Visual Journalism & Media Masters Degrees
The University of Bolton,
Greater Manchester
PRACTICE-BASED
Hands-on learning
AWARD-WINNING STUDENTS
World Press Photo, George Polk, Peabody Awards
Single Year Master's Degree
Study in the UK or China | Scholarships Available
Your future in visual Media
MAVM@BoltonUni offers a global suite of single-year master's degree programmes in Visual Journalism & Media. Accredited by the University of Bolton, Greater Manchester, UK, we deliver a range of practical, hands-on MA’s in the UK and China. Applications are open.
No matter whether in print, online or on TV, powerful images capture the world’s attention and have the ability to inform, illuminate and evoke powerful emotion. Visuals play an increasingly central role in driving news coverage and helping us to understand the world around us. Meanwhile, online and social platforms have led to new ways to tell visual stories and engage today’s audiences, from ephemeral social stories to long-form digital interactives and online documentaries. Our intensive, practice-focused programs aim to develop visual and multimedia skills in high demand across a range of journalism, media, and communication sectors.
Our aim is to guide and support students with strong aspirations every step of the way, both during studies and after graduation to thrive in a career creating visual stories that capture, inform and influence an audience. Class numbers are limited to ensure a high degree of personalised attention during seminars, workshops and project supervision.
APPLY NOW!
We welcome applications from the UK and worldwide. For details about the applications process visit the specific programme links below or contact Sharron Lovell, S.Lovell@Bolton.ac.uk
- MA Visual Journalism and Storytelling | Bolton, UK
- MA International Multimedia Journalism | Beijing, China
- MA Visual Media | Hangzhou, China
Watch this video for an overview of our newest master's degree, MA Visual Journalism & Storytelling delivered in Bolton, UK. You'll also hear directly from our graduate students.
Watch this video for an overview of our newest master's degree, MA Visual Journalism & Storytelling delivered in Bolton, UK. You'll also hear directly from our graduate students.
Our MA Courses
The University of Bolton is dedicated to training students to thrive in contemporary digital-first media industries. We offer three unique Visual Journalism and Media Master's Degree programmes in three different locations across the globe, one at our home base in the UK, one in China's capital Beijing and one in South China.
- MA Visual Journalism and Storytelling | Bolton, UK
- MA International Multimedia Journalism | Beijing, China
- MA Visual Media | Hangzhou, China
Visual Journalism and Storytelling | Bolton, UK
Our MA Visual Journalism and Storytelling is delivered in Bolton, UK, and will train you in the cornerstones of visual journalism. Combining photography, video, reporting, writing, and multimedia, this course offers you maximum agility for telling non-fiction stories across platforms with the greatest impact. Scholarships are available for international students, contact course leader, Sharron Lovell for further information. To view the full course information, entry requirements, how to apply, and fees & funding please visit The University of Bolton website here.
International Multimedia Journalism | Beijing, China
This one-year master’s degree is a joint venture based at Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing, China with the degree awarded by the University of Bolton in the UK. The degree is an intensive, practice-focused program and offers a unique, international approach to visual storytelling. You’ll develop a range of core skills and techniques centered on digital visual media including photography, video, and multimedia. You’ll also be trained in fundamental journalism practice and theory to ensure your creative skills are industry-ready and underpinned by sound professional practice. To view the full course information, entry requirements, how to apply, and fees & funding please visit The International Multimedia Journalism website here.
Visual Media | Hangzhou, China
This one-year master’s degree is a joint venture based in Hangzhou at the Communications University of Zhejiang (CUZ), one of the leading universities in media and communication in China. To view the full course information, entry requirements, how to apply, and fees & funding please visit The University of Bolton website here.
AWARD-WINNING graduates & Staff
Visual Journalism and Media graduates from The University of Bolton have won World Press Photo, George Polk, Peabody awards and more, as photographers, visual, multimedia and interactive journalists and documentary filmmakers. Here is a taster of some recent successes.
In 2021 MA International Multimedia Journalism graduate, Natalie Thomas, formerly a video journalist at CNN International won a George Polk Award for Foreign Reporting together with her teammates for coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China. The team was recognised for “giving much of the world its first on-the-scene look at the dangers posed by the coronavirus and the Chinese efforts to control its spread". The CNN crew did much of its early reporting from an enforced 14-day quarantine site. Natalie now works for Reuters in London.
Natalie Thomas and CNN teammates won a George Polk with her reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China.
Natalie Thomas and CNN teammates won a George Polk with her reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China.
In November 2021Raqib Hameed Naik was among 15 talents shortlisted for the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award's Environmental Prize for his coverage of rampant dam construction in Kashmir.
Raqib Hameed Naik was shortlisted for the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award's Environmental Prize for his coverage of rampant dam construction in Kashmir.
Raqib Hameed Naik was shortlisted for the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award's Environmental Prize for his coverage of rampant dam construction in Kashmir.
In 2020 DJ Clark, course leader of our MA Visual Media, won a series of awards including World Press Photo Interactive of the Year and was nominated for a Webby Award for his immersive 360 film Battleground PolyU.
You can see a full list of awards here.
Prioritising employability
Industry links
Our courses are taught by an accomplished team, most of whom still practice visual journalism and or communications. In turn, our staff utilise these strong global networks to support students and graduates to find internships, freelance opportunities, and jobs.
Meanwhile, our global master's degrees are linked with a number of media organisations, students benefit from these connections via guest lectures, industry feedback on project work, and internship opportunities. Many of our graduates from across Bolton University's visual journalism and media courses are also employed in these organisations. Industry links include The Guardian UK, UNICEF, Sixth Tone, The South China Morning Post, Bloomberg, China Global Television Network (CGTN), The Associated Press (AP), Jiemian Vision, China Daily Asia, Reuters, and CNN.
Student Publications
We aim to encourage, coach and create opportunities for students to pitch and publish the work they make during the programme in a wide range of local, national, and international media organizations. Recent professionally published work made on the programme include:
- Lithuania's Roma struggle to find new homes after mass eviction, by Giedrė Peseckytė, follows a Roma community’s struggle to find new homes. The long-form text, photo and video piece was published by Aljazeera and Nara a multimedia publication co-founded by graduate student Berta Tilmantaitė.
- What is it like to be Black in China?, by Daisy and Siyu Chen, is a short-form opinion-style video providing a rare glimpse into the lives of China’s diverse Black community. This mini-documentary was published by Arrow Factory, the film unit of Jiemian.
- Kindergarten's new normal under Covid-19, by Shan Fanqin covers the reopening of kindergartens in her hometown in central China focusing on how it influences the lives of teachers and children. The video was published by CGTN
- How better migration management is reducing xenophobia in the canary islands, by Amalie Klitgaard is a long-form multimedia story exploring recent ebbs and flows of hostility and racism toward migrants in Spain - and the forces that impact them.
- Why Young Chinese are removing their tattoos, by Wang Yiping and Zhang Mengyu covers the growing trend of tattoo removal in China. The story was published in Sixth Tone.
Where possible, we work on live briefs with professional media professionals and organisations. This includes intensive practical boot camps, where students work in small teams in the field alongside professionals who coach and direct them. We've partnered with a number of organisations including CGTN and China Daily and published a variety of class projects with diverse themes including disability issues, women in China's contemporary urban workforce, China's start-up companies. During the pandemic, the class decided to make a virtual visual tour of Beijing.
11-year-old Mingming, one of roughly 12 million visually-impaired people living in China, tells us about his life and what he wants to be when he grows up. | 1 of 6 short student films created in partnership with China Daily.
11-year-old Mingming, one of roughly 12 million visually-impaired people living in China, tells us about his life and what he wants to be when he grows up. | 1 of 6 short student films created in partnership with China Daily.
View more published student work here
Graduates
After successfully completing this postgraduate degree, you’ll be prepared for a wide choice of career options in the rapidly transforming media industry, including staff and freelance positions as visual journalists, photographers, camera operators, video editors, and producers. Graduates from our sister programmes work primarily in journalism, documentary, and charity/non-profit communications. In addition, a significant number work in related industries such as teaching, PR, corporate communications, content management, and marketing. Others have established their own companies and media brands.
Amalie Klitgaard
Video Journalist and Social Media Editor at Tingenes Verden. Tingenes Verden is a new, independent Danish media that aims to critically and constructively cover the lives of young people in the Global South for a young Danish audience.
Lester Xu
Director of C-Lab at China Global Television Network (CGTN). Lester first worked at CGTN as a multimedia reporter, then as Director of Multimedia Production. He is currently the Director of CGTN's Creative Lab, a digital innovation incubator using cutting-edge technology such as 5G, AI, and VR to explore new ways of telling stories.
Biel Calderon
Video Producer at the UNHCR Regional Communications Hub, Americas Bureau. Since graduation, Biel has worked in both journalism and communications. Before joining UNHCR he held the position of Regional Multimedia Producer at Greenpeace Southeast Asia.
Shuo (Daisy) Xu
Multimedia Editor at CGTN. Daisy landed her first job at CGTN this year after graduation. She produces video and visual content for CGTN's broadcast and social media platforms.
Mark Esplin
Photojournalist for CNN International. Mark worked as a freelance photo and video journalist based in Istanbul before taking a staff position at CNN Paris.
Olivia Zhang
Video Producer at The Associated Press. As well as her demanding job with The AP, Olivia also occasionally freelances as a Multimedia Content Producer for UNICEF China.
Jeff Kennel
Director of Multimedia for Americares. Jeff works with Americares, a large NGO in the international disaster relief and health sector. Jeff also teaches photography workshops for National Geographic's Student Expeditions in the summer.
Derek Arthur
Associate Producer, Opinion Audio at The New York Times. While most students go on to work in visual journalism or communications, some transfer their storytelling skills to other mediums. Derek interned and then landed a job at NPR. He is now with the superlative NYT audio team.
Berta Tilmantaite
Multimedia journalist, visual artist, and founder of NARA. NARA is a Lithuanian-based multimedia publication produced by a collective of journalists and media professionals. Berta also works as a freelance multimedia journalist, photographer, and lecturer.
Staff
We are staffed by a passionate, industry-engaged team.
DJ Clark
Course leader MA Visual Media | D J Clark is the Multimedia Director at China Daily Asia Pacific and host, and producer of the adventure travel show Drone & Phone. In 2020 his film Battleground PolyU won seven international prizes including World Press Photo Interactive of the Year and was nominated for a Webby. Both as a practitioner and researcher D J has a deep interest in visual journalism as a tool for change in the Majority World.
Sharron Lovell
Course leader MA Visual Journalism and Storytelling & MA International Multimedia Journalism. | Sharron has bylines in The Guardian, National Geographic, Newsweek, PBS Newshour, Politiken, The Wall Street Journal, Le Monde, and The Financial Times. She's a multimedia consultant for UNICEF China and a photo and video contributor for UNICEF UK. Sharron has led visual journalism trainings in Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Bangkok, and Malaysia. Her research interests lie in participatory and engagement journalism.
Chang He
Senior Lecture MA Visual Media | Chang He has been on the core development team of some of China’s most prominent digital news start ups including Pear Video and China’s first web-based news organisation The paper.cn (Pengpai 澎湃). As deputy chief editor at Shanghai's Oriental Morning Post, he innovated the visuals’ workflow, teamed photojournalists with designers and photo editors, setting a new model for other metropolitan newspapers in the country.
Graeme Nicol
Senior Lecture MA Multimedia Journalism | Graeme is a photographer and filmmaker, his main interest lies in documentary filming. Clients include the BBC, World Health Organisation, CNBC, Prince Claus Fund, Caixin, Blue Sky Labs, British Council, Roland Garros.
Guest speakers are a core feature of all programmes. Listed below are just a few of the guest speakers who have previously delivered talks, seminars, and workshops:
- Claudia Hinterseer | Senior Video Producer at South China Morning Post managing production of news and feature videos
- Sean Gallagher | Photographer and filmmaker whose work focuses on environmental issues and crises, with a specific emphasis on developing nations in Asia including China, India, and Indonesia. He is a six-time recipient of Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting travel grants.
- Betsy Joles | Independent journalist whose work focuses on the aftermath of conflict and the human side of geopolitics in Asia. Bylines in The New York Times, Slate, Vox, Politico, CNN, NPR, Al Jazeera, and PRI
- Sim Chiyin | Artist whose research-based practice includes photography, moving image, archival interventions and text-based performance
- Jonah Kessel | Deputy Director of Opinion Video at The New York Times
- Adam Dean | Freelance photographer and regular contributor to The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, TIME Magazine and National Geographic Magazine.
- Guo Rongfei | Video producer and director at Arrow Factory Video.
- Mengwen Cao | Photographer, visual artist, multimedia producer
- Giulia Marchi | Freelance Photojournalist
On/off campus Taster Days
Join one of our on-campus or online Taster Sessions to find out more about the programme and teaching style of the MA in Visual Journalism & Storytelling delivered at the University of Bolton.
19th May: On-campus Course Overview & Collaborative Portraiture Taster: In this 2-hour session, we will give an overview of the programme and introduce you to the concept of collaborative documentary portraiture. First, we'll examine the work of various practitioners and then offer some tips on how to photograph, and interact with subjects. Finally, you'll have a go yourself using your camera or smartphone. We will also outline the programme and there will be an opportunity to speak with the course leader individually.
- 📅 WHEN: 19 May 5:30-7:30 pm
- 🏫 WHERE: University of Bolton, Deane Road, BL3 5AB
- 💸 COST: Free to attend - registration required
- 📝 CONTACT/REGISTRATION: S.Lovell@bolton.ac.uk
- 👩🏻🎓🧑🏽🎓WHO IS THIS FOR: Anybody who wants to gain a better understanding of the programme.
- 📸 📱NEED TO BRING: A camera or smartphone, and willingness to participate.
- ⏰ SCHEDULE:
- 30 mins | Arrivals & Introductions / programme overview
- 90 mins | Taster seminar/workshop - Collaborative portraiture with a coffee break
- 30 mins | Department Tour & Q&A (Optional)
- Course Leader available to speak individually with interested students (Optional)
Book a Taster Session: If you cannot make it to our on-campus or online Taster Sessions, you can book a virtual individual information session with the course leader and/or a guided campus tour. S.Lovell@bolton.ac.uk
Can't make a taster session but want to find out more? Course leader, Sharron Lovell is available for informal calls/meetings to discuss the programme and answer your questions. S.Lovell@bolton.ac.uk
Contact Us
Do you have a question about The University of Bolton's Visual Journalism and Media master's degrees? If so, please contact Sharron Lovell. We welcome calls and correspondence to discuss the programmes in more depth with prospective students prior to formal applications.
Sharron Lovell
S.Lovell@bolton.ac.uk
Scan the QR code or click here for further programme links
Scan the QR code or click here for further programme links
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