The programme in a nutshell
The 60 ECTS programme of the master includes both compulsory courses and elective courses.
In the first semester, you have seminar-based courses on ‘Journalism: Trends and Technologies’, ‘Journalism, Politics and Ideology’, and ‘Journalism and News Audiences’. In each of these courses you look at journalism and media in Europe from a specific perspective. You acquire a multi-faceted and interdisciplinary understanding.
In the second semester, you develop a blueprint for an innovative media project in 'Journalism Practice in Europe' and you study the potentials and limitations of a 'European Public Sphere'.
Across the two semesters, you write a master thesis on a selected topic. One of our professors will be your supervisor and guide you through the process of researching and writing the thesis.
Compulsory courses
Journalism: Trends and Technologies
6 ECTS - Semester 1
In Journalism: Trends and Technologies, you explore key trends and emerging technologies reshaping journalism through the lens of New Media and Journalism Studies. You examine academic debates on the perceived, predicted and actual impact of new applications and practices, and critically assess key products, processes and practices emerging in contemporary journalism.
Through lectures, exercises and class discussions, you apply academic insights to current journalistic cases and learn to translate theory into concrete scenarios, policy advice, guidelines and strategic recommendations. Working in small groups, you critically explore a journalistic trend or technology in a short paper, incorporating feedback and insights from the class discussions.
Course titular: Prof. Ike Picone
Journalism, Politics and Ideology
6 ECTS - Semester 1
How does journalism shape the way we understand politics and society? And how are journalists themselves influenced by political ideas, professional values and different ways of looking at the world?
In Journalism, Politics and Ideology, you explore the complex relationship between journalism, politics and ideology. You learn how journalism interacts with the political field, uncover the broader ideological dimensions of news and media, and examine how different journalistic models, values and professional identities influence the way journalists report on the world.
Through interactive classes, academic literature and discussions of current issues, you learn to apply key concepts and theories to real-world examples. Online lectures, films and documentaries further connect theoretical perspectives to contemporary journalism and political communication.
By the end of the course, you will have developed a critical vocabulary for analysing the political and ideological dimensions of journalism and the skills to formulate and defend your own academically grounded perspective.
Course titular: Prof. Benjamin De Cleen.
Journalism and News Audiences
6 ECTS - Semester 1
This course introduces key concepts and theories related to journalism and news audiences. It explores how people engage with news, how they interpret it, and how patterns of news consumption and avoidance emerge in contemporary media environments. The course draws on perspectives from communication and media studies, as well as related disciplines.
It provides an overview of central debates on audience behavior, including issues such as attention, trust, and engagement with news. The course also touches on the changing economic context of journalism, including business models and the question of paying for news, as well as the role of the attention economy.
In addition, students are introduced to different methodological approaches to studying news audiences. The course aims to develop a critical understanding of how audiences relate to journalism and how these relationships are evolving in a digital media landscape.
Educational team: Prof. Antonis Kalogeropoulos
European Public Sphere
6 ECTS - Semester 2
The course will cover, amongst others, the following topics:
- The EU decision-making process;
- The main theories of EU integration;
- The main theories of the Public Sphere and the European Public Sphere;
- The EU Information and Communication policy and the role and responsibilities of the main EU institutions;
- The EU public sphere(s) and its state of the art and challenges ahead;
- The role and interplay of EU governance and EU citizenship and identity building in the making of a critical EU Public Sphere;
- The EU as a participative and deliberative polity;
- Specific topics, themes and case studies related to the topics above might be included according to the EU Institutional agenda and the development of the EU integration process.
Course titular: Prof. Luciano Morganti
Journalism Practice in Europe
6 ECTS - Semester 2
In Journalism Practice in Europe, you explore how journalism works in practice and how the profession is challenged by today’s rapidly changing media environment. Combining insights from Journalism Studies with hands-on experience, the course encourages you to critically reflect on the processes, pressures, professional routines and values that shape journalistic work.
You put these insights into practice by producing journalistic content and interviewing media professionals. Through lectures and workshops, you experience different aspects of journalistic production first-hand and reflect critically on your own work. This allows you to better understand how journalism is shaped by societal, organisational and individual factors, while developing a critical perspective on the professional context in which journalists operate.
Course titular: Prof. Ike Picone
Master Thesis
18 ECTS - Semesters 1 & 2
Your master thesis is the perfect opportunity to get an in-depth insight into a specific topic of your interest. To give some examples: in the past years, students have interviewed female journalists about gender dynamics in the newsroom, analysed the impact of X on journalistic practices, studied how young people read news using new media, analysed the social media strategies of Marine Le Pen, studied the discourse of Alternative für Deutschland, assessed the impact of the Berlusconi media empire on Italian politics.
You will be guided through the process by a supervisor, with whom you will have regular meetings. We make sure there is a good match between your interests and the expertise of your supervisor, to ensure a fruitful collaboration.
Master Thesis Pre-doctoral Track
18 ECTS - Semester 1 & 2
The master's thesis with the pre-doctoral track variation is a piece of work that completes the master's programme. By carrying out the ‘pre-doctoral track’ as a master's thesis, the student demonstrates analytical and synthesis abilities, as well as an independent problem-solving ability at an academic level. The “Master thesis: Pre-doctoral track” is a track for motivated students with a high research potential and with an interest in doing a PhD in the future. Excellent and motivated students (see admission criteria) can opt for this course, instead of the ‘classic’ master's thesis course.
Traineeship or elective courses: it's up to you
Building on the knowledge and competences acquired in the first semester, in the second semester, you can either choose to follow two elective courses or you can opt for a traineeship of five to eight weeks. You can also combine elective courses and a traineeship at a small extra cost.
Data, Privacy and Society
6 ECTS - Semester 1
In Data, Privacy and Society, you explore the role and meaning of data and privacy in digital media, online platforms and society from social, economic, technological and regulatory perspectives. Drawing on Media and Communication Studies and Science & Technology Studies (STS), the course introduces key theories and debates on big data, privacy, ethics, media literacy and user empowerment.
You examine current developments in social media, platform economies and data technologies, including cases involving Meta/Facebook, Alphabet/Google, TikTok, Uber, artificial intelligence, smart cities and health apps. Through lectures, interactive exercises and contributions from experts and stakeholders, you learn to critically analyse how technologies, user practices and wider social arrangements shape the use of data and privacy in contemporary society.
Course titular: Prof. Rob Heyman
European Media Markets
6 ECTS - Semester 2
In European Media Markets, you explore how media industries across Europe are structured, financed and transformed by technological and economic change. The course introduces you to key characteristics of European media markets and examines how digitisation, convergence, platformisation and market concentration are reshaping the production and distribution of media.
You apply these concepts to a range of media industries, including broadcasting and media production, video games, podcasts, music and video streaming, while also considering the growing role of artificial intelligence. Through lectures, guest lectures, discussions and a group assignment, you learn to analyse industry data, identify emerging market trends and critically assess the opportunities and disruptions affecting media industries in Europe.
Course titular: Prof. Catalina Iordache
Media, Culture and Globalisation Theories
6 ECTS - Semester 2
In this course, we read, review and critically discuss pioneering theoretical work, key texts and essential concepts regarding the broad and multidisciplinary field of media, culture and globalisation.
How has the field of (media and cultural) globalisation developed historically? Is globalisation new? What have been turning points in globalisation’s development and the globalisation of media and culture? Are these developments positive/negative and for whom?
We tackle these questions by exploring a myriad of concepts, authors, and theoretical approaches that have attempted to grapple with the nexus between media, culture and globalization, including: Cultural imperialism, scapes, flows and counter-flows, postcolonialism, and new approaches to the study of space and place.
Finally, the students prepare a critical essay in which they scrutinise a particular topic of choice related to the course's contents.
Course titular: Prof. Yazan Badran
Populist and Radical Political Discourses in Europe
6 ECTS - Semester 2
In Populist and Radical Political Discourses in Europe, you explore how populist and radical political ideas are constructed, communicated and debated across Europe. Drawing on perspectives from communication studies, political theory and discourse studies, the course introduces you to key concepts and theories for understanding populism and radical politics.
You examine the relationship between populism and nationalism, the role of media and communication in populist politics, and the ways mainstream political actors engage with populist and radical political discourse. Particular attention is paid to the populist radical right. Throughout the course, you learn to apply theoretical concepts to concrete political and media cases and to critically analyse how populist politics is communicated and represented.
Course titular: Prof. Benjamin De Cleen
Traineeship
12 ECTS – 1st or 2nd semester
The traineeship gives you the opportunity to gain professional experience in a media, journalism, communication or related organisation. You apply the knowledge and skills developed throughout the programme in a real working environment and gain first-hand insight into professional practices in the field.
You are responsible for finding a suitable traineeship position and submitting a proposal for approval. The traineeship can take place during the first and/or second semester. Your proposal must be approved by 30 November at the latest. During the traineeship, you reflect critically on your professional experience and connect it to the academic perspectives developed in the programme.
A tailor-made preparatory programme
Depending on prior studies and expertise, certain students that are missing some of the competences needed for the master's will be assigned one or two preparatory courses on top of their 60 ECTS master programme. Most often, these students are assigned 'Introduction to Communication Studies' and/or 'Research Methods in the Social Sciences'.
Get to know Brussels
As part of the programme, you will visit media organisations. Visits have included the Politico.eu and Euractiv newsrooms, the innovation hub of the Flemish Public Broadcaster, and media start-ups. You also get to know the major European and international institutions. Visits have included the EU Parliament, the European Commission, the European House of History. There is also a tour of historical cinema’s in the centre of Brussels. Apart from the organised visits, you can attend the international workshops and debates that take place on the campus and in Brussels almost every day.
What will you learn?
You’ll acquire the attitude, skills and methodological and conceptual toolbox necessary to critically assess information found in journalism, political rhetoric and policy documents, and to see clearly in the information overload. And you’ll develop the skills to base strategic actions on clear insights and scientific evidence. In all courses you’ll be required to engage with current academic research. For your thesis, you’ll also set up your own small-scale empirical research: from building and formulating a research question and a conceptual framework, over literature review and data gathering and analysis, to writing an attractive academic text.
Your study programme: practical details
Dive deeper into the course details and discover the learning results, study plans and admission criteria.
Preparatory programme
Master of Science in Communication Studies
Master
Master of Science in Communication Studies: Journalism and Media in Europe
