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This Masters programme delivers a comprehensive syllabus of media skills designed to equip you with the key practical competencies needed to work in a professional media environment today
The MA in Journalism & Media Communications is conducted on both a full and part-time basis over a 1-2 year period and allows students to develop their own study path through the selection of elective modules. The course programme is designed with input from Irish journalists, academics and media practitioners and offers a comprehensive multimedia syllabus that is relevant to current and emerging job opportunities, and reflective of technical, creative, social and market developments.
We run 2 intakes for this course commencing in Spring and Autumn.
4th of February, 2019*
September 2019
*subject to sufficient numbers
Griffith College was a great experience, with lecturers assisting students on both a one-to-one basis and in small peer groups. I found Griffith helped with my level of professionalism, drive and general awareness of current affairs, photography, videography and reporting skills. The lecturers were very experienced in their relevant fields and very resourceful and approachable if students were stuck or had a problem. It was also a great degree if you are interested in working in the Communications sector as it's a very hands-on course.
Understanding how audiences relate to media content and developing an ability to critically discuss research and theories in this field enhances and adds to the skills developed by creating media content. This module offers a critical depth and context to the media skills acquired in the journalism based modules of the MA programme. It complements the knowledge and understanding acquired through completion of the Research Methods module and also offers an academic introduction to examples of research and theories potentially relevant to learners undertaking the dissertation module.
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In order to be awarded an MA the learner must complete an original and comprehensive dissertation. This dissertation is expected to further extend a learner’s analysis of particular aspects in one or more of the related taught modules on the postgraduate programme stages. Learners are expected to draw heavily on the underpinning research methods module.
This module aims to impart an historical and theoretical understanding of the genre, develop the learner’s genre-specific skills and contextualise their investigative writings and those of others within a broader political and economic context.
The layout and design of printed communications plays a central role in determining how media messages are received and understood. The module shows how computer based techniques can be exploited to achieve the production of a commercially printed newspaper or magazine. The module also explains the importance of production scheduling and design in publishing and gives learners a detailed understanding of the entire production process.
It should also allow learners to specialise in the professional practice of layout and design to a level of competence that permits responsibility to initiate, lead and manage work outputs. Learners are expected to produce an issue of the faculty publication during the module.
The emergence of the internet and development of journalism specifically designed for the World Wide Web requires the skills necessary to write within this production context. Journalists need to understand the impact and intent of writing for the web, as well as the skills required to produce news and features in a web context. The reporting, writing and packaging of news for online audiences requires an evaluation and understating of the online media world.
The purpose of this module is to enable participants to critically evaluate the techniques and skills of an online journalist. Participants are expected to apply these new skills in a professional way. They reflect on the vitality of the web, acquire new skills and make sense of a transforming industry. In doing so, participants learn to manage and stimulate user-generated content.
This module aims to enable to impart knowledge within relevant legal doctrines, concepts, processes and terms, so that, inter alia, learners recognise occasions when professional legal opinion must be sought. Learners will also develop mastery of legal and ethical constraints so they can anticipate and lead adaptation to a rapidly changing legal environment, due to the interaction of societal and technological transformation.
This module aims to significantly deepen the learners’ research skills, both in relation to their module related assignments and later in their completion of their major dissertation / dissertation by practice. Specifically, it extends their abilities as self-directed learners by equipping them with the appropriate vocabulary for reflecting on, critiquing and evaluating their own work and that of others. Throughout the module, they are required to engage in a number of research methodologies and current research issues and trends in the media industry. The module also addresses the need for good project management skills and techniques for the successful delivery of any project.
The media, its institutions and practices are a major source of information, while they also contribute to cultural and political development in society. Learners must be able to not only operate within but also to examine objectively this immensely powerful institution. The purpose of the module is to provide an understanding of the relationship of social processes to the media. Learners should view and critically understand the interrelationship of media and society.
This module aims to impart a knowledge and practical awareness of how and why media institutions, practices and culture developed in the way that they have in western society. It will focus on media industries in a critical and evaluative manner. The media is examined in a broad social and historical context, and learners critique media institutions within their interrelationship with society, politics and the economy.
The objective of this module is to enable learners to attain the practical skills required to plan, research, write and edit quality news reports and feature articles and attain the practical skills necessary to work as producers, presenters, researchers and sound ops in a commercial radio environment. This module is worth 15 credits and is divided between print and radio perspectives with integration taking place during the planned news days.
This module aims to provide learners with an overview of the creative and communicative industry in order to enable them to develop a comprehensive understanding of those industries. It does so in order to equip learners with the analytical and critical thinking skills they will need to play a part in those sectors. In order to achieve the module learning outcomes, key aspects of the media sectors market structure are addressed as are some key legal and ethical issues. Other relevant areas covered and analysed within this module include marketing, finance, government policy and entrepreneurship in the media sector.
The module should enable graduates to work as journalists covering issues that deal with the relationship between politics and economics, both at a national and international level. The module introduces learners to concepts of economic governance. It seeks to familiarise them with the key organisations of global, regional and national economic governance and the roles that they play. It encourages learners to explore and assess how politics governs economics.
The module should enable graduates to work as journalists covering issues that deal with the relationship between politics and economics, both at a national and international level.
This module aims to develop both practical and theoretical approaches to contemporary photojournalistic practice and establish an understanding of the technical requirements of image production and dissemination within digital media technologies of journalism today. Learners will develop the theoretical tools needed to perform a visual analysis and their capacity to engage with the theoretical debates of the interrelationship of media and society that arise within this photographic genre, as well as a critical understanding of the cultural function of the photograph in contemporary society, and they will exercise a critical awareness and self-evaluation of all aspects of their work for this module.
Shorthand is a valuable skill for journalists. Despite advances in recording technology, many situations still exist where for legal or interviewee preference reasons, the most suitable form of news gathering requires accurate and fast shorthand.
This module is offered on a non-credit basis.
This module aims to understand the need for good shorthand skills for journalists, train students in current best practices, acquire substantial structured practice and improve their shorthand skills.
This module aims to develop knowledge of the essential tools required to enter the field of sports journalism, applicable across all areas of the sports media. It will enhance skills relevant to sports journalism: near instantaneous reporting, interviewing, bulletin compiling and feature writing, and other transferable journalistic skills. Learners will gain the skills required to write material to an advanced professional standard, ready for broadcast/print/electronic publication.
This module is based on current industry practice. Learners are required to develop, research, plan, produce, shoot and edit a 3-5 minute audio visual media production (news / documentary / features programme). This is a collaborative module. As such learners are required to assist each other. However each learner must produce their own individual production. The module’s overall aim is to equip the learners with practical skills to approach the production of factual programming for multiplatform distribution.
This module aims to apply knowledge of professional practice to video production. Learners will lead and initiate the work outputs of production teams; explore and develop skills and knowledge for producing journalistic content for video, both technically and theoretically; apply acquired mastery of the procedures to all stages of production, and enable completion of well researched work with high production values; and acquire the skills necessary to exercise a critical awareness and analytical judgment of all aspects of production.
Provisional Timetable - Year 1 (Full-time)
Provisional Timetable - Year 1 (Part-time)
Provisional Timetable - Year 2 (Part-time)
Applicants for this course should have a 2.2 degree in any discipline
Applicants wishing to apply for this course can do so Directly
Please note: Our MA in Journalism and PR has two intakes: February 2019 and September 2019. Courses beginning in September run for 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time. Courses beginning in February run for 1.5 years full-time and 2.5 years part-time.
An Academic Administration Fee of EUR250.00 and a 2% Learner Protection Charge is applicable each academic year in addition to the fees quoted below. The fees below relate to Year 1 fees only.
Dublin
Irish/EU living in Ireland: EUR 7,400.00
Irish/EU Living in Ireland: EUR 7,400.00
An Academic Administration Fee of EUR250.00 and a 2% Learner Protection Charge is applicable each academic year in addition to the fees quoted below.
Non-EU students: a Medical Insurance, Student Services and Administration fee of EUR300 is payable each academic year in addition to the fees quoted below.
Non-EU Living in Ireland or abroad: Please refer to our Non-EU Tuition Fees section.
EU Living Abroad: EUR 8,200.00
Students wishing to pay for their fees monthly may avail of our direct debit scheme. Please download our Fee Payment Information document to review the payment plan schedule and how to apply.
Is your company paying for your course?
They will need to complete a Griffith College Sponsorship Form and send this to the Student Fees Office:
All QQI accredited programmes of education and training of 3 months or longer duration are covered by arrangements under section 65 (4) of the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012 whereby, in the event of the provider ceasing to provide the programme for any reason, enrolled learners may transfer to a similar programme at another provider, or, in the event that this is not practicable, the fees most recently paid will be refunded.
Please note that a QQI Award Fee applies in the final year of all QQI courses. To find the relevant fee for your course level, please see the Fees page.
On completion of the Level 9 MA in Journalism & Media Communications, students may progress onto a range of Level 10 Doctoral programmes on the National Qualifications Framework. The Postgraduate QQI validation means that your qualification is recognised not only in Ireland and Europe but throughout the world.
Through the MA in Journalism and Media Communication, you will have gained valuable professional experience, built a strong portfolio and covered a diverse range of media. There is a wide range of career options for our graduates including:
