Birmingham City University to launch new online journalism MA

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There used to be something here that couldn't be migrated - please contact us at info@journalism.co.uk if you'd like to see this updated! Birmingham City University (BCU) is to launch a new MA in online journalism in September , as part of a series of new digital and journalism courses.

Led by lecturer and Online Journalism Blog publisher Paul Bradshaw , the new course will focus on online news production, newsgathering and practical applications for this training in today's industry.

An MA in Social Media will also be launched by Bradshaw's colleague Jon Hickman in September, while new media courses are expected to follow in January 2010, he added.

"The structure is going to reflect the nature of journalism that we're living through which is: there are no walls, it's conversational and very much collaborative," Bradshaw told Journalism.co.uk.

"We're not teaching basic journalism. Students will have to have done some kind of media production before. It won't be teaching them how to write features. It will be, 'let's see what you can do with those skills now.'"

The year-long postgraduate course will include four modules which cover newsgathering and production, and how these practices overlap online; distribution and business models; and experimentation.

Students will also partner with news organisations as part of the course, acting as a consultant and suggesting solutions to specific problems they have identified within the operation, Bradshaw explained.

Space for experimentation and entrepreneurial journalism were key features in designing the course, for which Bradshaw was given a 'blank canvas', he added.

Online journalism degrees that already exist tend to be elements of an existing print or broadcast-based course, he added.

"We will be exploring new business models and I think that is the chief difference. We're certainly not relying on the existing structures," he said.

"Ultimately the industry is crying out for this and there's clearly a demand for it."

Students will also be tasked with running their own newsroom throughout the course and will see their work go public through their own online projects.

Graduates will be suitable for journalism jobs at a strategic, rather than entry, level or may consider creating their own news start-ups, Bradshaw said.