Diarmuid Sheehan

Since 2009 I had been working as a freelance sports writer for national and regional media and in 2011 I felt that a formal qualification in the field of Journalism help my professional and personal future.

I applied and was fortunate enough to be accepted into the inaugural MA in Journalism and New Media course at CIT.

Right from day one, I found this course challenging and exhilarating. The 12-month MA encourages students to express their thoughts and abilities and manages to strike a perfect balance between academic and practical work, which fits in perfectly with the world of the modern journalist.

The MA in Journalism and New Media course is not there to handhold budding journalists. The course gives the students a grounding in journalism and deals with the practical issues that journalists face on a daily basis.

The course looks at online, print, video and audio platforms as well as focusing on the legal and ethical obligations on practicing journalists.

Applying for the MA in Journalism course was one of the best decisions I have made in many years. Completing the course filled me with the confidence to try new things and thanks to the workmanlike (but relaxed) atmosphere I have made lots of new contacts and, more importantly, new friends that have all helped me immensely since we graduated in 2012.

This course helps students become real journalists - whether the student takes that opportunity or not is up to them - but I honestly believe that if potential students have the ambition and the drive to succeed in this field then they won’t do any better than CIT’s MA in Journalism and New Media.