Journalism BA (Hons)

De Montfort University

Journalists play a vital role in a democracy, and this course offers the opportunity to pursue a career that is not only exciting, but also crucial for informing debate and discussion on a wide range of questions affecting our lives.

The course is designed to enable flexibility to allow you to focus on specialist areas of your choice, which include music journalism, lifestyle and sports while also preparing you to challenge the status quo. Throughout the degree, you will be encouraged to focus on core issues of social equality, social justice, protest and marginalised communities in the UK.

You will learn the traditional core skills of researching, interviewing, writing and web-publishing, and gain multimedia skills within video and audio production. The journalism sector requires graduates who possess a broad digital multi-platform skillset, knowledge of media law and political structures, and have the ability to question structures in society.

Key features

• Develop your practical skills in the Leicester Centre for Journalism and our multi-million-pound Creative Technology Studios, which feature broadcast-standard radio production studios, and film studios equipped with multi-cameras and green screen facilities.
• You will learn to write from respected and award-winning former journalists and academic experts who are active in newspaper, radio, magazine and digital journalism. Our students were recently inspired by a guest lecture from successful freelance writer and former DMU Journalism alumna, Rachel Toal.
• Select a route through this degree in Creative Writing, Drama, English Language, English Literature, Film Studies, History or Media. These carefully chosen routes will complement and enrich your understanding of your main subject, alongside broadening your skillset to give you a wider range of career paths upon graduation.
• Gain valuable hands-on experience by joining a range of student societies such as the award-winning Demon Media group, and put what you’ve learned into practice by contributing to its magazine, radio, Youtube channel and website.
• You will have opportunities to strengthen your career prospects with placements in industry. Places students have previously worked at include The Times, Sky Sports, the NME, Leicester City Football Club, ITN, the BBC, CNN, Leicestershire Live and the Observer.
• Graduates have progressed to careers and internships with some of the UK’s biggest media companies, including Sky News, The Sun, the BBC, CNN, ITV, plus Mixmag and Clash magazines as well as PR companies and the wider communications and digital media industries.
• Benefit from Education 2030, where a simplified ‘block learning’ timetable means you will study one subject at a time and have more time to engage with your learning, receive faster feedback and enjoy a better study-life balance.

Accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ).