While journalism is a popular undergraduate course, you won’t find it offered in every university. This does make it easier when it comes to picking the right course for you but also means that your choices are more limited. There are lots of factors to consider when choosing your course, from the experience you will gain to the industry accreditations that are offered to you.
Here are some of the best universities if you want to study journalism.
Cardiff University
Cardiff’s Journalism course is always high in the league tables and is definitely one to look at. Their journalism building is huge and full of state of the art facilities. Located right next to BBC Cardiff it is the perfect place to land industry experience. However, Cardiff’s undergraduate course is a theory based course and does not include any practical experience. This also means that it is not NCTJ or BJTC accredited. Their masters course however is NCTJ accredited and includes plenty of practical experience.
If Cardiff is the university for you and gaining hands on experience is what matters, definitely opt for their masters course over their undergraduate.
University of Leeds
Another top league table Journalism course is Leeds. A perfect blend of theory and practical you will experience all aspects of journalism and media. The course is BJTC accredited so, if you are more interested in radio, TV and the broadcasting side of journalism, Leeds will be a great choice. There is a compulsory work placement module in your final year so industry experience is guaranteed.
University of Sheffield
Sheffield’s Journalism course has been on top of the league tables many times over the past few years. Another NCTJ accredited course that offers a mix of theory and practical, Sheffield’s course allows you to try out all aspects of journalism before specialising in either written or broadcast in your final year. There is also the option to try optional modules from different courses as part of your journalism studies.
University of Strathclyde
Currently top of the Guardian’s league table for Media and Journalism, Strathclyde is another great option. Strathclyde’s courses are offered as a joint honors, meaning that you can also study English, Law, Spanish or a range of other courses alongside Journalism. The course is more theory based in the first wo years and becomes more practical in the final two. This allows you to build a foundation of knowledge before testing your skills. The course, however, does not currently have any industry accreditations.