Check the course details for more information.
Top reasons to study with us
Flexible learning
If you’re interested in studying a module from this course, the Postgraduate Certificate or the Postgraduate Diploma then please email Graduate Admissions to discuss your course of study.
Research overview
Staff teaching on the MSc Journalism and Communication include a number of interdisciplinary researchers who have published widely in academic journals and books – as well as professional journalistic publications, including national newspapers, magazines and the broadcast media. Their academic research interests include everything from the way the media reports poverty, inequality and climate change to the ways in which digital technologies are revolutionising the relationship between the stories journalists write, the people they write about, and their ‘users’ and ‘audiences’.
Entry requirements
Academic requirements
A minimum of a second class Honours degree (2:1 preferred) or equivalent. Applicants without these formal qualifications but with significant appropriate work experience are encouraged to apply.
Journalists come from a wide range of backgrounds and the profession is keen to encourage applicants from the arts, humanities, business, sciences and the social sciences. We welcome applications from the broadest range of disciplines.
Other routes of entry
If you don't currently meet our academic requirements, University of Stirling International Study Centre offers a variety of preparation programmes that can earn you the qualifications and skills you need to progress onto some of our courses. Explore University of Stirling International Study Centre to see the pathway and pre-masters routes available.
International entry requirements
English language requirements
If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:
- IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.0 with a minimum of 6.0 in reading and writing and 5.5 in speaking and listening.
- Pearson Test of English (Academic) 60 overall with a minimum of 59 in reading and writing and 59 in speaking and listening.
- TOEFL exams taken before 21 January 2026: 80 Overall with 20 in reading, 19 in writing, 17 in listening and 20 in speaking.
- TOEFL exams taken after 21 January 2026: 4 overall with no less than 4 in any band.
See our information on English language requirements for more details on the language tests we accept and options to waive these requirements.
Pre-sessional English language courses
If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, University of Stirling International Study Centre offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to this degree.
Find out more about our pre-sessional English language courses.
Course details
Choose from the course modules to follow a more practice or theory-led route, depending on your career ambitions.
The practical modules take a multimedia approach to journalism. There may be an opportunity for students to benefit from co-supervision of their final practical projects by an investigative journalist from award-winning website The Ferret.
More theoretical modules explore key issues in international journalism such as:
- media pluralism and the public sphere;
- media systems, press freedom, regulation and censorship;
- discourse, framing and representation;
- misinformation, disinformation and ‘fake news’;
- political economy of the news media.
You’ll also learn about the wider socioeconomic, political and cultural significance of journalism and its relationship to democracy.
Full time MSc modules
Compulsory modules
| Yr 1, semester 1 - Autumn | Multiplatform Journalism (JOUPP01) | 20 credits |
| Yr 1, semester 1 - Autumn | Global Communication in Context: Disruption and Misinformation (JOUPP02) | 20 credits |
| Yr 1, semester 2 - Spring | Investigative Research (JOUPP03) | 20 credits |
| Yr 1, semester 2 - Spring | Digital Video Production (JOUPP04) | 20 credits |
Autumn options
| International Journalism Autumn Options | Media Law and Governance (JOUPP05) | 20 credits |
| International Journalism Autumn Options | Research Methods (MMAPP12) | 20 credits |
| International Journalism Autumn Options | Media Environment (MMAPP13) | 20 credits |
| International Journalism Autumn Options | Human Information Behaviour (MMAPP17) | 20 credits |
Spring options
| International Journalism Spring Options | Advanced Social Media Analytics (CMCPP12) | 20 credits |
| International Journalism Spring Options | Telling True Stories (CRWPP16) | 20 credits |
| International Journalism Spring Options | Media Regulation and Policy (MMAPP14) | 20 credits |
| International Journalism Spring Options | Interactive Media (MMAPP19) | 20 credits |
| International Journalism Spring Options | Public Affairs and Advocacy (PCMPPX2) | 20 credits |
| International Journalism Spring Options | Strategic Communications Research Placement (PREPP23) | 20 credits |
Part time MSc modules
Compulsory modules
| Yr 1, semester 1 - Autumn | Multiplatform Journalism (JOUPP01) | 20 credits |
| Yr 1, semester 2 - Spring | Digital Video Production (JOUPP04) | 20 credits |
| Yr 2, semester 3 - Autumn | Global Communication in Context: Disruption and Misinformation (JOUPP02) | 20 credits |
| Yr 2, semester 4 - Spring | Investigative Research (JOUPP03) | 20 credits |
Autumn options
| International Journalism Autumn Options | Media Law and Governance (JOUPP05) | 20 credits |
| International Journalism Autumn Options | Research Methods (MMAPP12) | 20 credits |
| International Journalism Autumn Options | Media Environment (MMAPP13) | 20 credits |
| International Journalism Autumn Options | Human Information Behaviour (MMAPP17) | 20 credits |
Spring options
| International Journalism Spring Options | Advanced Social Media Analytics (CMCPP12) | 20 credits |
| International Journalism Spring Options | Telling True Stories (CRWPP16) | 20 credits |
| International Journalism Spring Options | Media Regulation and Policy (MMAPP14) | 20 credits |
| International Journalism Spring Options | Interactive Media (MMAPP19) | 20 credits |
| International Journalism Spring Options | Public Affairs and Advocacy (PCMPPX2) | 20 credits |
| International Journalism Spring Options | Strategic Communications Research Placement (PREPP23) | 20 credits |
Modules
Teaching
The course will be delivered through a dynamic blend of lectures, seminars, one-to-one supervisions and practical workshops. You'll also be expected to read widely before classes, prepare regular informal in-class presentations, and conduct independent research.
You will also benefit from a programme of guest talks and masterclasses, delivered by experienced journalists and other media professionals who can explain the rapidly evolving challenges of 'the job' and how these can be overcome. Regular contributors include James Naughtie, the veteran broadcaster and former presenter of BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today programme, and Billy Briggs, co-founder and editor of the Scottish investigative website The Ferret.
Assessment
You'll be expected to write essays, produce journalistic articles and other content under professional conditions and take part in class-based formative assessments, including individual and group presentations. Learning will also be assessed in a dissertation or investigative research project. There will also be a continuous, informal approach to assessment in the form of weekly discussions, news quizzes and problem-solving exercises.
Course director
Key staff
- Dr James Morrison - Associate Professor in Journalism Studies
- Dr Bernadine Jones – Lecturer in Journalism
- Dr Steven Harkins - Lecturer in Journalism
- Dr Alenka Jelen – Associate Professor and Head of Division of Communications, Media and Culture
- Dr Will Dinan – Senior Lecturer
- Professor Dario Sinfioriani – Head of Production
- Professor Adrian Hadland – Professor of Journalism
- Mr John McLellan - Honorary Professor in Journalism Studies
- Mr Paul Hunter – Lecturer in Journalism
Fees and funding
Fees and costs
University of Stirling alumni will automatically be awarded a fee waiver for the first year of Masters studies through our Stirling Alumni Scholarship.
Applicants from the UK or Republic of Ireland who hold a first-class honours degree or equivalent will automatically be awarded a £2,000 scholarship through our Postgraduate Merit Scholarship.
If you need to extend your period of study, you may be liable for additional fees.
If you are studying part time, the total course fee will be split over the years that you study. The total fee will remain the same and will be held at the rate set in your year of entry.
For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.
Eligible students could receive a scholarship worth between £4,000-£7,000. See our range of generous scholarships for international postgraduate students.
If you need to extend your period of study, you may be liable for additional fees.
If you are studying part time, the total course fee will be split over the years that you study. The total fee will remain the same and will be held at the rate set in your year of entry.
For more information on courses invoiced on an annual fee basis, please read our tuition fee policy.
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2026/27 |
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|---|---|
| UK and Republic of Ireland students | £10,100 |
| International (including EU) students | £21,800 |
Postgraduate tuition fee loans
This course is eligible for a postgraduate tuition fee loan from one of the UK’s governments. See the Scholarships and funding section, below, for more details.
Additional costs
There are some instances where additional fees may apply. Depending on your chosen course, you may need to pay additional costs, for example for field trips. Learn more about additional fees.
Scholarships and funding
Funding
If you have the talent, ability and drive to study with us, we want to make sure you make the most of the opportunity – regardless of your financial circumstances.
Learn more about available funding opportunities or use our scholarship finder to explore our range of scholarships.
Postgraduate tuition fee loans
Scottish students may be eligible to apply to the Students Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for loans of up to £13,900 to cover tuition fees and associated living costs.
English students can apply for a loan of up to £12,858 each year as part of the Postgraduate Masters Loan Scheme.
Welsh students can apply for financial support of up to £19,255 as a combination of grant and loan from Student Finance Wales.
Northern Irish students can apply for a postgraduate tuition fee loan of up to £6,500 from Student Finance NI.
International students may be able to gain additional funding from loan providers.
Cost of living
If you’re domiciled in the UK, you can typically apply to your relevant funding body for help with living costs. This usually takes the form of student loans, grants or bursaries, and the amount awarded depends upon your personal circumstances and household income.
International (including EU) students won’t normally be able to claim living support through SAAS or other UK public funding bodies. You should contact the relevant authority in your country to find out if you’re eligible to receive support.
Payment options
We aim to be as flexible as possible, and offer a wide range of payment methods - including the option to pay fees by instalments. Learn more about how to pay
After you graduate
This Journalism and Communication postgraduate degree will prepare you for a rapidly transforming field in roles such as:
- broadcast, newspaper and/or digital reporting
- features writing and editing
- magazine journalism
- freelance journalism
- documentary-making or podcasting
- NGO, charity and civil society advocacy and campaign work
- political and policy analysis/consultancy
- press sub-editing
- publishing copy-editing
- proof reading
- web content management
- digital content writing/editing
You will also gain transferable skills for a range of other careers in the fields of:
- corporate media and marketing
- entrepreneurship
- social and environmental research
- public relations
- wider communication fields
Source: Prospects
The estimated total pay for a journalist is £34,233 per year in the United Kingdom. (Source: Journalist in United Kingdom 2025, Glassdoor).
Roles that Stirling graduates of the MSc International Journalism have taken up include:
- Trainee/junior news reporter
- Senior reporter
- Freelance feature writer
- Investigative journalist/reporter
- Sub-editor
- Communities editor
- Commissioning editor
- Editorial assistant
- Junior Content Writer
- Marketing Executive
- Communication Consultant
They work for organisations such as:
- BBC Scotland
- MailOnline
- Stirling Courier
- The Ferret
- Donaldson Group
- Zap
- PrintWeek
- T6 Ecosystems
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