Course overview

The Journalism with English Language course is an exciting combination that focuses on writing across a range of media. Journalism is an exciting, fast changing world where you don't just need the ability to find and tell a story, but an array of technical skills to communicate that tale to the public. English language is an ideal complement to journalism and this course should help you to become a highly capable wordsmith, whether your eventual goal is to write for magazines, newspapers or to pen something of your own.

At Portsmouth we are committed to helping you gain the skills to progress in your career. From interviewing and writing through to the ability to produce newspaper and magazine pages, magazine apps and web sites, you will learn skills that are much sought after in the marketplace.

Over three years you will learn the basic skills of journalism alongside the theory that underlies the practice of journalism. We intend that our graduates are not just proficient but also ethical and reflective practitioners of journalism with significant knowledge of another subject.

The BA (Hons) English Language and Journalism is one of three journalism combined honours courses, giving you the opportunity to meet and socialise with a lively group of students from sister degrees that combine English or journalism with a variety of other combined honours. This breadth of specialist interests fosters a wide range of perspectives and helps to make Portsmouth a vibrant place to study.

Evidence of a commitment to journalism and relevant experience is desirable.

The University of Portsmouth is seeking magazine industry accreditation for this course in 2013.

The university is also an approved exam centre for the National Council for the Training of Journalists, a body traditionally associated with the newspaper industry, Students have the opportunity to sit a number of NCTJ examinations but applicants are advised that if they wish to take all the NCTJ core examinations they should apply for the single honours Journalism course.

Enquiries are particularly welcomed from mature candidates (over 21 years of age) who may not hold the formal qualifications usually required for admission to the course. This degree is particularly committed to recruiting such students who will usually hold an Access qualification or equivalent.

Student participation

Regular formal and informal feedback is sought from all students on their experience of the degree. You will be able to elect representatives to the Student-Staff Consultative Committee, which input into the Board of Studies, the committee that helps administer and monitor the degree's progress.

Placements

You can complete a 10-day journalism-based work placement as part of a Placement and Digital Portfolio module in the third year of this course. During placement, you gain relevant work experience, learn more about the professional application of journalism and produce material for your portfolio which may also be used for NCTJ professional qualifications. Past students have gained work placements on a variety of weekly, evening and national newspapers, national magazines, radio and television stations and web publications.

This course also allows you to take the Learning From Experience (LiFE) option, which lets you earn credits toward your degree for work / research placements, volunteer roles or internships undertaken alongside your studies.  The option gives you the opportunity to enhance your employability skills, to reflect on the ways in which you've done so, and to learn to express this to potential employers.

Course content

What you will study

Year 1

• Law for journalists
• Theories and techniques in journalism
• Introduction to studying journalism
• Copywriting and web editing
• Language, society and mind
• How language works

Year 2

• An introduction to editorial design
• Visual journalism
• Meaning in English
• Feature writing
• 1 option from:
  • Analysing discourse
  • Forensic linguistics
• 1 option from:
  • Sports journalism
  • Ethical issues in modern journalism
  • Learning from experience

Year 3

• EITHER Dissertation
  OR Journalism special exercise
• Writing and producing magazines
• 1 option from
  • Placements and digital portfolio
  • Press and public relations
• 2 options from
  • Professional communication
  • English in a historical perspective
  • Professional communication 2
  • English in the world

Teaching and assessment

Each year you will study units worth a total of 120 credits (60 credits per semester) and will need to acquire 360 credits to achieve an honours degree.

Learning takes place within a varied environment and includes lectures, seminars, tutorials, screenings, presentations, projects, practical workshop sessions and group-based activities.

You will be expected to participate fully in group discussions and group projects, and apply word processing skills. You will be encouraged to make effective use of information from a wide variety of sources, including video and DVD audio-visual materials, CD-ROM and web-searches, the University library and our well-stocked resources area.

We use a range of assessment methods, including essays, close textual analysis, in-class tests, seminar presentations, performance and a dissertation. For the journalism pathway you will produce a range of journalistic writing and layouts for assessment and be required to sit in-class tests.

The final classification of the degree award is determined by your overall performance in units in both your second and third years.

You can also sit the external examinations of the NCTJ in law, public administration and news writing, which form the newspaper industry's pre-entry requirements.

Career prospects

This is a vocational course and at the end of it we would expect you to find employment as a journalist on newspapers, magazines and websites, and English has always been an attractive subject for editors who appreciate its synergy with journalism.

However, this new course offers tremendous possibilities to graduates in terms of the transferable skills it provides. These include rigorous analytical, writing, presentation, editing, design and layout skills.

Facilities and features

Journalism students learn practical skills in a purpose-built, spacious, air-conditioned newsroom, which is equipped with high-specification computers, large TFT screens and includes pre-press quality scanners and A3 colour printers, as well as a digital visualiser.

It also provides access to key industry-standard software, including QuarkXPress and Adobe Photoshop. Significant out-of-hours facilities are planned and a virtual newsroom is being developed that will replicate industry workflow.

The course is taught by people with significant experience, both as practising journalists and qualified academics actively researching the field.

We also use a variety of traditional and contemporary resources including video, the web and PowerPoint. Several of the units also use online resources, especially shorthand.

Your learning experience as an undergraduate will be different to pre-degree study, but we will teach you the necessary skills for degree level study. At each stage of study you will be assigned a personal tutor who will help ensure that you realise your academic potential. You will also have access to personal support throughout your time with us.

Enquiries are particularly welcomed from mature candidates (over 21 years of age) who may not hold the formal qualifications usually required for admission to the course.

This degree is particularly committed to recruiting such students who will usually hold an Access qualification or equivalent.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BA (Hons) Journalism with English Language for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).