Journalism at University

The Nottingham Trent course is well respected too, make sure that any journalism course you're looking to do at uni is accredited by the Broadcast Journalism Training Council.

It's true that broadcasters generally frown upon straight "Media Studies" courses - try to go for a more specialised one like Broadcasting Studies or Television Production. Check with the university what kind of jobs the graduates are doing now (perhaps ask to be put in touch with some) - likelyhood is that if most of the students are working in TV that it's a good course and should stand you in a good position for when you graduate.

That's right. Media Studies is too general. Employers do like Journalism degrees now days, especially as the demand for journalists is far greater than ever. They want the person they employ to know exactly what to expect and understand. For example the legal constraints of journalism and the ethical side of things. At Southampton Solent University you get the chance to embrace all of the above, as well as the university paper, magazine, radio station and even TV bulletins. All looks good on that CV, experience is everything.

I'm currently just starting third year in the Leeds Broadcast Journalism course, and it is very good. We get a lot of experience, as much of the course is practical (it's technically half theory/half practical). Courses like this (e.g. the Nottingham Trent one, and a few others) are definitely respected by employers - Sky News, for instance, often come and talk to students, and a few people have gone on to their trainee scheme. We also have a lot of guest speakers from BBC News and ITV - who're all supportive.

By the end of second year we're able to go into a real newsroom and do a three week work placement, working as a real member of the team - so, in theory, by the end of the degree you can go into a TV or radio station and actually have the required skills to work as a journalist.

And you'll find universities that have courses like this very often also have strong student media outlets. To take Leeds as an example, news is taken very seriously on our student radio station, LSRFM.COM (which broadcasts all year round) - that's a great way of getting experience.

Haha, very true - I used to joint-run the LSR Newsteam! The experience gained there was invaluable, but most importantly - fun!

Ah...well I'll be one of your successors then! It's much fun indeed, and it's almost SRA nominations time, so we're all anxious to find out if our election coverage has been nominated... And of course Freshers' Week...we're thinking of having a bear as our mascot, called "Scoop", who gives out free ice cream...lol...yep...

Anyway, sorry for side-tracking!

[quote="michaelwh1"][quote="Aston"]

And you'll be competing with my news department's entry as well mwhahaha!

Back to the topic, I've found that the Beeb in particular have really liked the route I've taken to journalism - BSc (hons) Physics at Southampton University (not Southampton Solent Uni!) and an MA Multimedia Journalism at Bournemouth Uni.

It seems the choice of postgraduate degree is important - London College of Communication is an excellent place to go, and tends to lead to a job in the City. Whereas I've opted for Bournemouth (again a very highly ranked place for its MA) since I want to be in local news. It's really a matter of choice!

Doing an atypical degree before doing a masters in journalism seems to be a good talking point at interview and also shows you have a broad academic base as well.

James

Interesting - I did the same course and was heavily involved in LSR as well. When were you there?

My only note of caution over such courses is that having worked in broadcasting for over ten years, I'm now considering a change of direction. Whilst the Broadcasting Studies course was great, having a slightly less specialist degree under my belt might now be more useful... but hindsight's a great thing.

I'm doing a BA (Hons) in Journalism Studies and French at the University of Stirling.

The course is not NCTJ or BJTC accredited, but for good reason. With accreditation the course must follow a strict syllabus laid out in guidelines, however with my course, they are independent and can change the course as they see fit.

Experience in your local media BEFORE embarking on a degree is not essential, but highly recommended.

I, too, am hoping to embark upon a career in broadcast journalism and found this thread quite interesting reading. I'm currently in S5 at school studying for my Highers and plan to do a degree in Modern Languages and then a postgraduate degree in Broadcast Journalism. I'm also involved in setting up a community radio station in my area in the hope of getting experience there too. I've always read that undergraduate journalism isn't really the best option, therefore I've decided to do a degree in an area I both love and excel in (which should guarantee good results) before specialising for a career I believe I would enjoy. If it goes wrong, I've always got a back up. Therefore, I would advise a first degree in an area you enjoy incase everything goes pear-shaped!

Salford University do a good journalism course. Its accreddited by the Council for Journalists and you can also do a combined subject with Journalism, such as Government and Politics or English Language.

The University of Central Lancashire also offers a reputable journalism course.

Two choices from the North West!

Good luck wth it.