Programme Specification for Magazines MA
This programme is currently suspended.
|
Final award |
MA |
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Intermediate awards available |
Postgraduate Certificate; Postgraduate Diploma |
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UCAS code |
N/A |
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Details of professional body accreditation |
N/A |
|
Relevant QAA Benchmark statements |
N/A |
|
Date specification last up-dated |
December 2012 |
Profile
The summary - programme advertising leaflet
Programme content
This programme will enable students to rehearse both craft skills and critical faculties in accordance with a new professionalism where thinking ‘out of the box’ is routinely required.
M.A. Magazines at UEL
- rehearsal of professional practice in magazines
- theoretically-informed account of magazine journalism
- opportunity to act as magazine journalist
- opportunity to act as magazine consultant
- approaches magazine production as part of creative industries
- located in East London, hub of ‘creative London’
- led by practising journalists
- access to research network connecting professional journalists and academics
- chance to get published in online magazine Rising East and elsewhere
Admission requirements
Applicants will normally have a good honours degree or equivalent, or comparable professional or research experience. Applications from overseas and EU students are welcomed. Students whose first language is not English should normally have achieved a score of 6.0 in IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or equivalent. Eligibility for students without degree-equivalent qualifications will be assessed on the basis of a short essay and statement. Places will be offered after a successful interview with a member of the programme team. Students may be admitted to the programme either in Semester A or in Semester B.
Programme structure
All students taking MA Magazines will do two core modules, an option, a module introducing research methods in media practice and an independent practical-theoretical project (dissertation in media practice) – this last to be submitted at the end of the summer (in the case of students who started in Semester A), or in January (in the case of students who started in Semester B). The programme is normally completed in one year (full time) or over two years (part-time).
Learning environment
Workshops, seminars, lectures, tutorials
Assessment
Each of five modules is assessed independently. All modules carry 30 credits except the Dissertation by Practice, which carries 60 credits. There are no exams. Coursework is comprised of independent proposal and project, portfolio of journalism, case study, audit of magazines, seminar presentation, essays.
Relevance to work/profession
The independent project may be connected to your existing, professional work – this to be agreed in discussion with programme tutor.
Thesis/Dissertation/project work
The independent project or dissertation is a key part of master’s level education, hence it carries twice the credit rating of other modules.
Your future career
Destinations may include magazine journalism, magazine advertising, magazine publishing, PR, branding and corporate communications, creative industries.
How we support you
All students are allocated a personal tutor; all modules leaders are available for consultation. We offer expert advice from media practitioners, alongside an introduction to research methods, support in academic writing, workshops in journalistic writing, a dedicated writing and production room equipped with up-to-date print and online publishing software.
Outcomes
Programme aims and learning outcomes
What is this programme designed to achieve?
This programme is designed to give you the opportunity to:
- To rehearse craft skills associated with magazine journalism and publishing
- To develop a theoretically-informed critical approach to magazine journalism and publishing
What will you learn?
Knowledge
- Conventions and expectations of commercial magazine journalism, in detail
- Social and historical contexts of commercial magazine journalism, in depth
- Complex critical-theoretical approaches to commercial magazine journalism
- New media environments and new spaces of production and consumption of journalism
- Emergence, changes and trends in journalism, public life and society
Thinking skills
- Application of critical and theoretical approaches to journalism, magazines and society
- Evaluation, comparison and contrast of (a) critical/theoretical and (b) professional approaches to journalism and magazines, with awareness of ethical considerations
Subject-based practical skills
- Magazine writing
- Magazine editing
- Commercial awareness
- Product analysis
- Methodologies such as interviews, observation, textual analysis, documentary research and approaches appropriate to research in the humanities. N.B. These last are skills of academic practice, not as practised in, for example, investigative journalism.
Skills for life and work
- Thinking ‘out of the box’
- Writing and communication
- Problem solving
- Information management
- Project management
Structure
The programme structure
Introduction
All programmes are credit-rated to help you to understand the amount and level of study that is needed.
One credit is equal to 10 hours of directed study time (this includes everything you do e.g. lecture, seminar and private study).
Credits are assigned to one of 5 levels:
- 0 - equivalent in standard to GCE 'A' level and is intended to prepare students for year one of an undergraduate degree programme
- 1 - equivalent in standard to the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme
- 2 - equivalent in standard to the second year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme
- 3 - equivalent in standard to the third year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme
- M - equivalent in standard to a Masters degree
Credit rating
The overall credit-rating of this programme is. 180 for Masters, 60 for PGCert, 120 for PGDip.
Typical duration
The typical duration of this programme is one year full-time or two years part-time. It is possible to move from full-time to part-time study and vice-versa to accommodate any external factors such as financial constraints or domestic commitments. Many of our students make use of this flexibility and this may impact on the overall duration of their study period.
How the teaching year is divided
The teaching year is divided into two semesters of roughly equal length. A typical student registered in a full-time attendance mode will study two 30 credit modules per semester and a typical student registered in a part-time attendance mode will study one or two modules per semester. Work on the independent project (dissertation by media practice) begins in the second semester of the academic year but continues over the summer with completion normally in September.
What you will study when
Journalism/Magazines modules typically take place in the early evening.
|
Module Code |
Module title |
Credit |
status |
|---|---|---|---|
|
CCM503 |
Magazines: craft and critique |
30 |
Core |
|
CCM502 |
Journalism: social change and changing profession |
30 |
Core |
|
MSM529 |
Research methods in media practice |
30 |
Core |
|
MSM520 |
Dissertation by media practice |
60 |
Core |
|
MSM515 |
Media practice |
30 |
Option |
| MSM501 |
Advertising and Media Culture |
30 |
Option |
| MSM513 |
Global Media |
30 |
Option |
Requirements for gaining an award
- In order to gain a Postgraduate Certificate, you will need to obtain 60 credits at Level M.
- In order to gain a Postgraduate Diploma, you will need to obtain 120 credits at Level M
- In order to obtain a Masters, you will need to obtain 180 credits at Level M. These credits will include a 60 credit level M core module of advanced independent research.
Masters Award Classification
Where a student is eligible for an Masters award then the award classification is determined by calculating the arithmetic mean of all marks and applying the mark obtained as a percentage, with all decimals points rounded up to the nearest whole number, to the following classification
|
70% - 100% |
Distinction |
|
60% - 69% |
Merit |
|
50% - 59% |
Pass |
|
0% - 49% |
Not Passed |
Assessment
Teaching, learning and assessment
Teaching and learning
Knowledge is developed through
- Lectures
- Seminars
- Workshops
Thinking skills are developed through
- Tutorials
- Seminars
- Workshops
Practical skills are developed through
- Workshops
- Tutorials
Skills for life and work (general skills) are developed through
- Seminars, tutorials, workshops, lectures
Assessment
Knowledge is assessed by
- Essays
- Presentation
- Magazine audit
- Magazine project
Thinking skills are assessed by
- Essays
- Project proposal
Practical skills are assessed by
- Magazine project
- Magazine audit
Skills for life and work (general skills) are assessed by
- Essays, presentation, audit, project
Quality
How we assure the quality of this programme
Before this programme started
Before this programme started, the following was checked:
- there would be enough qualified staff to teach the programme;
- adequate resources would be in place;
- the overall aims and objectives were appropriate;
- the content of the programme met national benchmark requirements;
- the programme met any professional/statutory body requirements;
- the proposal met other internal quality criteria covering a range of issues such as admissions policy, teaching, learning and assessment strategy and student support mechanisms.
This is done through a process of programme approval which involves consulting academic experts including some subject specialists from other institutions.
How we monitor the quality of this programme
The quality of this programme is monitored each year through evaluating:
- external examiner reports (considering quality and standards);
- statistical information (considering issues such as the pass rate);
- student feedback.
Drawing on this and other information, programme teams undertake the annual Review and Enhancement Process which is co-ordinated at School level and includes student participation. The process is monitored by the Quality and Standards Committee.
Once every six years an in-depth review of the whole field is undertaken by a panel that includes at least two external subject specialists. The panel considers documents, looks at student work, speaks to current and former students and speaks to staff before drawing its conclusions. The result is a report highlighting good practice and identifying areas where action is needed.
The role of the programme committee
This programme has a programme committee comprising all relevant teaching staff, student representatives and others who make a contribution towards the effective operation of the programme (e.g. library/technician staff). The committee has responsibilities for the quality of the programme. It provides input into the operation of the Review and Enhancement Process and proposes changes to improve quality. The programme committee plays a critical role in the quality assurance procedures.
The role of external examiners
The standard of this programme is monitored by at least one external examiner. External examiners have two primary responsibilities:
- To ensure the standard of the programme;
- To ensure that justice is done to individual students.
External examiners fulfil these responsibilities in a variety of ways including:
- Approving exam papers/assignments;
- Attending assessment boards;
- Reviewing samples of student work and moderating marks;
- Ensuring that regulations are followed;
- Providing feedback through an annual report that enables us to make improvements for the future.
Listening to the views of students
The following methods for gaining student feedback are used on this programme:
- Module evaluations
- Student representation on programme committees
Students are notified of the action taken through:
- circulating the minutes of the programme committee
- providing details on the programme noticeboard
- UELPlus
- UEL Direct
Listening to the views of others
The following methods are used for gaining the views of other interested parties:
- Questionnaires to former students
- Annual student satisfaction questionnaire
- Industrial liaison work group
Further Information
Alternative locations for studying this programme
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Where you can find further information
The publications associated with the programme can be viewed at www.risingeast.org and www.maglab.org
Further information about this programme is available from:
- The UEL web site (http://www.uel.ac.uk)
- The student handbook
- Module study guides
- UEL Manual of General Regulations and Policies http://www.uel.ac.uk/qa/
- UEL Quality Manual http://www.uel.ac.uk/qa/
- Regulations for theAcademic Framework http://www.uel.ac.uk/academicframework/
- http://www.uel.ac.uk/adi - web pages of the School of Arts and Digital Industries
- Visit our gallery of student work here: http://www.uel.ac.uk/adi/showcase/studentwork/
- Current External examiners
- External examiner reports (available from UEL virtual learning environment (UELPlus or Moodle))
