Curious about studying Journalism (Including Year Abroad) - BA (Hons)at University of Essex? We've gathered all the key details—entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Hear from real students by checking out reviews, or take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
University of Essex
Full Time
Oct 2026
4 Year
This course equips you to become a journalist with the news awareness, story-getting and story-telling skills to flourish in today’s multimedia journalism environment. We live in a connected world with instant access to whatever news we want, whenever and wherever we want it. We don’t have to wait for the newspaper to hit the streets or for the evening news bulletin; anyone with a smartphone can be a reporter, able to record, edit and publish whatever they like. The challenge for professional journalists in this digital age is to provide news and information that can be trusted, meeting the demands created by new technology and changing habits without sacrificing core professional values. Our degree has been designed with the future needs of this rapidly changing industry at its heart, informing our curriculum, programme design, facilities and staffing. Our course places a strong emphasis on good writing, independence, accuracy and ethical practice, the values that have always underpinned the best journalism. But at Essex we go further, applying those values to the new world of social networks and mobile technology. You will gain a thorough training in the theory and practice of journalism: - Benefit from opportunities to work in the field, both independently and alongside practicing journalists across a range of media - Be mentored by a leading professional in a chosen specialist subject, such as business, arts, literary, political or sports journalism - Find, tell and publish your own ‘real’ stories across different media, building a substantial portfolio of work to show to future employers - Study topics including the art of storytelling, the history of journalism, and multimedia production - Work towards the industry-standard NCTJ Diploma in Journalism as part of your degree - Gain an essential understanding of media law and how the UK works As a student at one of the UK’s leading social science institutions and a pioneer of literature and writing, you are uniquely placed to acquire a deep understanding of the world you report on as well as to develop your own powerful journalistic style.
This module introduces you to storytelling and narrative. You’ll discuss the nature of news and how to identify a story, obtaining and deciphering information, editing and considering wording and tone. You will begin to learn the basics of multimedia production, and start producing content for print, online and television outlets.
This module provides a broad introduction to the law and how it affects all varieties of journalism. It covers the main legal issues encountered by journalists - knowledge you will need to apply in practice as you undertake all forms of reporting, in particular the proceedings of the courts. The module will enable you to sit the NCTJ Essential Media Law which is an element of the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism.
This module provides an introduction to the workings of central and local government and social and political institutions at local, national and European levels, in the context of reporting the workings of government at all levels in an informed and engaging way. It also contributes to the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism and you will sit the NCTJ examination in Essential Public Affairs.
This module covers the history of journalism in Britain from its beginnings in the 17th century to the start of the internet age. Topics include: the impact of printing; the first news serials; government attempts to control the press from the 17th to the 19th centuries; the emergence of mass circulation papers; the role of press barons in the 20th century; radio and the rise of the BBC; the press from 1945 to 2000; the arrival and development of television; ownership and control of the media; and the impact of the internet. The module critically considers the evolving political, economic and social contexts of journalism and the media more generally, underpinning and informing the content of all other elements of the degree course.
This module will get you up and running in the world of podcasting. You’ll learn advanced production skills and develop the ability to tell great stories through sound. In this module the classroom becomes a studio and the instructor becomes an editor. You will work both individually and collaboratively to produce your own short and long-form podcasts. You will learn such production skills as recording, editing, mixing and mastering; and become familiar with a wide range of production equipment including microphones, field recorders and audio interfaces. You will also develop such enduring journalistic skills as researching, scripting, and interviewing for stories.
In this module, you will complete your studies – begun in Year 1 - of the principal areas of the law relating to journalism, and prepare for and sit the NCTJ examination in Media Law. You will also expand your exploration of the wider constraints affecting journalism, voluntary and otherwise. These include media regulation, the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, the Editors’ Code of Practice and other expressions of good, ethical practice.
In this module you will learn, through class teaching and practical experience, how to write and adapt news stories and features for broadcast platforms. Building on the core reporting skills you have developed in Year 1, you will learn more about the particular demands and characteristics of the different media platforms and the editorial and production techniques required to deliver high quality broadcast journalism.
In this module you will learn, through practical experience, how to write features, how to edit and adapt news stories and features for print and online and how to produce print and online publications. Building on the core reporting and production skills you have developed in your first year, you will learn more about the relationship between news and features and the particular demands and characteristics of the different media platforms, with the first term concentrating on feature-writing and print production and the second largely taken up with a print and online magazine production project.
This module starts with traditional investigative research methods - analysing documents, using archives, accessing public records, using FOIA. In the latter sessions, it focuses on cutting edge, digital open source journalism where students will learn to collect, analyse and document publicly available online information for use in law, advocacy, or journalism. Students will learn to authenticate audio-visual data, geolocate photos and videos, and mine social media for useful information. Students will also learn advanced fact-checking methods. Guest sessions will be conducted by open-source journalism pioneers and fact-checking experts from leading investigative agencies.
This module introduces you to the theory and practice of journalism in a global context, and current important debates in media and communication. It aims to complement the practical skills you have developed in producing for multiple media platforms. The module addresses contemporary trends at the heart of global journalism and ensuing critical questions, by exploring journalistic practices and their meaning in different political, regulatory and cultural contexts. It aims to expand your horizons to assess critical questions going beyond the simple production of a news story. We will explore topical and timely issues such as globalisation, mediatization and mediation, framing conflicts, international politics, propaganda, democracy, and populism, among other important topics.
This module deals with the principles and practicalities of photojournalism. It starts with a review of the basic principles of newsgathering and production, moves to the practical skills required of the relevant legal and ethical considerations. Technical skills addressed include selection and composition, use of the camera, management of images and meta-data and image production.
This module builds on everything you have learned so far about writing, reporting and production, with a particular emphasis on the broadcast media of radio and television. You will already have had the opportunity to gain extensive experience of newspaper and online reporting, and this module will bring your broadcast skills up to the same high standard of knowledge and expertise. This module will also prepare you for the Specialist Option element of your NCTJ Diploma.
In your final year you will undertake a capstone project designed to demonstrate your understanding of the theory and practice of reporting, your ability to work across broadcast platforms, and your ability to identify, research and deliver an original story. You will carry out scoping and preparatory work necessary for you to proceed with the project. This might include exploring story possibilities, commissioning or conducting research, reading round the subject and seeking interviews and assistance from experts and protagonists.
This module represents your ‘capstone’ project. It is work that you have carried out on your own, on the basis of the groundwork carried out during the Multimedia Project Preparation module. It will demonstrate your command of much that you have learned and practised during your first two years in terms of defining a story, gathering information, conducting research, handling data, newsgathering by means of interviews, reading, and presentation across media platforms. This work will be published on the course website.
This module helps you develop your skills in research and investigation with particular reference to the new areas emerging on the web, through the Freedom of Information Act and through social media. It will also give you confidence in handling statistics-based stories, questioning methodology and assumptions.
Year Abroad
4.3
