The Dan Walker Journalism Scholarship

Last year, the School of Journalism, Media and Communication was delighted to offer two Dan Walker Journalism Scholarships worth £10,000 each for home fee paying students starting a taught postgraduate course in MA Broadcast Journalism.

Journalism alumni Dan Walker. He is smiling and standing in front of some colourful blocks.
On

The scholarships are for students who meet at least one of our widening participation criteria. If your application is successful you can use the scholarship towards fees or living expenses – the choice is yours.

This is a fantastic opportunity for students on MA Broadcast Journalism to be mentored by one of the country's leading news and sports journalists and broadcasters. This will include support and advice from Dan on your career development.

Dan Walker studied on the Broadcast course in 1998-99 and also completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Sheffield. He has been at the helm of the UKs most popular morning TV show – BBC Breakfast – from 2016 to 2022, and now presents the Channel 5 Evening News programme. Dan continues to regularly present Match of the Day as well as the BBC’s NFL Show.

The scholarship provides opportunities for periods of work experience in journalism and production, and advice from Dan as you go through the course and prepare for a career.


Are you eligible to apply?

You can apply for a scholarship if you meet all of the following five criteria:

  • You are from a group that is evidentially under-represented among the institution's taught masters population - see the widening participation criteria below
  • You either already hold an offer of a place, or wish to apply, for MA Broadcast Journalism at the University of Sheffield. You will need to have applied for the course before the scholarship deadline to be considered
  • You are a home fee paying student
  • You are not already qualified at masters level, or higher
  • You are self-funding

Students intending to take a postgraduate student loan can also apply for a scholarship.

Widening participation criteria

You are eligible to apply if you meet any of the following:

  • You have been in care as a looked-after child for at least 13 weeks since the age of 14 and be aged under 25 on the first day of your course
  • You are estranged from your parents and are aged under 25 on the first day of your course
  • You have a disability
  • You are a carer for an ill or disabled family member
  • As an undergraduate student you were/are in receipt of support from the Student Loans Company which indicates that your household income was assessed as £40,000 or less
  • You are from a black and minority ethnic group
  • You come from one of the most deprived areas of the country as defined by the government's IMD (Indices of Multiple Deprivation) database. If your postcode IMD value is 16,250 or less, you meet this criterion. You can check your postcode ranking using the IMD website. You should check the postcode for the address you lived at during your last year of school or college. Please note this criterion only applies to students who live in England
  • You come from an area where it is unusual for people to go to university. This is defined by the government's classification called Polar 3; to meet this criterion your address must fall into quintile 1 or 2 in the young participation quintile or the Adult HE qualification quintile. You can check your postcode quintile using the POLAR search tool. You should check the postcode for the address you lived at during your last year of school or college. Please note this criterion only applies to students from the UK.

Other funding opportunities for masters degrees

Application and selection

Details of this year's application process will be released shortly. 

This scholarship is part of the Sheffield Postgraduate Scholarship scheme and if successful with both applications you will only be eligible to receive one. 


More information

If you have any questions or would like to talk to someone about the awards, please contact the Student Fees and Funding Team 0114 222 1319 or sheffieldscholars@sheffield.ac.uk.

Journalism alumni Dan Walker. He is smiling and standing in front of some colourful blocks.

I've been privileged to travel all over the world covering major sporting events and interviewing some fascinating people

Dan Walker Broadcast Journalism MA

Now a senior presenter on 5 News, Dan is a graduate of our MA Broadcast Journalism degree. His previous roles include presenting on BBC Football Focus and BBC Breakfast News, as well as a weekly show on BBC World.

Four students laughing while sat at a bench, outside the Students' Union

International Merit Scholarships

We offer a generous package of financial support for international students including 75 undergraduate scholarships worth £10,000 towards the annual tuition fee and 125 postgraduate taught scholarships worth £5,000 towards the tuition fee. Applications are now open for existing offer holders.