Programme Specification
A statement of the knowledge, understanding and skills that underpin a
taught programme of study leading to an award from
The University of Sheffield
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Programme Title
Journalism Studies (Web)
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Programme Code
JNLT28
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JACS Code
P500
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Level of Study
Postgraduate
5a
Final Qualification
Master of Arts (MA)
5b
QAA FHEQ Level
Masters
6
Intermediate Qualification(s)
Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip), Postgraduate Certificate (PG
Cert)
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Teaching Institution (if not Sheffield)
Not applicable
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Faculty
Social Sciences
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Department
Journalism Studies
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Other Department(s) involved in
teaching the programme
Information Studies (some optional modules)
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Mode(s) of Attendance
Full-time
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Duration of the Programme
1 Year
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Accrediting Professional or Statutory
Body
None
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Date of production/revision
October 2003
15. Background to the programme and subject area
The emergence of the world wide web as a publishing medium has begun to revolutionise the journalism
industry and created an area of new employment which offers exciting possibilities to students entering the
profession. The Department of Journalism Studies has close links with the media industries and is well aware of
employers’ increasing interest in electronic skills. Journalism Studies also has a well-equipped new media
laboratory.
The MA Journalism Studies (Web) is a flexible programme of study which seeks to fuse the practice of
journalism with the study of journalism in ways that breaks down artificial barriers and give students
opportunities to question and understand the ways in which online journalism works. The Department of
Journalism Studies is pioneering a young academic discipline informed by both practice and research and is the
highest research rated department in Britain solely dedicated to journalism studies. Information Studies, which
offers some optional modules on the programme, has an international reputation for research in the field of
information studies and information management. Journalists are increasingly using online systems for research
and the amount of information available on the web provides a valuable resource for CAR (computer-assisted
reporting).
This MA programme is committed to giving students the knowledge and working skills needed to work in the
rapidly-changing media industries. Students are taught how to research and write news, and given the
opportunity to design, produce and publish their own websites. Students are encouraged to examine the
historical context within which journalism online has evolved with a view to examining current issues and the
direction in which new media are heading.
The MA programme is directed towards potential employment and this is clearly a contemporary area of great
expansion in the labour market. The programme is taught by experienced journalists and established media
academics in an environment that simulates the pressures and practices of a newsroom producing online
content. The programme has close links with well-known new media organisations, including BBC Online and
Ananova.com, with guest speakers visiting at various times during the programme and fieldtrips to major news
companies arranged for the students, who also have the opportunity to undertake work placements.
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16. Programme aims
Consistent with the general aims of the department, the programme aims to:

Equip students with the abilities to use electronic multi-media technology to research, substantiate, collate
and produce information and news relevant to the full range of online journalistic production.

Provide students with the knowledge and context, both historical and contemporary, relating to journalism,
and more specifically the online media, and to enable them to reflect on the role of web journalism in
society.

Equip students with the basic journalism skills and also those specifically to produce and publish web-based
multi-media journalism and to critically understand the implications of the new medium for journalistic
practices, products and roles .
17. Programme learning outcomes
For the award of Postgraduate Certificate, students will have acquired some (60 credits) of the
following:
Knowledge and understanding:
K1
Of newsroom processes and the environment in which journalists operate.
K2
Of the role of the journalist in society.
Skills and other attributes:
S1
Appraisal of journalism products and processes.
S2
The ability to work independently.
S3
The ability to meet deadlines.
S4
Organising and structuring information.
In addition to the above, for the award of Postgraduate Diploma students will also have acquired the
following:
Knowledge and understanding:
K1
Of assessing news values and identifying news stories.
K2
Of the history, nature and role of web media forms.
K3
Of the implications of the new medium for journalistic practices, products and roles.
K4
Of the full process involved in designing, planning, managing and producing a web-based media product.
K5
Of the use and implications of multimedia on the web.
K6
Of the research, gathering and presentation of structured, authoritative and accurate news information for
online consumption.
Skills and other attributes:
S1
Advanced web-based multimedia publishing using the relevant software.
S2
Practical journalistic experience of working as part as a team in a major web-based media project.
S3
The researching, gathering and producing of news by electronic means.
In addition to the above, for the award of MA students will also have acquired the following:
Skills and other attributes:
S1
The ability to relate academic research and critical self-assessment to the web production process and its
products.
S2
Of devising, researching and independently executing a major piece of web journalism.
S3
The ability to reflect critically on their own journalism.
S4
The ability to solve problems that arise in a complex production process.
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18. Teaching, learning and assessment
Development of the learning outcomes is promoted through the following teaching and learning
methods:
The academic modules are taught via lectures and seminars. The professional modules employ a combination
of lectures, group workshops, newsroom activity, reporting, individual and team projects. The practical
workshops are designed to help to develop the students’ journalistic skills, particularly in the area of research
and news gathering. There are also workshops which teach students the processes of designing, producing and
maintaining websites. They are taught basic HTML coding and how to use web-authoring software with a view
to producing online content and their own websites. A series of lectures run alongside many of these
workshops, providing students with the theoretical background, both historical and contemporary, to the online
media environment in which they plan to work. The lectures encourage debate about the major journalistic
issues, including the major differences between old and new media, some of which they test in their practical
work. Early in the programme, the students visit a well-respected online news media organisation with whom we
have secured a number of work placements. Students also have the opportunity in semester two to visit major
media organisations. Working journalists from both within and outside academia are invited as guest speakers
and to also take part in some of the newsdays which form the culmination of two of the core modules, with
students working both individually and as a team to produce online content in real-time. The teaching of
professional skills incorporates peer support and simulation of the professional working environment.
Opportunities to demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes are provided through the following
assessment methods:
All learning outcomes are assessed using a variety of means: through the creation of web products, exercises
and assignments; by essays. Students critically examine their own online portfolio through a dissertation which
tests their ability to relate academic research to a web product.
19. Reference points
The learning outcomes have been developed to reflect the following points of reference:
Subject Benchmark Statements
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/AssuringStandardsAndQuality/subject-guidance/Pages/Subject-benchmarkstatements.aspx
Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (2008)
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Pages/The-framework-for-higher-educationqualifications-in-England-Wales-and-Northern-Ireland.aspx
University Strategic Plan
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/strategicplan
Learning and Teaching Strategy (2011-16)
http://www.shef.ac.uk/lets/staff/ltsThe University of Sheffield Mission Statement
Department Aims and Objectives
Department Learning and Teaching Strategy
Employers
External examiners’ reports
20. Programme structure and regulations
The core modules in semester one are designed to introduce students to the key concepts of online journalism,
while also engaging them in the practice of gathering and writing news. Students also start to use web-authoring
software with a view to individually producing several journalistically-related web pages. In semester two, the
students work as a team to produce a website with each member assuming specific roles for which they are
assessed. They then produce their own individual websites as online portfolios which they critically evaluate
through a dissertation.
Detailed information about the structure of programmes, regulations concerning assessment and progression
and descriptions of individual modules are published in the University Calendar available on-line at
http://www.shef.ac.uk/govern/calendar/regs.html.
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21. Student development over the course of study
The early weeks of the programme involve introducing and developing basic journalism and technical skills in
workshops which involve both group and individual instruction. Lectures set out the key concepts and issues
with the aim of steering students towards making correlations between practice and theory. The field trip midway
through semester one gives them the opportunity to witness online journalism in action in the workplace and the
chance to question people working in the industry. By the end of the first semester, students will be designing
their own web pages and providing their own web content produced on the news research and production days.
Semester two combines journalism skills with more advanced technical instruction as students start to develop
more substantial online web products, both individually and in teams. They will increasingly be expected to
develop creative skills in relation to the use of software in online journalistic production, culminating in the final
third of the programme with a news-related website as the online portfolio and a major academic piece of work,
the mini-dissertation, in which the students show they can critically evaluate and interpret as well as report. In
the online portfolio, students will be expected to show creativity and imagination with both their technical skills
and in their journalistic content, drawing upon all the knowledge and understanding they have acquired
throughout the programme.
22. Criteria for admission to the programme
Detailed information regarding admission to the programme is available at http://www.shef.ac.uk/prospective/
Candidates seeking admission should possess:

A good degree or an alternative qualification approved by the University as degree equivalent. The
Department is happy to consider applications from mature students.

Proficiency in written and spoken English. Applicants must be able to provide evidence that they have an
acceptable English language qualification meeting requirements detailed on the departmental website
below.

An interest in acquiring journalistic knowledge and skills.
23. Additional information
None
This specification represents a concise statement about the main features of the programme and should be
considered alongside other sources of information provided by the teaching department(s) and the University. In
addition to programme specific information, further information about studying at the University of Sheffield can
be accessed via our Student Services web site at http://www.shef.ac.uk/ssid
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