journalism-main

Journalism (Joint Honours) BA (Hons)

Learn the theory and practice behind the fascinating and influential world of journalism, while diversifying your skillset by studying a joint honours course with Creative Writing, English, English Language, Film Studies, History, International Relations, Politics or Media.

Overview

Journalism and the media play a vital role in democracy, and this course offers the opportunity to pursue a career that’s not only fast-paced and extremely diverse, but also crucial for informing debate and discussion on a wide range of questions affecting people’s lives. 

You will have the opportunity to contribute to DMU’s own student media group Demon Media, with the chance to produce content for multimedia platforms including a magazine, radio station, YouTube channel and website.

Students can study from a range of optional modules including, Journalism Studies, Sports Journalism, Lifestyle Journalism, Court Reporting, Arts and Entertainment and Music Journalism. In your final year, you can choose to complete a dissertation or a major practical journalism project.

Our Journalism tutors have close links with all forms of news media and have worked for – and continue to work for – many of Leicestershire's newspapers and radio stations. This means our Journalism courses have strong industry links with newspapers and radio stations in the local area. The courses have an excellent reputation both regionally and nationally, allowing our students to win prestigious work experience placements. 

Widen your skillset and enhance your employability prospects further by studying Journalism joint with another specialist subject, such as Creative Writing, English, English Language, Film Studies, International Relations, Politics or Media.

Key features

  • DMU is in the top 10 most popular universities in the UK for home and EU students, according to the latest measures by UCAS acceptances (2017).
  • Develop your practical and professional skills in our dedicated newsroom within the Leicester Centre for Journalism.
  • Gain valuable, industry-relevant experience by contributing to DMU’s award-winning student media group Demon Media, including The Demon magazine, Demon FM radio station, Demon TV YouTube channel and The Demon website.
  • Enhance your employability and gain industry experience by undertaking an optional work placement, with your studies helping you to gain places volunteering with local news organisations. This will enable you to forge useful contacts within the industry and provide opportunities to create content for your portfolio. Recent Journalism Joint students have secured Journalism and Editorial internship placements at RootsCo Group Ltd in London.
  • You’ll be taught by a team of respected professionals within the industry and academic experts, including a former newspaper editor and award-winning feature writers. Their knowledge and experience will inform their teaching and help you to become an effective, multiplatform journalist once graduated.
  • Enjoy an international experience with DMU Global, which can enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons. Previous DMU Global trips have included New York, Berlin, Hong Kong, China, Canada, Japan, South Africa, Russia and Italy.

The course is available to study alongside Creative Writing, English, English Language, Film Studies, International Relations, Media and Communication and Politics.

Graduate success and news

Sky News Editor shares key to success with DMU students

Harnessing the power of stories - DMU's Haddy Ndure celebrates African success

DMU graduate named in 'Power 100' of most influential disability campaigners in UK

DMU Journalism alumnus lands role reporting for The Sun

Joint degree option

  • Film Studies (Joint Honours) BA (Hons)
  • Media (Joint Honours) BA (Hons)

 Check out our Journalism students' work at https://leicestershirepress.com/

  • UK
  • EU/International

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: 

Creative Writing and Journalism: WP85
English Literature and Journalism: PQ53
English Language and Journalism: QP35
International Relations and Journalism: LP25
Journalism and Media: PPH5
Journalism and Politics: LPF5

Duration: Three years full-time

Fees and funding: 

2024/25 tuition fees for UK students: £9,250

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: 

Creative Writing and Journalism: WP85
English Literature and Journalism: PQ53
English Language and Journalism: QP35
History and Journalism: PV51
International Relations and Journalism: LP25
Journalism and Media: PPH5
Journalism and Politics: LPF5

Duration: Three years full-time

Fees and funding: 

2023/24 tuition fees for international students: £15,750

Find out more about available funding for international students.

 

Entry criteria

Entry Criteria

Portfolio Required : No

Interview Required: No

We welcome applications from mature students with non-standard qualifications and recognise all other equivalent and international qualifications

Creative Writing and Journalism: WP85

  • Five GCSEs at grade C or above, including English or equivalent, plus one of the following:
  • Normally 104 UCAS points from at least two A-levels or equivalent
  • BTEC National Diploma/ Extended Diploma at DMM or
  • Pass in the QAA accredited Access to HE course. English GCSE required as a separate qualification as equivalency is not accepted within the Access qualification. We will normally require students to have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course

English Literature and Journalism: PQ53

  • Five GCSEs at grade C or above, including English or equivalent, plus one of the following:
  • Normally 112 UCAS points from at least two A-levels including English Language or English Literature at grade C or above
  • BTEC National Diploma/ Extended Diploma at DMM or
    • Including
      • English Language or English Literature A level or equivalent at grade C or above
  • Pass in the QAA accredited Access to HE course. English GCSE required as a separate qualification as equivalency is not accepted within the Access qualification. We will normally require students to have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course
    In addition for

Access in English Language or English Literature with at least 15 credits in English Language or English Literature at merit

International Baccalaureate: 24+ points

      • English at higher level grade 5

 

English Language and Journalism: QP35

  • Five GCSEs at grade C or above, including English or equivalent, plus one of the following:

  • Normally 104 UCAS points from at least two A-levels including English Language or English Literature at grade C or above
  • BTEC National Diploma/ Extended Diploma at DMM or
    • Including
      • English Language or English Literature A level or equivalent at grade C or above
  • Pass in the QAA accredited Access to HE course. English GCSE required as a separate qualification as equivalency is not accepted within the Access qualification. We will normally require students to have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course
    In addition for

Access in English Language or English Literature with at least 15 credits in English Language or English Literature at merit

  • International Baccalaureate: 24+ points
  • English at higher level grade 5

UCAS tariff information

Students applying for courses starting in September will be made offers based on the latest UCAS Tariff.

Contextual offer 

To make sure you get fair and equal access to higher education, when looking at your application, we consider more than just your grades. So if you are eligible, you may receive a contextual offer. Find our more about contextual offers.

 

International Relations and Journalism: LP25
Journalism and Media: PPH5
Journalism and Politics: LPF5 

  • Five GCSEs at grade C or above, including English or equivalent, plus one of the following: 
  • Normally 104 UCAS points from at least two A-levels or equivalent or
  • BTEC National Diploma/ Extended Diploma at DMM
  • Pass in the QAA accredited Access to HE course.
  • English GCSE required as a separate qualification as equivalency is not accepted within the Access qualification. We will normally require students to have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course
  • International Baccalaureate: 24+ points

English language

If English is not your first language then an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each component (or equivalent) is essential.

English Language tuition, delivered by our British Council accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

 

 

Structure and assessment

 

Course modules

Teaching and assessments

Industry links

 

 

Year one - core modules

News Reporting
Introduces key writing and editing skills used by journalists, including publishing online.

Understanding Journalism
Learn the classic as well as digital information theories and study the riole of journalism in the modern world.

Media Law
Understand media regulation and how to work within the law when practising journalism in the UK.

Year two - core modules

Feature Writing
Explore specialist forms of journalism, particulary feature writing.

 


 

Optional modules

Challenging Power
Study how digital media reshape society and how journalists can prevent a partisan and disruptive exploitation of public debates online.

News Reporting 2
A specialist, practical module, honing your skills in digital reporting and professional practice.

Sports Journalism
The art of writing news, match reports, features and opinion columns.

Journalism Studies
Review and analyse journalism research and learn about the newest approaches.

Court Reporting
Learn how to work as a professional journalist in UK courtrooms.

Lifestyle Journalism
A critical study of this popular field of journalism, including fashion/beauty, celebrity news, travel, food and music.

Year three - core modules

Journalism Dissertation
Become an expert on existing journalism research and conduct original analysis into your topic.

OR

Journalism Project
Produce a major piece of journalistic work for a platform of your choice.


 

Optional modules

Journalism for Change
practice the art of funding constructive media solutions and create opportunities for change through journalism

Freelance Journalism
Preparation for employment.

Music Journalism
Learn to review music for music publications and websites.

Arts and Entertainment Journalism
Learn to review different aspects of arts and entertainment material.

Sports and Media
understand how the media covers sports issues.

Sports Journalism
Further develop key sports-reporting skills.

Magazine Journalism
The opportunity to produce a group publication. 

Journalism at DMU has a strong practical focus and is taught by a range of respected and award-winning professionals and academic experts, including a former newspaper editor and award-winning feature writers.

Lecturers are active in newspaper, radio, magazine and digital journalism and staff have won university-wide awards for teaching excellence.

Your precise timetable will depend on the Joint Honours subject and optional modules you choose to take; however, you will normally attend around 12-16 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and can expect to undertake at least 24 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research. A wide variety of assessment methods are used, especially practicals, including: portfolios, presentations and an exam.

You will also learn from a range of experienced guest lecturers from across the industry, ensuring your learning is relevant to current practice.

 

DMU Journalism staff have the closest possible links with all forms of Leicestershire news media. Journalism staff have worked for – and continue to work for – most local newspapers and radio stations. This means our Journalism courses have unrivalled industry links with newspapers and radio stations in Leicestershire and the courses have an excellent reputation both regionally and nationally, allowing our students to win prestigious work experience placements for themselves.

Students also have the chance to contribute to Demon Media’s multi-media platforms, including The Demon Magazine, Demon FM community radio station, Demon TV and the Demon website.  

Facilities and features

Facilities

You will be able to access to high-quality facilities, including five dedicated computer suites within the Leicester Centre of Journalism and a dedicated newsroom, to enhance your practical and professional skills further.

You will also be able to use our multimillion-pound Creative Technology Studios which include a suite of high-tech radio and TV studios, as part of your studies and as part of any extra-curricular activities with our student media group Demon Media. 

You can also read and contribute to the Leicestershire Press, a website specially created to showcase news and views from DMU Journalism students.

Library and learning zones

 

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available. 

As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our Library website, e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose. 

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including the Virtual Learning Environment, Collaborate Ultra, DMU Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub. 

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live LibChat, online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our Learning Services, and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.


 

 

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

Opportunities and careers

Find the people who will open doors for you

DMU's award-winning careers service provides guaranteed work experience opportunities DMU Careers Team
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Graduate Careers

Many of our graduates progress into professional multi-platform journalism roles, while a joint honours course will enhance employability through opening up a range of career paths such as PR and communications. Some graduates also choose to continue studying specialist postgraduate courses such as our Investigative Journalism MA, developed with Channel 4.

Journalism student lands job at ITV News

Haddy Ndure graduated with a Journalism and History degree and beat more than 1,200 applicants to win a highly sought-after job at ITV News.  

One of just 10 people who won a place at the ITV News graduate scheme, Haddy said: “It’s all very exciting. I have always been sure that I wanted to be a journalist and like in most careers, experience is essential.

“I spent last summer with BBC World Service and BBC Manchester and very recently BBC Cambridge. Having those experiences under my belt as well as the skills and knowledge acquired from my degree has definitely played a big part in landing this job.”

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DMU Global

Our innovative international experience programme DMU Global aims to enrich studies, broaden cultural horizons and develop key skills valued by employers. 

Through DMU Global, we offer an exciting mix of overseas, on-campus and online international experiences, including the opportunity to study or work abroad for up to a year.

Previously our Journalism students have travelled to Prague and worked as mobile journalistsdelved into media archives in New York, and produced a live blog of their experiences in the Czech Republic. Their work was then posted on to the Leicestershire Press, a website especially created to showcase news and views from DMU Journalism students.

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Placements

Journalism student Alice turned work experience into a front page story

Quizzing shifty politicians. Rubbing shoulders with celebs. Reporting from crime scenes, murder trials, war zones, red carpets and Premier League football grounds… a career in journalism promises a thrilling blend of deadlines, headlines, bylines and adrenaline.

But how do you break into the news industry? First you need to learn the ropes. Then you need to start climbing them.  

Journalism graduate Alice Gibbs explains how she got involved in the real world of news - while still studying for her joint honours journalism degree.

Take your next steps

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