Unique DCU postgraduate scholarships combining journalism, marketing and business announced
Tuesday 1 April 2008

President Mary McAleese and her husband Martin McAleese pictured with their children Justin, Sarah and Emma

Successful media companies of the future will be those that understand the inextricable link between content and commercial functions. These companies will structure and operate in a way that allows both these functions to inform and shape each other, providing high quality journalism, and a successful business.

To prepare graduates for this world of progressive publishing, a group of private donors are funding a unique, innovative postgraduate scholarship programme that will honour the memory of the late John Thompson, former Chief Executive of Associated Newspapers Ireland (Daily Irish Mail and Mail on Sunday) and Managing Director, The Star.

The scholarships, announced today, aim to promote connections between journalism and marketing. Media graduates will be encouraged to study Marketing and Business graduates to study Journalism. This approach reflects a deeply held belief of John Thompson that the two disciplines are critical and reinforce each other.

The scholarships will cover fees and some expenses (total value: €9,000 each) for two students each year to undertake Masters programmes at Dublin City University. One, a graduate of Journalism or Communications, will undertake the MBS in Marketing at DCU Business School. The second scholarship will be awarded to a graduate of Business Studies to undertake the MA in Journalism at DCU School of Communications.

Applications for these scholarships are open to graduates – including those expecting to graduate in summer 2008 – of all recognized higher education institutions in Ireland.

In both cases, the selected applicants will need to meet the academic and other requirements of entry to the respective Masters programmes in order to qualify for the scholarship. They will need to demonstrate their interest and ability to combine skills and understanding in business, especially marketing, and in media.

Lee Thompson, son of the late John Thompson and Managing Director of Metro, and representing the scholarship funders, said “This is a terrific scholarship. The concept is unique and its ambition unrivalled. It brings together the disciplines and skills my father embraced in his working life. He believed passionately that publishing was the true synthesis of journalism and marketing. On behalf of the family, I would like to thank the donors for their generous contribution and encourage students with an interest in media and marketing to apply”.

Brian Trench, of the School of Communications, DCU, said the university was delighted to receive this generous support for co-operation between different disciplines. “It is very important that we get a broad range of people entering journalism. This scheme will help ensure we get a flow of graduate students with detailed knowledge of how business works. It will also help prepare graduates of media studies and related subjects to take on marketing and other commercial responsibilities in media companies.”

The scholarship recipients will be selected on the basis of a written application and interview by a panel comprising representatives from the bursary funders, Lee Thompson, DCU School of Communications, DCU Business School, plus an independent person from media marketing or business journalism.

The minimum academic qualification for candidates is an upper-second-class (2.1) honours undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline.

Application forms are available on request from mary.nulty@dcu.ie. Completed applications should be returned to mary.nulty@dcu.ie, or Mary Nulty, School of Communications, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, by 4pm, 14 April 2008.