The criteria for the MA by Research are:

• high marks at the Honours level (70% or above);
• demonstrated ability to work independently on research (through a recommendation from your Honours supervisor or completed research);
• at least five years’ journalism, media production or related experience.

Admission is dependant also on whether the department has a supervisor in 
your area, so you should submit a short (about five pages) proposal for your research.

The criteria for the MA by coursework and research report are:

• a minimum of 65% average for your Honours or fourth year;
• at least five years’ journalism, media production or related experience.

Applications are highly competitive and places are limited, so the department reserves the right to limit admission to the top 25 applicants. No late applications are considered.

The Masters can be taken full-time (one year) or part-time (two years). Students must take three courses and produce a research report of about 25 000 words. Students are required to take the core course, Media and Society, as well as two optional courses. The optional courses and the research need to reflect whichever stream or specialisationstudents have chosen.

There is also an option to do a Masters in Financial Journalism research only, a much larger project, under the guidance of a supervisor. Candidates would need to apply with a pre-existing topic, and have exceptional research skills.

REQUIREMENTS FOR SPECIALISATIONS AND TOPIC AREAS

Students are advised to choose an area of specialisation in order to structure the MA programme and research. Specialisations include the core course, plus one or more courses in the focus area. The following specialisations are offered:

 

Feature Writing (Mondays, 4pm to 6pm)

This course is for journalists or communicators in the government, private or NGO sectors, who either have extensive writing experience or have completed our Journalism for Communicators course with at least 65%. It deals with more advanced writing skills, such as feature writing, narrative skills, writing columns and opinions. The coordinator is Enoch Sithole. (enochs@live.co.za).

This course is available for master’s and honours, as well as for certificates.

Inquiries: admissions@journalism.co.za

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Financial Journalism 

Required courses: Media and Society.

Suggested courses: Financial Journalism, The Story of Money.
Research: A project on a financial or economic topic. If the student has done Financial Journalism courses at the Honours level, he or she can substitute an appropriate option, with permission from the specialisation convener.
Inquiries: contact us at (admissions@journalism.co.za)

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Media and Politics

Required: Media and Society.

Suggested courses: Two courses from the Media and Politics options, or, by arrangement with the convener, an alternative option from the university’s MA courses.
Research: A project on media and public debate, political communication, or journalism and publics.
Convener: Lesley Cowling (lesley.cowling@wits.ac.za)

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Communication for Social Change

Required: Media and Society.

The Communications for Social Change course offers students the chance to explore communication practices that fall outside of the normative role of journalism.  It introduces students to a wide range of ideas and theories on communication, advocacy and journalism that seek to bring about positive social change. Students who take this course will have a basic understanding of ideas of development communication, social marketing, participatory communication, peace and human rights journalism, and solutions journalism, amongst others. All of these are placed in their historical context, alongside changes in ideas of what mainstream journalism should do.

Suggested courses: Development Communication. By arrangement with the specialisation convener, a third course can be chosen from Journalism or from other departments. Research report on a communication for social change topic.
Convener: Alan Finlay (alan@apc.org)

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Radio

Required: Media and Society.

Suggested courses: Radio Journalism, Radio Studies. Students who have done Radio Journalism at Honours level can take a third option, after consultation with the specialisation convener. In addition, a research report in the field of radio will be undertaken.
Convener: Prof Franz Krüger, franz.kruger@wits.ac.za.

For general information on the Wits Radio Academy, the unit which offers this specialisation, click here.

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Ethics

Required: Media and Society.

Suggested courses: Media Law and Ethics, and a third optional course, from Journalism or other postgraduate options. The third course will be chosen in consultation with the specialisation convener. In addition, a research report in the field of ethics will be undertaken.
Convener: Franz Krüger, franz.kruger@wits.ac.za

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Writing and long-form journalism

Required: Media and Society.
Options: Creative Writing for Journalists, The Story of Money, South African Non-Fiction Narratives, or an option from Wits creative writing programme.
Research report: A journalism or literary non-fiction piece, with a scholarly introduction.  With permission from the convener, the candidate can opt for an academic research report on an aspect of creative non-fiction, literary journalism, or journalism editing and production.

Conveners: Lesley Cowling (lesley.cowling@wits.ac.za)

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Online/Digital Journalism 

Required: Media and Society.
Suggested courses: Online Journalism, Digital Journalism, or a third option, in consultation with the convener from Wits Journalism or other postgraduate offering. In addition, a research report in the area of online/digital journalism.

Convener: Franz Krüger, franz.kruger@wits.ac.za

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COURSES

Seminars are mostly scheduled for weekday evenings to accommodate working students, while some are offered on a block-release basis – generally two weeks of full-time work (see timetable). The classes are made up of working journalists from a wide range of backgrounds and media, which results in a dynamic and exciting environment for discussion and debate.

Click here for a full list of courses

Fees for the Masters’s degree (three courses and the research report) are about R40 000. Please check the university website for the latest information. International students pay a special fee. Please click here for information on the special circumstances of being a foreign student at Wits.

For additional information on the financial aid for students studying at the Wits Centre for Journalism, go to this page.

For more information about the application process, see Wits’ postgraduate website for more information on the application process. 

You can also send an email to admissions@journalism.co.za or (011) 717-4028 for more information on the journalism programme. 

Please note: applications for 2024 close on 31 October.

For information about the Masters’ degree, and whether you are eligible or not, please contact us. However, once you have decided you would like to apply for the programme, you need to do that through the university’s official structures. You can apply online here, or you can go to the Enrolment Centre, Solomon Mahlangu House (formerly Senate House), to fill in a hard copy application form.

Along with the form, you should provide a work history or short cv, and a copy of your Honours research project or long essay. A letter of reference is not required – just enter the names and contact details of your referees on the form. Please provide your supporting documents before the deadline for applications closes, as we cannot make a decision without them.

Applicants may be required to write entrance tests or language tests. Places in the programme are limited and late applications will not be considered.

YOU MUST CHOOSE ONE OF THE SPECIALISATIONS OUTLINED ABOVE. Please do this by emailing the MA convener lesley.cowling@wits.ac.za  AND admissions@journalism.co.za. If you are interested in more than one of the areas, please indicate that in your email.

All applications should reach us by 31 October. International students are required to submit a SAQA evaluation of their qualifications. This can take some time to reach us, so please prioritise this process.

For students completing an Honours degree, the applications should also be submitted by 31 October, but decisions will only be provisional until your final results become available.

If you have not received a response from us letting you know whether you have been accepted by early December, please check your status by sending an email to: admissions@journalism.co.za

There is no mid-year admission for the Master’s programme.

Registration usually happens in January or early February. Wits now offers online registration. You will be sent the information by the university once accepted. At the beginning of each year, we schedule curriculum counselling in the department to help you make your choices. The faculty also schedules a day for those who need to come to campus to register.

Please see the maps of Wits if you are unfamiliar with the campus. More information can be found on the Wits website.