City University, London is launching a pioneering MA in Interactive Journalism this September.
The course, developed by Paul Bradshaw, visiting professor and online journalism module leader at City, and Jonathan Hewett, director of newspaper journalism at City, will prepare students to work in the rapidly-changing environment of online journalism, with a focus on data journalism and community management.
The university currently offers an online module to its postgraduate journalism students but recognising the demand for skilled journalists in this field and the growing importance of knowing how to work with data has now created an entire masters course.
Alongside the core modules taught to all postgraduate journalism students such as media law, journalism practice, public administration and journalism and society, students will learn the skills of data journalism, online communities and content management, online journalism and entrepreneurial journalism.
Hewett told Journalism.co.uk: “Journalism is increasingly treating its audiences less as passive consumers and more as active participants, particularly online. The new Interactive Journalism MA programme at City University London will prepare students for roles that reflect this change to a more interactive, participatory and personalised approach.”
Bradshaw said the aim of the course is to produce journalists who “can take advantage of new career opportunities in data, community & multimedia but, more broadly, individuals who can fulfil their own professional objectives.
“I’m excited to see how it goes,” he added.
Hewett explained the course will “Combine data journalism and community management with reporting, interviewing, writing and editing.”
The year-long course, which costs £8.700, will start on 19 September 2011.
Will City University create the next generation of James Balls, Simon Rogers and Paul Bradshaws? It’s looking that way.
Binary Barbara
Data Deborah
Piechart Polly
Spreadsheet Sue
dressingupdata 
Disgruntled newspaper student
March 31, 2011
This angers me. LOTS. I’d love to speak to anyone who has applied for this new course and warn them what they’re letting themselves in for. They really will hate it and I firmly believe that. This whole new new-fangled thing of online journalism has been blown out of all proportion and this was echoed by a Guardian employee I spoke to last night who shall remain nameless. Also, if these are all the new skills journalists supposedly MUST have and if this is all so totally vital, then what is the point in continuing the newspaper course at City? In my opinion all this online tosh totally sanitises what journalism really is and this new course, on top of all the other courses at City, is just too much and is watering down the City brand.
Barney Joe of the Fields down the road
March 31, 2011
Paul Bradshaw failed epically in engaging the vast majority of students this year with one single module. What would he be like with an entire course? This is a disaster waiting to happen.
andytweddle
March 31, 2011
But don’t forget about how invaluable these skills will become in the future. Many journalism students were reluctant to engage with the module in the first place and scapegoated Bradshaw to the point of a ridiculous near-revolt. If wannabe journalists have a genuine interest in the field they could find this course valuable. Despite finding it hard to connect with at first, I now feel confident with online journalism and many colleagues have echoed this.
I guess we’ll have to see – will the proof be in Bradshaw’s HTML pudding?