Journalism with Foundation Year

This option includes a foundation year, which will provide you with a sound introduction to key elements needed for studying Journalism at degree level. The foundation year is carefully designed to build confidence in your abilities, develop essential academic and study skills, and provide you with the subject specific knowledge essential for success.

Why this course? • This Journalism programme is accredited by the industry professional body The Professional Publishers Association (PPA). • Learning from an international team of highly experienced journalists, industry experts and media scholars, you will develop your own portfolio, including blogs, in-depth articles and multimedia projects. • 93% of BA Journalism students are satisfied with their course at Roehampton – the highest in London (NSS 2020). • Our new, state-of-the-art media facilities offer two newsrooms that replicate real working environments.

About this course

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.

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.

Skills

Whether you want to work as a journalist, learn about the world of media or become an effective communicator in another industry, our all-encompassing BA Journalism will provide you with a springboard to success as a storyteller and content producer.

The Roehampton programme is tailored to prepare you for the modern media industry. From the basics of news reporting and the emergence of new media to the production of magazines and multimedia packages, our degree offers hands-on, practical modules that focus on the skills employers want.

You will study the British media industry, examine the history of leading newspapers, and analyse the differences between broadsheets and tabloids. In doing so, you will determine how journalism helps shape public opinion and popular culture, and will learn about the political, economic and legal context in which journalists produce their work.

Career opportunities

Whether you want to work in print, radio, television or online media, or become a social media influencer, our BA Journalism will provide you with the skills to pursue a broad range of career options. You could go on to work as a news reporter, writer, editor, producer, or broadcaster in local, national or international media, or you could find a different path as an independent content producer and manage your own media platforms.

Many Journalism graduates are also employed in communications, public affairs and public/media relations. A strong understanding of what makes a good story and how to build narratives and press releases is important to the communications and PR efforts of businesses, charities, political parties and pressure groups. The creative skills and journalistic nous developed over your degree will be highly valued by employers outside of the media industry.

Facilities

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.