Master of Journalism
The world has never needed well-trained journalists more than right now.
An anti-intellectual war on facts is being waged. People and organisations are pushing their agendas with manipulations and distortions of the truth and even outright lies. Social media is awash in unclear and unverified information presented as “truth”.
Journalists have the opportunity to push back against this assault on knowledge by presenting fair, balanced, well-researched reporting to the public. At HKU Journalism, we can teach you how.
Our nine-month, two-semester programme will prepare you for these challenges. Whether you’re new to reporting or a mid-career journalist seeking to update and refresh their skills, we have what you need.
It won’t be easy. Earning an HKU Master of Journalism degree may be the hardest challenge you have ever faced. But once you have completed the programme, you will be a different person, changed for the better.
Our specially designed Core Focused Curriculum (CFC) makes our Master of Journalism (MJ) programme one of Asia’s most challenging and cutting edge. Our focus is on doing, not simply theory. The CFC will equip you with the three core skill sets you need in today’s professional journalism world:
- Reporting/Writing
- Visual/Audio Storytelling Techniques
- Digital/Data Tools
You’ll get two full semesters of all three skills. The first semester is focused on compulsory basics. The second semester provides greater depth while offering a broader range of choices including specializations such as documentary, business news, podcasting and covering China.
Our alumni have gone on to jobs at the South China Morning Post, The New York Times, BBC, Bloomberg, CNN, Vice Media, AFP, Reuters, AP, the Wall Street Journal and many other respected news brands. These are same kind of top-notch journalism organizations where our faculty have worked, or, in many cases, are still working.
So, if you’re ready to join the essential pursuit of truth, we will equip you with what you need for that exciting, satisfying mission.
About the programme
The Master of Journalism (MJ) course is a one-year full-time or a two-year part-time course. Students learn the core skills of journalism—reporting and writing, television and video production, media law and ethics, and new media. Students also have the opportunity to take elective courses in a broad range of subjects from business and finance to data journalism to digital media. Candidates shall complete no fewer than 60 and no more than 72 course credits.
Please visit the Admissions page here to learn how to apply.
Internships
The JMSC’s network with leading international media organisations has helped build one of the most dynamic journalism internship programmes in the world. To find out more about internships with the JMSC, click here.
Useful links
Course List
Compulsory courses
- Reporting and writing
- AI and media innovation
- Video news production
- Media law and ethics
- Master’s project (Capstone)
Core courses (Reporting and writing)
- Long form and feature writing
- Covering China
- Covering climate change
- Interpreting and using business journalism in a global era
- Global financial journalism
Core courses (Digital and data)
- News literacy and digital factchecking
- Mastering social media for journalists
- Data journalism
- Media data analysis
- Research methods for media studies
Core courses (Visual and audio)
- Generative AI in media applications
- Advanced video production
- Multimedia production
- Writing and producing for TV news
- Documentary film appreciation
- Podcasting and audio news
Elective courses
- Storytelling for social impact: International perspectives and practices
- Journalism internship
Provision of feedback
We believe that detailed and timely feedback on student assignments is a critical component of an active-learning environment founded on continuous assessment. Therefore, the Journalism and Media Studies Centre requires course instructors to return all student work submitted for assessment, including weekly tutorial assignments, media projects and exams, to the student with written comments as well as a grade. Weekly tutorial assignments should be assessed and returned to students within one week of the submission deadline. Other assessment tasks such as exams or media projects should be returned to students with detailed comments within one month of submission. Feedback on oral presentations or group projects may be delivered orally or in writing.