Course summary

We will help you become a professional journalist and join the media industry. You’ll learn how to tell a great story, and how to get it ready for publication in a range of different media platforms. Journalism is "the best job in the world" according to Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez. A journalist is "somebody who describes the life around us for those who cannot see it for themselves", in the words of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. On this course you will learn to do just that: telling the fascinating stories of our constantly changing world to an audience that could be as a small as a village, or as big as mankind. At Roehampton you will acquire the knowledge and skills required to become a multimedia journalist. You will learn to produce different types of stories, from breaking news to investigative reports, from local newspapers to national magazines and from radio to the social networks. You will have the possibility to explore different thematic areas of journalism, such as politics, sports, music, travel and international news. You will also study how journalism helps shape public opinion and popular culture. You will analyse the political, economic and legal conditions in which journalists produce their stories, the structure of the media industry and current trends and developments in our profession. The course is taught by experienced academics who have worked as journalists for the BBC, The Guardian, Reuters and the Financial Times. We have two well-equipped multimedia newsrooms, designed to give you the experience of working in a fully functioning and richly creative professional environment. Plus, you will also have the chance to hone your skills with work experience in London’s huge media hub. You’ll be encouraged to apply your skills in a real work setting, build a strong CV and make key industry contacts. You will also have the choice to learn shorthand and a foreign language as a part of your degree. During your studies you will have full access to our digital media centre, one of the newest buildings on campus which is home to state-of-the-art industry-level studio, editing and digital resources. The 2000 metre-square modern building offering excellent facilities, including two newsrooms that replicate real working environments, a film studio with state-of-the-art technology and equipment, and extensive resources for sound editing and production, including radio and podcasting. The new facilities were developed in conjunction with leading specialists to ensure that students will receive industry-standard experiences. The building includes spaces for individual and group work, interactive and collaborative projects, as well as quiet study spaces for students.