BA (Hons) Journalism and Media
University of Hertfordshire
Key Information
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Campus location
Hatfield, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 13,450 *
Application deadline
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Earliest start date
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* international students full time / UK students full time £9250 / EU students full time £13450
Scholarships
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Introduction
"Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, examinations may be replaced by an alternative form of assessment during the academic year 2021/2022. Please refer to the Programme Specification on these pages for further details."
Why choose this course?
This is a fascinating time to be a media professional, with traditional media like magazines, television, and radio, jostling for attention alongside PR, blogs, podcasts, and social media. You’ll gain two vital media skills by combining journalism and media. This exciting course will develop your practical, professional writing skills, shed new light on how the media works and get you some hands-on experience that employers are really looking for.
You'll gain real-world skills including how to create and publish content for a broad range of formats including video, podcasts, print, and online. In the final year, you can take up work experience, work for a client or even start your own media business—all guided by tutors.
The course places a strong emphasis on building confidence in your communication skills and employment prospects. You'll have the opportunity to learn about internships and take part in industry events thanks to our affiliation with the Public Relations and Communications Association, one of Britain's top trade organisations for PR professionals. You can attend our Media Matters guest lectures (see below for more detail) given by a range of media speakers from top journalists to our recent graduates.
Our inspiring, industry-experienced academic team will develop your journalistic skills, alongside learning about media theory and skills, including digital, and other roles within the media. We’re rated TEF Gold, making us one of the best universities for teaching and support.
What's the course about?
Teaching delivery is varied. Workshops are used for modules where the degree of practical skills taught is enhanced by the supervision of experts in their field but there are also seminars and lectures. Attainment of learning outcomes is also assessed in a range of formats from traditional essays to presentations, creating adverts or campaigns, or working in a small group to create presentations or another creative project.
In your first year, you’ll explore the basics of journalism, learning about how to tell factual stories in written form, through blogs and podcasting, and video. You’ll also reflect on how journalists should and do behave and their relationship with the government. You’ll also learn about the media industry and about how media is changing in our globalised world.
In your second year, you’ll start to broadcast, brainstorm ideas for a magazine concept, learn about how journalism changed the world, and gain insights into the fast-paced world of news. In media, you’ll explore the world of branding or magazine design, learn about the publishing industry and have the opportunity to create a short video documentary.
Work placement/study abroad option: Between your second and final year, you’ll have the option to study abroad or complete a work placement for up to a year. Not only will this give you an amazing experience to talk about, but it will also give your CV a boost. If you would rather go straight to your final year, that’s fine too. You can decide in your second year with us, so there is still plenty of time to think about this.
In your final year, you’ll get a wide range of options. In journalism, you will report on international stories, create your own website, have work experience, freelance, or create your own media business. You will also practice writing for a variety of audiences. In media, choose between practical projects such as creating a media project for a client or designing for the web, or learning more about Public Relations, Advertising, or the relationship between media and identity and celebrity and media. This is when you’ll use our membership of the P.R.C.A and B.S.M.E to your best advantage to gain opportunities to network professionally and build up your professional skills.
Your main campus is de Havilland
You’ll share this campus with students from business, law, sport, education, and humanities subjects. The student housing is close to our Sports Village which includes a gym, swimming pool, and climbing wall. You can get breakfast, lunch, or dinner in our on-campus restaurant or bar (in the newly built Enterprise Hub) on days you don’t feel like cooking. You can also use the common room to play pool, video games or just to hang out with friends. Our Learning Resources Centres are open 24/7, which means you can study whenever suits you best. Want to pop over to the other campus? You can take the free shuttle bus or walk there in just 15 minutes.
This course includes the options of:
- Work placement
- Study abroad
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Curriculum
What will I study?
Degree programmes are structured into levels, 4, 5, and 6. These correspond to your first, second, and third/final year of study. Below you can see what modules you’ll be studying in each.
Level 4
- Introduction to Media Communications II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Introduction to Journalism II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Journalism, Law and Ethics II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Global Media and Society II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Journalism Skills: Multiplatform II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Journalism and Government II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Sound and Image Storytelling II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Visual Communication II 15 Credits II Compulsory
Level 5
- Radio Journalism II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Research Methods in Media Communications II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Journalism Skills: Features II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- The Publishing Industry II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Journalism Skills News II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- How Journalism Changed the World: from Watergate to Social Media and Fake News II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Video Feature II 15 Credits II Optional
- New Media Branding II 15 Credits II Optional
- Mobile Media Design II 15 Credits II Optional
- Magazine Design II 15 Credits II Optional
Level 6
- Online Journalism II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Journalism Skills Portfolio II 30 Credits II Compulsory
- International Politics and Reporting Global News II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Advertising II 15 Credits II Optional
- Corporate Communications II 15 Credits II Optional
- Representation and Identity in Contemporary Media II 15 Credits II Optional
- Professional Media Practice Project II 30 Credits II Optional
- Music, Celebrity and Media II 15 Credits II Optional
- Creating a PR Campaign II 15 Credits II Optional
- Web Design for Media Professionals II 30 Credits II Optional
Study abroad
An opportunity for an amazing experience, which will help make you stand out from the crowd. With more and more companies working internationally, the experience of living in another country can make a great impression on future employers.
This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a sandwich year abroad. The University has partnerships with universities around the world, including the USA, Canada, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and closer to home in Europe.
If you study abroad between your second and third year of study, you’ll pay no tuition fee to the partner university and no tuition fee to us either. We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.
Work placement
Graduate with invaluable work experience alongside your degree and stand out from the crowd.
This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a work placement sandwich year. It’s a chance to explore career possibilities, make valuable contacts and gain sought-after professional skills.
Our dedicated Careers and Employment team are here to help guide you through the process.
If you take up a work placement between your second and third year of study, at the University of Hertfordshire you’ll pay no tuition fee for this year. We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.
What if I need support?
You will be allocated a personal tutor to monitor and advise on overall academic and personal development supplemented with drop-in skills sessions and specialist tutors to refine and polish your writing.
For help with study skills, including referencing, essay writing, and presentations, you will also have access to our Academic Support Services. You can attend workshops, 1-to-1 sessions, and online tutorials. Both our Learning Resources Centres run drop-in study skills sessions.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
What's next for my career?
Our graduates have an excellent record of gaining employment in media, publishing, teaching, and information management where their skills in analysis, communication, and evaluation are highly valued. Many of our graduates go on to higher levels of study engaging in research in their chosen fields. Whatever your future career plans, what is important to your potential employers is the range of intellectual, transferable, personal skills and experience you have gained and can demonstrate. We ensure our programmes are relevant to the world of work through active links with regional employers across a range of industries and professions.
English Language Requirements
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