Doing an MA in Journalism after English undergrad degree

Hi there,

So I'm currently studying English and will be entering my final year this September. I plan to do a NCTJ-accredited masters course once I graduate so I'm starting to think of what I'm doing career wise once I finish my undergrad (very scary!).

I originally applied for journalism but switched to English when I started at my uni. As much as I love studying English, I still want to follow a career in journalism so I feel the best route is to do a masters.

I just want to know if this is a good way of entering journalism? Are journalism masters well-received, respected? I understand the importance of NCTJ accredited courses so I'm not interested in MAs that aren't accredited. I think coming from an English background and delving into journalism will be beneficial for me.

If anyone has any experience of studying a masters in journalism, whether it was good/bad, or can recommend courses in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland, please let me know!

Yes, it's a perfectly reasonable way of entering journalism.

However, what is your journalistic portfolio at the moment?

Over the past few years I have interned at two local newspapers (one where I interned on and off for 6 months and built good contacts) and have some written articles published. Also contribute as a student writer for our online magazine at uni and run my own opinionated/current affairs blog. Currently in the process of getting more experience in a local magazine and a bigger, national newspaper.