MA/ PGDip Documentary Journalism

Course Summary

This course will prepare you to research and produce long-form documentary stories for online, radio and film. It includes all the steps of the process from research and production across multiplatforms, to making a pitch, the commissioning process, costing and budgets. You’ll take a multi-platform approach to documentary making, developing in-depth research methods and story-telling, along with practical skills in writing, broadcasting, online and visual journalism. You’ll be taught by our team of experienced media professionals as well as visiting documentary makers across all platforms and be guided through the commercial process of documentary making. Study methods include lectures, seminars, individual tutorials, screenings, production workshops, presentation and peer review, combined with a programme of visiting industry practitioners. You’ll be assessed by a mixture of portfolio work, essays and exams as well as producing a final project of a finished documentary of your choice. Students can exit with PGDip award.

The teaching team are all from industry and have backgrounds in award-winning documentary production and reportage. Employability is a key focus of the course, and you will meet commissioning editors and documentary producers within the field. You will work with live commissioning briefs wherever possible and will be encouraged to pitch ideas to documentary and other festivals during your course. The MA is designed to enhance you future career in documentary journalism across a range of platforms and outlets, terrestrial or online.