MA Visual Journalism and Storytelling
MA Visual Journalism and Storytelling
Award
MA
Start Date
To be confirmed
Duration
12 months
Mode
Full-time
Location
University of Greater Manchester
Visual storytelling is one of the most in-demand and flexible skill sets in modern media. The MA Visual Journalism and Storytelling trains you across photography, video, reporting, writing and multimedia, then gives you space to specialise in the formats you choose and the stories you want to tell. Hands-on and project-driven from week one, you will tackle real-world assignments and build a professional portfolio, supported by experienced, industry-engaged staff.
Course Overview
No matter whether in print, online or on TV, images capture the world’s attention and have the power to inform, engage and move audiences. Visuals now sit at the heart of news and information, while digital and social platforms have opened new ways to tell visual stories, from short-form social content to long-form interactives and online documentaries.The University of Greater Manchester’s MA Visual Journalism and Storytelling is an intensive, practice-focused programme that develops the visual and multimedia skills in high demand across journalism, media and communications. Designed for people interested in journalism, documentary, social advocacy and other forms of non-fiction storytelling, every module has you producing real work rather than studying it in the abstract. You will work on industry-style briefs, building the reporting and narrative techniques that underpin professional practice.
The course welcomes applicants from all backgrounds. You do not need a degree in journalism or media, we look for engagement with news and current affairs, relevant experience, or a strong drive for storytelling.
Core faculty continue to work professionally in visual journalism and communications, bringing current industry knowledge and connections into the classroom. You will also meet practitioners from around the world through guest speakers and masterclasses.
Alongside technical training, you will critically engage with key industry issues, such as diversity, ethics, audience trust and new technologies, and consider how they are shaping the field and what they mean for your own practice. The aim is to leave you skilled, ethically aware, and ready to adapt as the industry evolves.
Graduates have gone on to roles at CNN, Getty Images, Reuters, The New York Times, Bloomberg and China Global Television Network (CGTN) as camera operators, documentary producers, photojournalists and multimedia reporters. Others work as communications specialists or content creators for organisations including UNHCR and Greenpeace. Their work has been recognised with awards including World Press Photo and the George Polk Award.
Highlights
- Combining training in video, photography, news gathering, writing and multimedia – equipping you to work in a single medium or across multiple platforms, whatever the story demands.
- Across every module you’ll produce real work: planning, producing and editing your own projects in video, photography or multimedia, working individually and collaboratively, and building toward a self-directed final project shaped around the story you want to tell.
- Ideal for both graduates and career-changing professionals. You don’t need a background in visual journalism, just a genuine interest in telling non-fiction stories.
- Our industry-engaged staff are nationally and internationally published practitioners across journalism, documentary, non-profit and commercial sectors, bringing current professional practice into the classroom.
- Projects are built around real industry briefs and processes, so you graduate with a professional portfolio ready to show employers.
Key Features
- Intensive training across photography, video, writing, news gathering and multimedia – preparing you to work in a single medium or move fluidly across digital, print, online and broadcast platforms.
- Structured to build your skills, confidence and autonomy step by step: you'll start with short-form set assignments before moving into longer-form, self-initiated projects, guided by expert tutors.
- One-to-one guidance helps you identify, research, access and shape your own stories as you build your portfolio.
- Through theory and practice, you’ll critically engage with the debates shaping the field – media ethics, diversity, audience trust and new technologies – and consider what they mean for your own work.
- You’ll explore emerging approaches, workflows, platforms and technologies (including AI and immersive tools).
- Visiting lecturers and international guest speakers bring current industry perspectives and keep the curriculum relevant.
Entry Requirements
- We normally require a 2:2 honours degree (or international equivalent) or higher in a relevant subject. Relevant subjects include (but aren't limited to) photography, video, media studies, media production, creative writing, web design, web programming, journalism and communications. Subjects that underpin a specialist area of journalism, such as public health, international development and environmental sciences, also offer an excellent foundation for this postgraduate degree.
- You must have a keen and genuine interest in journalism, current affairs and storytelling.
- If you don't have the above academic qualification but have alternative qualifications or significant experience in a relevant field, we'll consider your application in line with the University's Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) procedures.
- Applicants will be invited to interview and asked to submit a short portfolio beforehand. Please include 3–5 pieces of work that best represent your interests and skills, in any mix of photography, video, writing, audio, design or multimedia. Your work may be primarily visual or primarily written. If you have one, please include an example of academic or professional writing. Your portfolio does not need to be polished, published or journalism focused. We are looking for potential, such as a strong visual sense, curiosity about specific issues or current affairs, or an ability to identify and tell a story. The interview will explore your portfolio and your motivations for joining the programme.
- If you have limited experience with still photography, you may be offered a place on our short module in basic camera operation and photography skills, which runs alongside the Semester 1 modules. We offer this to applicants whose portfolio and interview show a strong aptitude for storytelling and a commitment to developing visual journalism skills.
- If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Career Opportunities
Our graduates build careers across the full range of visual storytelling, including:
- Journalism and news media: photojournalists, broadcast camera operators, multimedia reporters, news producers
- Documentary: documentary photographers, filmmakers and producers, long-form video journalists
- Communications and brand storytelling: communications specialists, content creators and campaigners for non-profit, public-sector, brand and commercial clients
- Social and digital storytelling: social media editors, content strategists
- Education and training: teaching the next generation of visual storytellers
What can I do with this qualification?
Alternative career options
The skills developed on the course are also transferable to a range of other careers. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study.
- Public relations and communication
- Digital marketing and content strategy
- Social media management
- Web and content management
- Teaching and education
- Media research and strategy
Fees & Funding
Home/EU Fees
Home students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Home fee of £8,496 for the academic year 2026/27.
International Fees
Overseas students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay an Overseas fee of £17,500 for the academic year 2026/27.
Bursaries
Click here for more information on our Master's Bursaries.
Important note regarding tuition fees: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
Home Undergraduate Tuition Fee Adjustment
The tuition fee applicable to the first year of your programme of study is confirmed in your offer letter. The tuition fee set is based on the regulations and guidance in force at the time of offer but remains subject to adjustment in accordance with any government-approved inflationary increase. The University reserves the right to amend tuition fees for all years of study, including the first year, by no more than the maximum increase permitted under legislation and regulatory guidance issued by the UK Government and the Office for Students.
Where such increases are approved, they will not exceed the rate of inflation, as measured by an appropriate index such as the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), or any successor measure specified by government. The University will apply any adjustment consistently across affected student cohorts and will give reasonable notice to students of any confirmed change to the published fee before the start of the relevant academic year.
This approach ensures that tuition fees remain compliant with applicable legislation, proportionate to inflationary changes, and consistent with government policy linking permitted fee uplifts to the maintenance of high-quality education and outcomes. For more information, please refer to the government guidance at: gov.uk – Universities to deliver better outcomes in return for full fees.
Postgraduate and International Tuition Fee Adjustment
The tuition fee applicable to the first year of your programme of study is confirmed in your offer letter. The University reserves the right to amend tuition fees for subsequent years of study in accordance with its Course Fees Policy. Where such increases are approved, they will not exceed the rate of inflation, as measured by an appropriate index such as the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), or any successor measure specified by government. The University will apply any adjustment consistently across affected student cohorts and will give reasonable notice to students of any confirmed change to the published fee before the start of the relevant academic year.
Additional costs
Students must have their own base kit, including a DSLR or mirrorless camera and lens, a hard drive, SD cards, a tripod, and a laptop. For those on a budget, a suitable second-hand camera and basic kit can be put together affordably – costs will vary depending on your choice of equipment. We recommend speaking with your course leader before making any major purchases; they will be happy to guide you to a set-up that suits your budget.
Other specialist equipment – such as high-end cameras and lenses, microphones and lighting equipment, beyond a basic DSLR or mirrorless kit – is available for short-term loan (a few days at a time) from our media and photography departments.
Optional study trips, project-related travel and other expenses will be covered by the student and will vary depending on the projects you choose to pursue.
How to apply
Home Applicants
You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen start date from the list below:
You should have to hand:
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Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
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Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
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Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role
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Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
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Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already input.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@greatermanchester.ac.uk
International Applicants
The University welcomes applications from international students from all over the world. We try to make the application process as simple and as fast as possible for our international applicants.
This course is not currently accepting international online applications.
Please contact Admissions by telephone on 01204 903903 or email enquiries@greatermanchester.ac.uk
Admissions
University of Greater Manchester
Deane Road
Bolton, BL3 5AB
United Kingdom
Tel: 01204 903903
Email: enquiries@greatermanchester.ac.uk
Teaching & Assessment
Teaching combines practice-based workshops, lectures, seminars, critiques, tutorials and presentations, delivered through a blend of face-to-face and online learning.
Formal contact time is only part of the picture, you’ll also spend significant time on guided independent study, preparing for sessions and working on assignments. As the course progresses, guidance becomes less structured, supporting you to take increasing ownership of your learning.
Assessment is designed both to measure achievement and to support your development. Formative feedback, through tutorials, workshops, peer review and guidance on work in progress, helps you refine your practice. Summative assessment covers practical and theoretical work – projects, presentations, essays, portfolios and production documents – and determines your final grades.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
- Digital Imaging
- Reporting and Writing News
- Visual Journalism Practice
- Contemporary Currents and Practice
- Visual Storytelling Portfolio
- Journalism Master's Project
Assessment methods
| Level | Assessment method |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Coursework 57% Practical exams 43% |
Learning Activities
| Level | Activity |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Guided independent study 80% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 20% |
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
Related Courses
Programme Contacts
Disclaimer: The “Greater Manchester Way” represents our preferred teaching and learning approach; however, not all courses follow a block-teaching model. While course structures and delivery patterns may vary to meet Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) requirements, all courses benefit from the GM Way approach to curriculum design and assessment. Applicants and students should refer to individual course specifications for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
