Automotive Journalism MA
Study level: Postgraduate
If you have a passion for cars and communication, the Automotive Journalism MA course can help you turn that passion into a career.
Year of entry
Location
Coventry University (Coventry)
Study mode
Full-time
Duration
1 year full-time
Up to 2 years full-time (with professional experience)
Course code
AHT015
Start date
September 2023
Course overview
The course provides a focused route into jobs with brands in automotive media, immersing you in the world of automotive journalism and equipping you with skills needed to stand out for sought-after jobs in automotive media and the motor industry.
- The course team is led by an award-winning motoring journalist, author and editor, and includes specialist tutors with practical journalism experience in fields ranging from news and feature writing to video production to virtual reality (staff may be subject to change).
- You will have the opportunity2 to write, design and produce your own automotive magazine, Automotive, which is published online and in print form.

Joint Top Modern University for Career Prospects
Guardian University Guide 2021 and 2022
5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities
QS Stars University Ratings
Top 5 UK Student City (Coventry)
QS Best Student Cities Index 2023Why you should study this course
We help you to acquire the essential knowledge and practical skills needed for a successful automotive journalism career.
- You will get used to working with multiple forms of media – generating traditional print, audio and video content, all the while embracing new technologies and creating parallel digital content, including social media, blogs and web-based content.
- You will have access to our newsrooms equipped with industry-standard media production software, and professional equipment from our dedicated Media Loan Shop. Our media facilities include professional-standard radio studios and a state-of-the-art specialist TV studio, The Tank4.
- Our links with the automotive media and motor industries have helped students to secure work placements and internships for students with Autocar, Top Gear, Ferrari, EVO, Autosport and many more. One student worked at Ferrari’s UK press office to support a prestigious annual event held at Silverstone, including the production of the event programme. Others have worked with automotive websites on coverage of motor shows or helped out on cover photo shoots for car magazines.
- Graduates have secured jobs with Autocar, Autocar India, Auto Express, BBC Top Gear, Pistonheads, CAR Magazine, Car Throttle, What Car? and many other automotive media. Others have gone into automotive PR with brands like Honda, Hyundai, Volkswagen and SEAT, and with specialist automotive PR agencies.
Accreditation and professional recognition
This course is recognised by the following bodies1:

Guild of Motoring Writers
This course is supported by the Guild of Motoring Writers body for 2023/24.
Midland Group of Motoring Writers
This course is supported by the Midland Group of Motoring Writers body for 2023/24.
For anyone who loves both writing and cars, enrolling on the Automotive Journalism MA is a complete no-brainer. Not only did it teach me some invaluable skills, but it also enabled me to build connections and secure a job which I could never have dreamt possible previously.

What you'll study
You will learn how to write automotive news and feature stories for print, digital and broadcast media using professional facilities, equipment and software4. You will be taught key techniques including how to work with press offices to obtain vehicles for testing, and then how to evaluate and describe vehicles for specific audiences. You will also gain an insight into automotive history, culture, design, technology and production, developing your knowledge of the automotive industry and the challenges and opportunities it faces.
In the final stage of your course, you will explore issues in automotive media that interest you further through an extensive individual research project, with support and guidance from specialist tutors. Past students, for instance, have created their own automotive websites, analysed in depth the content of the Top Gear TV show, looked into media coverage of electric vehicles and explored the viability of long-form automotive journalism in the digital age.
With professional experience option
The professional experience opportunity2 enables you the opportunity to apply for optional professional experience in semester 1, which, upon successfully securing an opportunity, will extend the duration of your master’s to either 16, 20 or 24 months. The professional experience provides an opportunity for you to develop expertise and experience in your chosen field with the aim of enhancing your employability.
Please note that the optional professional experience modules incur an additional tuition fee, which for 1 semester of professional experience is £1,333.33, for 2 semesters of professional experience is £2,666.67, and for 3 semesters of professional experience is £4,000.
Professional experience may also be subject to additional costs, visa requirements being met, subject to availability and/or competitive application. Professional experience opportunities are not guaranteed but you will benefit from the support of our Talent Team in trying to find and secure an opportunity. Find out more about the professional experience option.
We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
How you'll learn
Each module is taught over approximately 11 weeks with formal teaching typically taking place over two full working days per week.
Andrew Noakes, our specialist automotive tutor, has more than 25 years of experience as a motoring journalist. An award-winning former car magazine editor, he remains a working freelance automotive writer with numerous articles for car magazines and websites to his credit, as well as more than 20 books on automotive topics. He has served as chairman of the Guild of Motoring Writers and a committee member of the Midland Group of Motoring Writers. Other tutors include specialists in digital media and emerging platforms, and a former news and features writer with wide experience of global news reporting and academic research (teaching staff are subject to change).
Teaching contact hours
The number of full-time contact hours will vary from semester to semester, however on average, it is likely to be around 12 contact hours per week in the first year. The contact hours may be made up of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials.
Additionally, you will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study of approximately 25 hours each week, depending on the demands of individual modules.
The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials.
As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are prepared for courses due to start in or after the 2023/2024 academic year to be delivered in a variety of forms. The form of delivery will be determined in accordance with Government and Public Health guidance. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.
Assessment
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending upon the module.
Assessment methods include:
- Essays
- Presentations
- Reports
- Projects
- Coursework
- Individual Assignments
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.
International experience opportunities
Students have reported from the Geneva motor show, the Shanghai motor show, the Chinese Grand Prix and many other international events. Opportunities vary depending on the timing of events, availability and meeting applicable visa and travel requirements, and are therefore not guaranteed2.
Coventry is the perfect place for the world’s only automotive journalism master's degree. This city was the birthplace of British car manufacturing and it’s still a vibrant automotive centre today. Jaguar Land Rover, Polestar, Stellantis, Geely and the London Electric Vehicle Company all have a presence here and there are facilities nearby for Aston Martin, BMW, Toyota, JCB and Triumph. There’s growing expertise in electric vehicle battery technology and hydrogen fuel cells.

Entry requirements
Typical offer for 2023/24 entry.
Fees and funding
2023/24 tuition fees.
Student | Full-time | Part-time |
---|---|---|
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man | £11,200 | £15,200 (with prof. experience) | Request fee information |
EU | £11,200 | £15,200 (with prof. experience) per year with EU support bursary** £18,600 | £22,600 (with prof. experience) per year without EU support bursary** |
Not available |
International | £18,600 | £22,600 (with prof. experience) | Not available |
For advice and guidance on tuition fees3 and student loans visit our Postgraduate Finance page.
We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.
Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.
The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:
- Any optional overseas field trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
- Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).
*Irish student fees
The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.
**EU support bursary
Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in-line with that of UK students. Students studying a Degree with a Foundation Year with us are not eligible for the bursary.
-
How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the government's Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.
If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.
Facilities
Our aim is to offer you sector-leading facilities4.
- Media Loan Shop: As a student, you’ll have access to Coventry University’s specialist Media Loan Shop. This well-stocked facility offers an extensive range of specialist, professional photography and film equipment.
- Televison Studio: the TV studio is the latest addition to our media facilities. You’ll have access to our on-campus TV studio The Tank, with its specialist TV studio equipment, including large cameras, mixing facilities and fibre-optic wiring throughout.
Careers and opportunities
The Automotive Journalism MA prepares you for work as an automotive journalist with consumer or business-to-business media or as a content creator for automotive marketing, social media and public relations. Coursework assignments and deadlines are designed to mirror industry practice as far as possible to equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary to work in a professional multi-platform environment.
This course is designed to prepare you for specialist automotive journalism roles with consumer and business-to-business automotive websites, or as a content creator in automotive marketing and public relations.
The course gives you the skills and knowledge needed for success in these roles to help you stand out from a large number of applicants for these sought-after jobs.
Upon successful completion of this course, you should know how to:
- Create automotive content to professional standards, for digital, broadcast, print or social media.
- Understand how automotive journalism works and how it relates to the automotive industry.
- Apply a wide range of journalism and communication skills and knowledge to the production of automotive content to professional standards.
- Work creatively, sustainably and independently within professional situations, employing a range of journalism strategies and techniques.
- Critically evaluate and analyse the broad range of factors that impinge upon professional and creative activities within automotive journalism and the broader communications industry.
- Demonstrate the ability to identify and successfully engage with a range of audiences, genres and media platforms within automotive journalism.
- Feel prepared when applying for job roles within automotive media.
Where our graduates work
Graduates of the Automotive Journalism MA have secured roles with the biggest brands in automotive media including:
- Autocar
- BBC Top Gear
- Car
- Classic Cars
- Car Throttle
And we have graduates who have gone into roles in social media, PR and marketing for automotive companies such as:
- Honda
- Volkswagen
- SEAT
- Polestar
- Hyundai
How to apply
-
UK students
To apply to study for a postgraduate course at Coventry University, you can apply online.
For further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.
Chat with our admissions team
Complete our contact form.
-
International students
Full-time international students applying to start in September should apply directly to the university. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.
How to applyFor further support for international applicants applying for postgraduate degree view our International hub.
You can also download our International guide which contains lots of useful information about our courses, accommodation and tips for travel.
Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.
Chat with our admissions team.
Complete our contact form.
-
Disclaimers
Coventry University together with Coventry University London Campus, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the “University”) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.
1Accreditations
The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.
2UK and international opportunities
Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or International opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel COVID and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the visa requirements, please contact the International Office.
3Tuition fees
The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.
For International Students, we may increase fees each year but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.
4Facilities
Due to COVID-19, some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) and some non-academic offerings (particularly in relation to international experiences), may vary from those advertised and may have reduced availability or restrictions on their use.
Student Contract
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the 2023/24 contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.
You may also like

Global Journalism and Public Relations MA

Communication, Culture and Media MA
