"Today, success is determined by how much we explore, how much we play and how much we innovate in digital media."
We are the only programme in the UK that combines teaching from both Computing and Media in developing professional journalism skills and experience.
The course is extremely hands-on and practical. Our academic staff combines Goldsmiths lecturers and lab tutors working at the frontiers of digital journalism practice and research and a terrific range of industry guests ranging from the biggest media organisations in London to start-ups and charities.
Applicants should be determined to explore critical and entrepreneurial approaches and be enthusiastic about in-depth and hands-on experimentation with innovations in journalism.
We educate aspiring or mid-career professionals seeking to retain the fundamentals of quality, credibility, and transparency that define journalism whilst pushing boundaries and transforming its craft and practice.
With its unique inclusion of real software, design, and code training in Computing, complemented by fundamentals of news writing, media law, and multimedia production, the MA/MSc in Digital Journalism seeks to redefine journalistic practice for digital media.
Our students will become proficient in the intersections of:
Students without a technical background will be encouraged to take our pre-session Digital Bootcamp in September to gain a basic literacy in digital fundamentals.
The degree consists of courses taught by both Departments in a truly interdisciplinary and collaborative style.
Core Courses in Media introduce you to:
Core Computing modules include:
In the final practical project you will undertake a significant written and digital research project in consultation with a supervisor.
If you register your interest in this programme we will keep you informed about open days and send you relevant further information. If you subsequently decide to apply for this programme you will be able to use the same login details to apply.
You can apply directly to Goldsmiths via the website by clicking the ‘apply now’ button on the main programme page.
You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.
We accept applications from October for students wanting to start the following September.
We encourage you to complete your application as early as possible, even if you haven't finished your current programme of study. It's very common to be offered a place that is conditional on you achieving a particular qualification.
If you're applying for funding you may be subject to an application deadline. Find out more about funding opportunities for UK/EU students and international students.
Late applications will only be considered if there are spaces available.
Admission to many programmes is by interview, unless you live outside the UK. Occasionally, we'll make candidates an offer of a place on the basis of their application and qualifications alone.
You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least upper second class standard in a relevant/related subject. Applicants with significant work experience and/or a professional qualification in a computing, digital technology or social science-related subject are encouraged.
You might also be considered for some programmes if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.
We also accept a wide range of international equivalent qualifications, which can be found on our country-specific pages. If you'd like more information, please contact the Admissions Office.
Due to the popularity of this programme, successful applicants will be required to pay a deposit of £500 to secure any offer of a place on the programme. The deposit will be credited against your tuition fees when you enrol. Please note: you'll only be required to provide a deposit if you are offered a place, you don't need to pay a deposit in order to apply.
If your first language isn't English, you need to demonstrate a minimum score of 7.0 in IELTS (including 7.0 in the written element) or equivalent to enroll and study on this programme.
Please check our English Language requirements for more information.
Get in touch via our online form
UK/EU
+44 (0)20 7919 7766
course-info@gold.ac.uk
International (non-EU)
+44 (0)20 7919 7702
international-office@gold.ac.uk
Dr Jennifer Barth (Computing)
Dr Chris Brauer (convener)
Tim Crook (Media & Communications)
Dr Dan McQuillan (Computing)
Angela Phillips (Media & Communications)
Terry Kirby (Media & Communications)
Dr Daniel Stamate (Computing)
Professor Robert Zimmer (Computing)
In addition to our core academic staff, a range of world-class speakers, tutors, and guest lecturers from the media and creative industries complements the teaching on the MA/MSc Digital Journalism programme at Goldsmiths.
Many of these guests represent our CAST Innovation Partners where students conduct 4-6 week placements in the Spring term. Unlike most Universities, industry guests at Goldsmiths also regularly conduct hands-on workshops for students in our Digital Sandbox, transferring knowledge and experience on the latest developments and experiments in industry.
Here is a sampling of some of our guests in the 2011/12 academic year:
Edward Roussel, Digital Editor, Telegraph Media Group
Richard Stallman, founder, Free Software Foundation
Matteo Berlucchi, CEO, Anobii
Neil McIntosh, Editor, WSJ Europe
Conrad Quilty-Harper, Data Mapping Reporter, Telegraph
| Code | Course title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MC71132A | Digital News Writing | tbc CATS |
|
The course covers the cognitive and mechanical skills required to produce fast and quality news messages that are ethical, clear, concise, complete, compelling, and accurate. Reporting methods are introduced and students practice gathering information from online and traditional sources. You will work individually, and as a team, developing skills in basic journalism techniques and applying them to a jointly produced website. You will concentrate on text and stills in the first term.. We will expect you to make use of what you are learning elsewhere on the course to enhance the site and to create additional functions in collaboration with your tutors. Term Schedule: Full Time - Autumn Term Part Time - Year 1 Autumn Term | ||
| MC71132A | Multimedia Production | tbc CATS |
|
Introduces the types of equipment and technical considerations used in multimedia capture and production. A series of 10 half day sessions: understanding the camera, framing, interviewing, being interviewed, basic editing. You will organise shoots in-between production days. The object of these sessions is to learn basic story-telling techniques for use in an on-line context. You will be working online producing video and jointly editing the site established in term one. Term Schedule: Full Time - Spring Term Part Time - Year 1 Spring Term
| ||
| MC71130A | Media Law and Ethics | tbc CATS |
|
This course entails a series of lectures on the history and contemporary developments of media law and ethics. Some topics include the legal ‘problematising’ of journalism, issues specific to online media, defamation law and contempt issues, debates in media ethics, state security and secrecy, professional codes and practices, privacy, human rights and international law, and international comparisons. Term Schedule: Full Time - Autumn Term Part Time - Year 2 Autumn Term
| ||
| IS71045A | Innovation Case Studies | 30 CATS |
|
The Case Studies lectures set the stage for each week of teaching in the first term and encourage student exposure to and interaction with the theory, culture, economics, technology, and economics of emerging digital media technologies in journalism. The case study format encourages active learning and allows the application of theoretical concepts to be demonstrated, thus bridging the gap between theory and practice. Each week features a different topic so students gain in-depth knowledge of 10 digital topics through weekly case study demonstration and critical analysis. Topics ranging from data visualisation, community curation, augmented reality, entrepreneurial business models, geo-located mobility, social media and networks, and design provide the foundation for practice-based research in the programme. Term Schedule: Full Time - Autumn Term Part Time - Year 1 Autumn Term
| ||
| 15IS71044A | Digital Sandbox | tbc CATS |
|
The Digital Sandbox is the core computing course in the Digital Journalism programme. Students work on micro-technical projects across Terms 1 & 2 related to the production and research of Digital Journalism. Sample topics would include learning about and practicing software and code for mining data and creating informative visualisations, capturing media in augmented reality and dropping into virtual space as a practice of journalism, and understanding and practicing techniques for disseminating large amounts of real- time data to aggregate and draw conclusions as inputs to journalism practice. The Digital Sandbox is both a course and a physical location in the CAST labs in computing at Goldsmiths. Students will be encouraged to work in the sandbox outside of course hours to practice the techniques introduced and taught in the sandbox labs. Term Schedule: Full Time - Autumn Term & Spring Term Part Time - Year 2 Autumn Term & Spring Term
| ||
| IS71046A | Digital Research Methods | tbc CATS |
|
The course introduces software for conducting research. It examines current search engine and database technologies, the process of conducting research and evaluating results, and techniques and commands for conducting advanced investigation into on-line conversations and social media. The first half of the course covers quantitative research methods including statistics and data mining. Qualitative methods such as social network and database investigation techniques and ethnographic methods are the subjects of the second half of the course. Term Schedule: Full Time - Spring Term Part Time - Year 1 Spring Term
| ||
| n/a | Innovation Internship | n/a |
|
Students will spend 2-6 weeks working in a content-based institution, building on the skills they developed in the first and second term. These will be placements with media, public sector, industry, NGO and community partners. Many of these projects will provide the foundation for the programme major practical project and dissertation. Full Time Part Time | ||
| tbc | Major Project/Dissertation | 60 CATS |
|
In the summer term students complete a Major Project/Dissertation which engages with a large-scale multimedia website and/or mobile application and addresses a specific journalistic challenge. Students will also produce a 2,000 - 3,000 word critical analysis essay reflecting on the production process and effectiveness of their project. Summer Term | ||

Cesare
MA in Digital Journalism
"Today, success is determined by how much we explore, how much we play and how much we innovate in digital media."
Hicks Wynford and Tim Holmes,(2002) Subediting for Journalists, Routledge
Kovach, B. & Rosenstiel, T. (2007) The Elements of Journalism. New York: Three Rivers Press.
McKane Anna (2007) News Writing, Sage
Wolfe, T. (1975) The New Journalism. UK: Picador.
Lee-Wright, Angela Phillips, Tamara Witschge (2011) Changing Journalism, Routledge
Liebling, A.J. (1961) The Press. Ballentine.
Malcolm, J. (1990) The Journalist and the Murderer. Knopf.
Kelly, J. (1999) Red kayaks and hidden gold: citizen journalism Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
Phillips Angela (2007) Good Writing for Journalists, Sage
Andre, P., et al, Who Gives a Tweet? Evaluating Microblog Content Value
Christensen, C. Anthony, S. Roth, E. (2004) Seeing What’s Next: Using the theories of innovation to predict industry change; Boston, MA; Harvard Business School Press.
Fenton, Natalie. New Media, Old News: Journalism and Democracy in the Digital Age. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2010.
Gillmor, D., We the Media; Grassroots journalism by the people, for the people. Sebastapol, CA., O’Reilly 2004
Luckie, Mark S. The Digital Journalist's Handbook. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace, 2010.
Negroponte, Nicholas. Being Digital. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995.
Scott, B. (2005) A Contemporary History of Digital Journalism. Television and New Media 6 (1) pp. 89-126.
Shirky, Clay. Here Comes Everybody. New York : Penguin Press, 2008.
Haverbeke, Marijn (2011) Eloquent JavaScript. No Starch Press, http://eloquentjavascript.net/
Janert, Philipp K. (2011) Data Analysis with Open Source Tools. O’Reilly.
Robbins, A. and Beebe, N.H.F. (2005) Classic Shell Scripting, O'Reilly
Russell, Matthew A. (2011) Mining the Social Web, O'Reilly
CAST researchers recently completed an intensive two-week investigation into the social life of cloud computing in July. The consulting was commissioned by Rackspace, the largest cloud service provider in the UK. Our promotional efforts were supported by 3 Monkeys PR that represents Rackspace. Over four days in late 2011 we appeared on Channel 4 News on Sunday and the story was picked up by over 450 newspapers and magazines around the world.
The research team is Chris Brauer (Project Manager), Jennifer Barth (Senior Field Researcher), Robert Zimmer, Richard Lewis, Marcus Gilroy-Ware, Yael Gerson in Sociology, and a ton of support from Goldsmiths Communications & PR staff.
Some links to coverage of this particular CAST research story:
Reuters
Sky News
The Telegraph
Business Cloud news
Business Computing World
BBC News
The Times
The Register
High50.com
Students on the CAST MA/MSc Digital Journalism, MA/MSc Digital Sociology and MA/MSc Creating Social Media programmes, as well as those on the Institute of Management Studies (IMS) Digital Entrepreneurship courses get the unique opportunity to get a range of creative computing skills in the focused, hands-on and supported environment of the Digital Bootcamp.
It runs as a pre-sessional course in September and prepares students for the computing courses offered throughout the year. Plus students will get to know each other and the CAST community.
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