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Master of Arts in Journalism: Holding

Fast to Our Sail Amid Global Waves

Kecheng Fang
(Programme Director and Associate Professor)

When I took over as the Director of the Master of The Ebb and Flow of Applications and
Arts in Journalism programme from Francis, the Employment
world was deep in the COVID-19 pandemic. We After the social movements and during COVID-19,
were still two years away from emerging from the our taught master’s programmes faced their first
pandemic, and we even had one cohort of students challenge: a sharp decline in applications, with
who completed their entire coursework online. mainland applicants particularly hesitant about
Looking back at these five years from 2020 to studying in Hong Kong. In 2020 and 2021, our
now, the world has been through tremendous application numbers hit recent historical lows.
upheaval. Like a small boat in these conditions,
our master’s programme inevitably experienced I remember some pessimistic predictions suggesting
some turbulence and occasionally got its deck wet. this downturn might persist. However, the situation
However, at times, we also caught favorable winds unexpectedly reversed very quickly—applications
that pushed us forward. for the Fall 2022 intake surged, with the five taught
programmes seeing an approximately 80% increase
Most importantly, we never let go of our sail. No in total applications compared to the previous
matter how high the waves, we maintained our year, maintaining high levels in subsequent years.
course while continuously seeking improvements Whether declining or rising, the underlying factors
and innovations. were beyond our control. The “good times” starting
from 2022 reflected the harsh reality facing
young people in mainland China—first extremely
strict pandemic controls, then a persistently
weak economy and job market. With employment
difficulties, more people sought to “level up” their
credentials at overseas institutions. This led to
notable improvements in both the quantity and
quality of our applicants.

However, the Journalism programme faced
another challenge: continuously declining local
applications.

ZHANG Zhiqi, one of the fellows of the Media Professionals in
Residence Programme, gave a talk to a crowded room.
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