Journalism BA (Hons)

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Available with:

  • Foundation Year

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Course Summary

Our Journalism degree equips you with the essential skills and knowledge to succeed in the fast-paced media industry, supporting you to become a dynamic and adaptable journalist.

Stay ahead of the curve and explore the latest trends in journalism, including the impact of technology and sustainability on news reporting and consumption. Master essential skills such as news research and writing, photography, video and audio production, including podcasting, and develop strong written and oral communication skills essential for effective journalism.

Learn from our experienced team of journalists with backgrounds in newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. Our degree will equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive as a journalist or in another creative profession, becoming a force for change in the world.

You’ll leave us fully equipped with the skills and knowledge to understand and address the challenges facing society today, in any number of social fields.

Why you'll Love it

Real-World Relevance

You'll leave with the ability to make a real, positive impact to people's lives, fully equipped with the knowledge and skills to handle difficult situations.

Two international students walking through Chester city street.

Career-Focused Approach

You'll develop the key skills, knowledge and confidence, in social analysis, social justice and positive social change, to give you a competitive edge in the job market.

A member of staff and student at an event discussing and looking at a Guide to Your Future Career. With other people blurred in the background.

Opportunities for Growth and Development

With built-in work placements, employability skills training, and networking opportunities, we'll fast-track your development and continue to support your career aspirations.

Student on a Work Based Learning placement.

What Our Students Think

3rd in the UK for course quality 2024 unicompare
1st for learning and teaching quality in the North West WUSCAS 2024

What you'll study

The Journalism course contains a combination of core and specialist modules at each level of study. In Year 1 (Level 4), students are introduced to industry-embedded practice, including basic storytelling techniques, digital production skills and critical reflection. Year 2 (Level 5) builds on these further with more developed applications integrating advanced critical thinking around relevant issues. In Year 3 (Level 6), students will integrate expertise in practice, theory and real-world experiences ensuring they achieve industry-standard competencies and are curious and prepared for employment.

The course contains several optional modules which include areas such as publishing, digital media skills, social media, design, sustainability, and opportunities to explore the broader socio-political and cultural contexts that journalism and storytelling operates within.

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

How you'll Learn

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The majority of teaching takes place in lectures, workshops and seminars

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You will be assessed in a variety of ways

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This course is designed around in-person study

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There may be some online learning activities

This course is delivered in three terms of 10 weeks each. By the end of each year the student will have completed 120 credits of learning. Students will gradually gain greater independence in their learning throughout the three years with a view to students achieving positive graduate outcomes. This course is delivered predominantly in person. Students can expect to take part in lectures, workshops, seminars and a range of experiential activities both on and off campus – in the UK and abroad to locations such as Berlin, Amsterdam, Madrid and Prague. Activities on these trips include visits to a range of media, cultural and political institutions.

Students should expect to undertake about 40 hours per week of study in total which comprises scheduled sessions, independent study including engaging with learning material on the University’s VLE, tutorials with staff, researching and producing stories, using the University’s library and other resources, working with peers and preparing work for assessment.

Teaching will be delivered by experienced academics and practitioners in the subject. This will be supplemented by occasional guest lecturers and speakers.

There will be a broad range of assessment methods so that students are exposed to the different types of tasks they might encounter in the workplace. These will include coursework in the form of portfolios, essays, presentations, digital productions and online tasks. We continuously review the assessment methods used in order that they adequately prepare students for graduate level employment.

All teaching is delivered by experienced academics and practitioners, with the fundamental principles of the Chester Future Skills Curriculum at its core - building your subject competence, confidence, and key transferable skills to shape you into a world-ready Chester graduate.

Study a Common First Year

This course shares a common first year with students on the Music Journalism, Sports Journalism and Creative and Professional Writing courses.

This means that you’ll learn alongside students studying a similar discipline, helping to broaden your knowledge and exposure to other concepts, perspectives and professions in the first year of your degree.

As you learn and collaborate with students from other courses, you'll not only widen your social and professional network but also learn new skills that will set you up for success in your industry.

In your second and third years, you will progress to studying more specialist modules within journalism, developing your skills to become a World Ready graduate.

Entry Requirements

104UCAS Points

UCAS

104 UCAS points

GCE A Level

104 UCAS points from GCE A Levels or equivalent. Typical offer - CCC/BCC

BTEC

BTEC Extended Diploma: DMM

T Level

Pass (C or above in the core)

Irish / Scottish Highers

Irish Highers - H3, H3, H3, H4, H4

Scottish Highers - BBBB

International Baccalaureate

26 points

Access requirements

Access to HE Diploma, to include 45 credits at level 3, 30 of which must be at Merit or above

OCR

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma - DMM

Extra Information / General Entry Requirements

Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A Level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs.
 
Applicants will be required to attend an interview/workshop day.

Students from countries outside the UK are expected to have entry qualifications roughly equivalent to UK A Level for undergraduate study and British Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) for postgraduate study. To help you to interpret these equivalents, please click on your country of residence to see the corresponding entry qualifications, along with information about your local representatives, events, information and contacts.

We accept a wide range of qualifications and consider all applications individually on merit. We may also consider appropriate work experience.

English Language Requirements

  • IELTS Academic: Undergraduate: 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in each band)
  • Postgraduate: 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each band)

For more information on our entry requirements, please visit International Entry Requirements.

72UCAS points

UCAS Tariff

72 points

GCE A level

72 points overall, including grade D in A level

BTEC

BTEC Extended Diploma: MMP

International Baccalaureate

24 points

Irish / Scottish Highers

Irish Highers: H4 H4 H4 H4 H4

Scottish Highers: CCDD

Access requirements

Access to HE Diploma – Pass overall

T Level

T Level: Pass (D or E on the core)

OCR Cambridge Technicals

OCR Extended Diploma: MMP

Extra Information

Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A level General Studies will be recognised in our offer.  We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs.

If you are a mature student (21 or over) and have been out of education for a while or do not have experience or qualifications at Level 3 (equivalent to A Levels), then our Foundation Year courses will help you to develop the skills and knowledge you will need to succeed in your chosen degree. 

Fees and Funding

£9,250per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

Our full-time undergraduate tuition fees for Home students entering University in 2025/26 are £9,250 a year, or £1,540 per 20-credit module for part-time study.

The University may increase these fees at the start of each subsequent year of your course in line with inflation at that time, as measured by the Retail Price Index. These fee levels and increases are subject to any necessary government, and other regulatory, approvals.

Students from the UK, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and the Republic of Ireland are treated as Home students for tuition fee purposes.

Students from countries in the European Economic Area and the EU will pay International Tuition Fees.

Students who have been granted Settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans.

Students who have been granted Pre-settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans.

£14,450*per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

The tuition fees for international students studying Undergraduate programmes in 2025/26 are £14,450 per year for a full-time course.

This fee is set for each year of study. All undergraduate students are eligible for international and merit-based scholarships which are applicable to each year of study.  

For courses with a Foundation Year, the tuition fees for Year 1 are £10,750 and £14,200 for Years 2-4 in 2025/26.

For more information, go to our International Fees, Scholarship and Finance section.

Irish Nationals living in the UK or ROI are treated as Home students for Tuition Fee Purposes. 

Your course will involve additional costs not covered by your tuition fees. This may include books, printing, photocopying, educational stationery and related materials.

Students often elect to purchase a laptop; where students choose to do so, the cost is likely to be around £800-£1000.

There is an opportunity to take part in study trips, including one trip outside the UK which may have additional costs associated with it. We do endeavour to support students who may not be able to afford to take part. The field trip is optional and students are not required to participate in order to successfully complete the course.

If you are living away from home during your time at university, you will need to cover costs such as accommodation, food, travel and bills.

Where you'll study Gateway House, Chester

Central hub in Chester city-centre

Our central hub in Chester city centre provides easy access to shops, bars, restaurants, and the Storyhouse Theatre. We are located within a short walking distance to the bus and train stations, and many halls of residence.

Your Future Career

Job Prospects

Students have gone on to work for journalistic organisations including international and national news agencies such as Reuters and News Corp, online and print publications such as Newsweek and more. Some have taken a freelance approach, forging careers in niche aspects of journalism such as gaming, lifestyle, and pop culture. Others have gone into roles such as social media management, copy-writing and public relations. 

Careers service

The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.

Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.

We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extra-curricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs and postgraduate study.

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