Journalism BA(Hons)

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Top reasons to choose this course

• NCTJ accreditation means your degree will be recognised by the media industry as meeting high professional standards
• Learn core journalism skills such as newswriting, law, shorthand, public administration, digital journalism and multimedia
• Placement opportunities mean you will graduate with experience and industry connections

• Showcase and hone your journalism skills in our student magazine, Overtime

• Newsroom with live news and sports feeds gives you authentic real-life journalistic experience
• Sound, filming and editing equipment familiarise you with the latest technology and ensure that you graduate with the technical skills essential for your media career

• Real-world reporting opportunities – our students have interviewed MPs in the House of Commons and reported from court trials and council hearings
• Close links with the media industry means we organise field trips to places such as the Sky News newsroom
• Editors, journalists and campaigners from organisations such as Sky News, the BBC, Time Out, the Daily Telegraph, Johnston Press, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, Full Fact and Reporters Without Borders have given lectures and masterclasses
• Option modules and applied subject modules allow you to specialise in an area of particular interest

Follow us on Instagram: @journalism_unibrighton  

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, we will inform you of any improvements or innovations to the curriculum through Student View.

Above: see some of our students exploring the industry-standard facilities on offer and hear them talking about what they love about their degrees.

Central Media Services are based in the same building as our journalism studios and are used by journalism students.

Year 1 

You will gain a thorough introduction to journalism, learning to write news and features, make podcasts and videos, and use shorthand. You will also study ethics, government, political theory and critical approaches to journalism.

Modules

• Video Journalism

  The module introduces video journalism, teaching you how to produce video packages and accompanying social media activity suitable for the web. You will learn about basic multimedia recording and editing techniques and develop visual storytelling abilities on digital platforms.

• Introduction to Journalism Studies

  This module will introduce you to key debates in journalism studies. You will develop and apply your understanding of the central concepts and theories in journalism research, and examine journalism practice from a variety of perspectives. You will also develop graduate skills and a capacity for critical thinking and writing.

• News and Ethics

  This module develops fundamental skills for news reporting: newswriting, ethical practice and shorthand. You will learn to recognise, select and present news for specific audiences and platforms, and learn the techniques required to write publication-standard articles and apply them in defined scenarios. You’ll learn the theory of Teeline shorthand, develop speed to 60wpm and use it in the production of a news story. You'll also learn to locate news reporting practices in the context of specific regulatory and ethical codes.

• Production Journalism

  This module introduces how to create journalism involving digital production techniques. You will learn how to produce newspaper and magazine pages involving desktop publishing software, and explore the principles of production and the ways in which words and pictures work together in the story-telling process. You will also discover how journalism is adapting its styles, forms and working practices for different platforms.

• Politics in Context

  In this module you will develop a working knowledge and critical understanding of public administration as it affects journalists. This includes central and local government structures. In addition, you will learn the journalistic skills required to make sense of, record and accurately report central and local government activities and issues.

• Audio Journalism

  The module introduces audio journalism, teaching you how to produce audio reports, podcasts and accompanying social media activity suitable for the web. You will learn about basic multimedia recording and editing techniques and develop your audio storytelling abilities on digital platforms.

Year 2 

You will file reports from your own local news patch, design newspaper and magazine pages, edit websites, master social media and develop shorthand to professional speeds. You will also study media law and investigative journalism.

Modules

• Specialist Portfolio

  In this module you will produce your own journalism in a subject area of your choice, using a range of forms and styles. You will create and populate an online publication platform, using audience development strategies (including social media and analytics) to build a following and employing professional techniques. You will also publish your work in a collaborative journalism project.

• Critical Issues in Journalism

  This module explores the relationship between media and society and looks at the key theoretical considerations in media and cultural studies. You will examine different approaches to media analysis, exploring how current affairs are produced and represented through the media. Focus is directed towards the cultural and ideological issues that operate through these representations and their production.

• Media Law

  You will develop a detailed understanding of criminal and civil law and regulation impacting journalism practice during this module. You will explore the legal requirements affecting journalists and apply them to a range of unpredictable practical scenarios. Topics include reporting restrictions, prejudice and contempt of court, defamation, copyright and practical court reporting.

• Converging Journalism

  During this module you will learn how to create journalism using digital production techniques. You will be introduced to the principles of convergent journalism and the ways in which video, audio and print work together in the storytelling process. You’ll also discover how journalism is adapting its styles, forms and working practices for digital and social media platforms.

• News Portfolio and Shorthand

  This module enables you to develop your news reporting ability to an advanced level where you can find and produce your own stories for a specific audience. You’ll also develop shorthand as a professional recording technique, building to a standard of 100 words per minute. 

Placements

Spend a year on placement

Gain valuable experience and earn money during an optional placement year following year 2. You’ll return to the final year of your degree with added confidence, additional real-world experience and valuable contacts. 

A placement year gives you the chance to work with established professionals in design studios, galleries, film sets, music labels, creative agencies, newsrooms and many other environments. You’ll be able to get an insight into creative workflows and come away with a portfolio filled with real-world projects that will stand out in a competitive job market.  

It can also help you discover your creative direction and passion for a particular area of work, helping you grow artistically as well as professionally.   

Our dedicated Placements and Employability team will support you in getting a placement that suits your interests and career goals by helping you with your CV and cover letter writing, applications, online testing and more. Plus, they’ll provide support and guidance when you’re on placement and make sure that everything is going well. 

Other placement opportunities

In your final year, the Journalism Work Placement module will take you out of the classroom and into a media or related environment. You’ll spend at least two weeks with the organisation and as part of the placement you will keep a critically reflective learning log.

Work you complete during your placement, such as articles for print or web, videos, podcasts and radio or tv broadcasts, will go towards your assessment.

Our media students have been on placements with organisations including:

• Ricochet
• Creative Assembly
• BBC Good Food and Olive Magazine
• Absolute Radio
• Brighton & Hove Green Party
• Lowkey Films
• Drop4Drop
• Integrity Music Europe
• YDN Radio
• Life Water
• Electric Square
• ITV Potato
• Renewable World
• Deluxe
• ILOVEDUST
• Bauer Media
• Brighton Dome
• Brighton Fringe.

Final year 

The climax of the course is the Critical Investigation – a lengthy piece of investigative journalism developed in one-on-one tutorials over the whole year, with an accompanying essay. You will be supported to complete a two-week placement in industry, where you’ll gain valuable insight and experience before you graduate.

Modules

• Broadcast Journalism

  In this module, you will apply your knowledge of audiovisual digital journalism and production to create original TV packages. You will learn about the broadcast journalist’s role in the digital newsroom and take part in industry standard practice in the electric news gathering (ENG) process. You will also develop autonomy and flexibility in journalistic decision-making.

• Public Service Journalism

  In this module, you will work at the forefront of debates regarding journalism’s role in society and gain a theoretical and practical understanding of public service journalism, evaluating contemporary examples. You will develop and propose solutions to the professional challenges identified within the module. Topics include fake news, fact-checking and verification, media pluralism, diversity and the media and digital disruption.

• Magazine Journalism

  This module will give you an in-depth knowledge of the frameworks, principles, working practices, technologies and techniques of contemporary magazine journalism. You will learn how to apply the key principles of sub-editing to ‘live’ copy and research and write thematically linked articles for magazines. You will also explore the role design plays in magazine production, and practice contemporary layout design with software such as InDesign.

• Critical Investigation

  In this module, you will produce a comprehensive piece or package of investigative feature journalism for a specified publisher. Supported by tutorial supervision, you will initiate an original inquiry, selecting and employing a range of professional techniques. You will critically reflect on your approach, including its theoretical, ethical and legal context, evaluate its effectiveness and account for your decision-making.

• Professional Practice

  Giving you the opportunity to develop as a reflective practitioner, this module will enhance your professional practice. It will involve you preparing for and undertaking a work placement within journalism or a related profession. You will demonstrate the critical and reflective attributes required for self-evaluation and personal improvement with an analysis of your placement experience.

Meet the team

Course fees

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

• Brighton Boost – cost of living help for our new undergrad students. Find out about how we can help with your study, accommodation or travel costs and more...
• Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international undergraduate students
• Student finance and budgeting while studying
• Read our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf) for more on University of Brighton tuition fees.

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