Journalism – Master of Management

With Massey’s Master of Management in Journalism, you can take your journalism career to the next level.

Where you can study

Distance and online
Wellington campus

International students

International students are not New Zealand citizens or residents.

Definition of New Zealand citizens and residents

Open to international students on campus in New Zealand

Specialise in Journalism for your Master of Management at Massey

The Master of Management (Journalism) is a qualification for those who are wanting to prepare for a career in journalism or those who have already been in the industry and are interested in specialising.

Who is it for?

You might already have an undergraduate degree in another field, but wish to get into journalism. You’ll get a basic grounding in the subject before taking on an internship giving you practical experience in the workplace.

Or you have already been working in the field but want to upskill. You might be doing general reporting but are interested in becoming a political reporter or getting into audio-visual reporting. You may wish to take courses in management or finance, for instance.

Flexible study

The Master of Management in Journalism is flexible so you can study either on campus or via distance learning. The qualification can be studied part time or full time.

You’ll be in demand

The skills you learn with the Master of Management (Journalism) will be more current and relevant to the news media industry. To graduate, you’ll need to fulfil 60 credits, which can involve placement in a newsroom.

Industry-quality practitioners

Our lecturers all have industry experience, from radio and television broadcasting to media companies, so you’ll be working with the best.

A Master of Management in Journalism is a good fit if you:

  • are aiming for a more senior role in the newsroom
  • have a different qualification but are wanting to get into journalism
  • want practical experience in news reporting.

Planning information

If you study full-time, you’ll take 120 credits per year or 60 credits per semester.

For progression to Part Two of the Master of Management, you will need to achieve a B- grade average across the Part One courses.

If you have completed at least 60 credits of postgraduate study with a minimum grade average of C+ you will not need to complete the core courses in Schedule A (115758 and 115759, or 295700). However, this is not a credit and you must complete an approved alternative course/s totalling 30 credits in your subject, or an alternative course from Schedule B, or equivalent. You will need to add the course using the Special Permission function on the Course Enrolment page in your portal.

If you are admitted directly to Part Two of the Master of Management on the basis of credit for Part One, you will be awarded the qualification without a subject.

Official regulations

To understand what you need to study and must complete to graduate read the official rules and regulations for this qualification.

You should read these together with all other relevant Statutes and Regulations of the University including the General Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas, and Postgraduate Certificates.

Returning students

For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.

In some cases the qualification or specialisation you enrolled in may no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these qualifications go to the Massey University Calendar.

Please contact us through the Get advice button on this page if you have any questions.

Courses you can enrol in

Course planning key

Prerequisites
Courses that need to be completed before moving onto a course at the next level. For example, a lot of 200-level courses have 100-level prerequisite courses.
Corequisites
Courses that must be completed at the same time as another course are known as corequisite courses.
Restrictions
Some courses are restricted against each other because their content is similar. This means you can only choose one of the offered courses to study and credit to your qualification.

Part One

Compulsory course selection

Choose 90 credits from
Course code: 115790 Special Topic 30 credits

Prerequisites: Appraisal Required

View full course details
Course code: 219712 Advanced News Journalism 30 credits

Students study the theory and practice of gathering and writing news journalism for publication, including generating news-story ideas, gathering the relevant information, writing these news stories, and publishing them in mainstream media outlets. Students critically reflect on their experience, making links to the relevant scholarly literature.

View full course details
Course code: 219713 Advanced Audio-Visual Journalism 30 credits

Students study the theory and practice of journalism in various non-print media platforms, including radio, television and multi-media platforms.

View full course details
Course code: 219714 Journalism and Society 30 credits

Students study and critically reflect on the role and function of journalism in society. This includes the principles of media law and ethics.

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Course code: 219715 Advanced Data and Investigative Journalism 30 credits

In the era of big data, journalists need the tools of data and investigative journalism to mine, refine and present stories that matter to their audiences. Students in this course will learn the principles and methods of advanced data and investigative journalism and apply them in a data-investigative journalism project.

View full course details
Any approved 15 or 30 credit course from the Master of Business Studies or Master of Analytics schedules.

Part Two

Course code: 219888 Professional Practice 60 credits

Candidates will undertake professional practice within the subject area in which the Master of Management is being completed. Professional Practice may be conducted either individually or in groups and assessment of the outcome of the investigation may be in a variety of ways including written and oral presentations and case studies.

View full course details

Entry requirements

Admission to Massey

All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.

Specific requirements

To enter the Master of Management (Journalism) you will:

  • have been awarded or qualified for a relevant bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification, having achieved a grade average of at least B- in the highest level courses, or
  • have been awarded or qualified for a Postgraduate Diploma in Business / Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism with a B- grade average, or equivalent.

If you have a Postgraduate Diploma in Business / Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism from Massey University as outlined above, you may apply for credit towards Part One of the qualification, in a single subject. If you are granted credit, the degree will be awarded without a subject.

You will need to provide copies of all official academic transcripts for studies taken at all universities other than Massey University.

English language requirements

To study the Master of Management (Journalism) you must have achieved and academic IELTS of at least 7.0 in all bands, or an equivalent TOEFL score, or other evidence that is acceptable to the Massey Business School, if English is not your first language.  

General information about Massey University's English language standards:

English language skills

If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, see our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses.

Fees and scholarships

Fees, student loans and free fees scheme

Your tuition fees may be different depending on the courses you choose. Your exact fees will show once you have chosen your courses.

There will also be some compulsory non-tuition fees and for some courses, there may also be charges for things such as study resources, software, trips and contact workshops.

Already know which courses you're going to choose?

You can view fees for the courses that make up your qualification on the course details pages.

Student loans (StudyLink) and Fees Free scheme

You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.

The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme and your eligibility on the Fees Free website. To use the site's eligibility checking tool, you will need your National Student Number.

Current and returning Massey students can find their National Student Number in the student portal.

Fees disclaimer

This information is for estimation purposes only. Actual fees payable will be finalised on confirmation of enrolment. Unless otherwise stated, all fees shown are quoted in New Zealand dollars and include Goods and Services Tax, if any. Before relying on any information on these pages you should also read the University's Disclaimer Notice.

Careers and job opportunities

The news media is a highly competitive industry and your specialised skills will open up more job opportunities. Our graduates have gone on to work at some of New Zealand’s top media organisations and at newspapers, magazines and radio and television around the world. You’ll be highly skilled and able to take on specialist roles. Such as:

  • political reporter
  • sports journalist
  • audio-visual journalist
  • business journalist
  • documentary story-telling
  • editor
  • data investigative journalist.

What our students say

“Massey's course revealed a beat I didn’t know I would find interesting, strengths I didn’t know I had, and how to accurately calculate percentage changes.* *”
Reweti Kohere

Reporter, National Business Review

Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism

Accreditations and rankings

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

Massey Business School is rated in the top 5% of global business colleges by AACSB International.

Learn more

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