Everything You Need To Know About Being An International Journalism Student

As a former chef based in the US, Mallory Legg was struggling to decide what she wanted to do within journalism – or how to get there. “I wasn’t totally sure what I wanted to do as a job, and I knew that I loved food, and I had been a chef before, and I wanted to write,” she tells Journo Resources.

However, once she hit on the right course, things all fell into place. “As soon as I had my interview at City St George’s, I was really sold on it, and I knew that it would be a really great place to nurture those relationships with companies and journalists.” As a graduate of the MA Magazine Journalism, she now works as a food and drink writer for The Handbook.

But for other emerging journalists looking to further their journalism careers, how do you begin? Studying in the UK is a great way of growing your knowledge while experiencing a new culture, but why should you study journalism in the UK as an international student?

We spoke to the experts at City St George’s, University of London, home to one of the UK’s leading journalism departments as well as an inclusive and growing community of international students who thrive in their academic environment.

Why Study Journalism Internationally?

With so many exceptional institutions around the world, how does a budding journalist begin to narrow their options down?

As an American who studied an undergraduate degree in Cultural Anthropology in Scotland, Mallory chose to further her studies at City St George’s after searching for the “best journalism programme in the UK”.

With somewhat of a career pivot in mind, as well as being an international student, it was important to Mallory that she establish a solid network in her field and choose an institution that had a strong pipeline from study to work. “Now that I have a job, I’m meeting journalists and our connection is that we went to City. So it’s nice to have that sort of point of reference, especially as somebody who’s not from the UK.”

Dr Zahera Harb, Director of Journalism Postgraduate Studies at City St George’s, agrees that alongside the powerful network the institution has in the UK media landscape, another strength is the diversity of its class. She says that, with their department being home to over 16 nationalities in the academic year of 2025-26, students will be introduced to a network of future journalists that will be working across the world.

“Throughout the years that I’ve been teaching on this programme, I could see how graduates are actually building networks – and it’s helping their journalism. Because if something is happening in Armenia and [if] students have had someone that was on their course from Armenia, for instance, you have a contact you can call or email, and if they can’t help you, they will put you in contact with people that can.”

Pranay Maniar secured full-time employment quickly after graduating from City St George’s MA International Journalism

It’s an observation echoed by Pranay Maniar, who moved to the UK from India to study the MA International Journalism at City St George’s after working in Mumbai for two years for titles including the Indian Express and Free Press Journal.

“The amount of passion the people had around me, [and] the amount of effort our professors put in for us to get things right and for us to become flawless in our field, it was quite beautiful for me,” he says. “I use all these same practices they have taught me over this one year.”

Pranay was recommended City St George’s by a relative in London who had previously worked for the BBC. “He said: ‘This university is great because [it’s] known very well in journalism circles, but mainly it’s in London, and London gives you better networking opportunities. It’s a more diverse classroom.” In short, when researching prospective courses, students should ask questions about alumni, networks and the faculty’s connections.

What About The Job Prospects?

City St George’s is known for its strong network and alumni, meanings that all students benefit from being associated with the university. While not universally applicable, students at City St George’s are encouraged to find work experience during their course and to make good use of City’s extensive alumni network that covers most major media outlets. Intersecting with her niche of food, Mallory did work experience at Tesco Magazine and The Drinks Business; meanwhile, Pranay did financial newsletters for a startup. He says that City St George’s helps put students in a strong position.

“You do a bunch of networking every week. There is a new guest speaker coming to the university [and] you can talk to them through email or LinkedIn and show them your portfolio,” he says. “A lot of my classmates, I believe, have done that and gotten internships or jobs.”

Some elective courses also have field visits. Pranay recalls, “We went to the BBC studio, Sky studio, the Houses of Parliament, the Bank of England. Those places are great places to network.”

For the year 2026-27, City is going one step further by introducing their new Employability and Career Development: Work Experience, and Freelancing and Industry Project module. Zahera says that City St George’s spends a lot of time preparing students for the world of work and that the department also gets direct requests from media outlets.

“We have lots of connections in the industry, and in some cases we do get requests from the industry for placements. We send it out to all the students of the PG programme.” These connections include household names like the Financial Times, the Daily Telegraph, and the Washington Post. She adds, “we have so, so many successes in many of these very prestigious, trainee schemes.”

A Diverse Classroom

Mari Novik is a politics reporter at the Financial Times who studied on City St George’s MA Global Financial Journalism. She says that one of her main motivations for studying at City St George’s was to become a journalist at an international newspaper, which meant improving her English as a Norwegian native. “I remember sending in a portfolio where I had to translate a bunch of my recent work into English,” Mari recalls of her application. “I had to do an English test before, like IELTS.”

All of City St George’s postgraduate journalism programmes require a level seven standard in IELTS or equivalent English-language test for students to cope with the demands of both studying journalism and securing work at an English-language publication, should they wish to. But what if your English isn’t up to speed? In that scenario, City offers English for Academic Purposes, or EAP, support for those whom English is not their first language.

Zahera recommends checking the support on offer for students who might need to improve their language skills. “We have services at City where [students] can go and enrol in English language where they can improve English and then they will be tested. If they meet the language level, they will be able to come to the programme.”

Nailing Your Application

More broadly, make sure to understand exactly what is involved in the application process for an MA before you begin typing, and what admissions teams are looking for. Prospective students will be pleased to hear that the application process for City St George’s is straightforward; you’ll provide a personal statement as to why this course at City St George’s is the one for you, as well as proof of an undergraduate qualification and other legal documents.

Once your application is processed, you may be offered an interview with a course tutor. If you receive an unconditional offer, it is your job to ensure your funding is in place. International students are generally expected to be financially self-sufficient, but can access means-tested university hardship funding during their studies if they find themselves in difficulty.

Zahera says that it’s also worth checking what funding support is available for the courses you are considering. At City St George’s, there are a limited number of scholarships available for international students, including the Chevening scholarship, which supports tuition fees of exceptional candidates from around the world, and the Commonwealth scholarship, which is awarded to low or middle income scholars from Commonwealth countries.

She says: “Apart from Chevening and Commonwealth scholarships,students who have been offered a place on the MA Global Financial Journalism can apply for scholarship funding from the Marjorie Deane Financial Journalism Foundation. There is also a bursary of £6,000 from the Richard Beeston Foundation. You need to secure a place first before you apply for the bursary, but it’s given to international students on MA International Journalism.”

Scholarships aside, studying internationally can be a great alternative for US students especially, whose home fees can be approximately double that of a British MA, depending on the institution. International students on the MA Magazine Journalism currently pay £26,680 for 2025-26, and Mallory took out the Sallie Mae student loan to cover her tuition. “It’s probably half the price of what a year at an American university is, which is crazy. You can get such an incredible degree in the UK, and it’s much less expensive.”

Once you have received your unconditional offer and sorted your funding, a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (or CAS) will be issued to an international student approximately three months before the start of the course. The process is the same for all applicants, regardless of nationality.

Settling In

Finally, it’s also worth asking about accommodation at your university of choice. Pranay found that he wanted to be close to his course’s Clerkenwell Campus and opted to find his own accommodation, with London-based relatives suggesting he “live next to the university, because you’d be spending a lot of money on travelling”. However, City St George’s does offer accommodation options to international postgraduate students.

It’s also worth investigating what support is on offer for those who have relocated. City St George’s Student Health and Wellbeing facilities provide in-person drop-in sessions and can also signpost towards additional support for people with a disability or neurodivergence, those who need mental health support, plus counselling. International students can also pay the immigration health surcharge as part of their visa application to use the NHS for free.

Pranay also emphasised that, even though he was moving to a new country with English not being his first language, the diversity made the student community extremely welcoming. “I’ve heard more than 20 languages being spoken around me. Not a single day have I felt I am away from home.”

Mallory Legg (L) is a graduate of MA Magazine Journalism who now writes for The Handbook, and Dr Zahera Harb (R), Director of Journalism Postgraduate Studies at City St George’s

He says that his classmates quickly became friends and there was a great sense of wider community. “In the first few months, I was in a few societies. I celebrated Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas, even Thanksgiving, Eid – there is no festival left that I haven’t celebrated! It was a wonderful environment.”

Mallory agrees that she made “a lot of really solid friendships” while on her course. “Sometimes the programme at City can be really intense, so you have people to lean on and rely on and you’re all working together.”

Meanwhile, Mari thinks that there are many small things that make British culture different in comparison to Norway, but felt that the social nuances were a great skill to acquire for working in the newsroom. “People are very polite in Britain,” she says. “Learning to work [in] an environment where things aren’t as direct as I’m used to is quite useful to learn.”

Of course, there is plenty to do outside of the university too. Pranay praised the open green spaces, the easy-to-use transport system, and the variety. “Even as a local or a tourist, I don’t think you can finish London, even if you stay for a year. There are new things coming up every day, the environment is so exciting.”

Both Mallory and Mari specifically call out the unique experience of British pub culture, with Mari even postponing her MA a year in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic so as to not miss out on the experience first-hand. “I didn’t want to come and not be able to go to pubs!”

But most importantly, Mallory, Mari and Pranay have all gone on to secure employment quickly after graduating. “If the salary negotiation did not take so long, I would say [it took] a week,” Pranay says.

And while Pranay moved back to India and Mari back home to Norway, Mallory decided to stay in the UK after getting her dream role as a food critic. “I love London,” she says. “It’s my favourite city in the world.”