Modules

You will develop your professional and intellectual skills by exploring journalism and creative writing in a range of contexts and genres, and set your practice within the creative, ethical and legal frameworks of past and present practitioners.

As you progress, you will learn how to generate fresh ideas through experimentation, write for different readers and publishing platforms, solve problems, collaborate, research both professionally and academically, and promote your work to employers and audiences.

Year One:
The first year introduces you to core skills and working methods you will apply throughout your studies, enabling you to express yourself in a supportive atmosphere. You will learn how and where to access key resources and practise fundamental research, critical-thinking and organisational skills.

You will discuss examples of creative and journalistic writing and multimedia content, to provide a framework for your own practice and a context for experimentation. You will learn about the publishing business and explore broader issues in the media.

Modules
Writing: Craft and Contexts
Mission launch: The Reporter's Toolkit
Digital News Lab: Audiovisual Storytelling
Breaking the Rules: Remix and Writing Back
The Information Age: Exploring the Media Landscape
Publishing Studio: Technologizing the Word

Year Two:
The second year supports you to build on the learning and creative confidence established in year one, offering the chance to explore other forms of non-fiction writing and choose specialist modules to suit your evolving interests, including screen writing and games writing.

Collaborative working is a key theme - you will devise and produce an original magazine with peers, engage in a multimedia newsroom project, and apply your skills to a real-world brief alongside students from other subjects.

Modules
Digital News Lab: Local is Global
Creative Non-Fiction
Making Magazines
Collaboration

Optional modules
Games
Poetry
Satire & Scandal
Screenwriting
Fiction
Magic & the Impossible
Radio & Theatre

Year Three:
You’ll be responsible for finding your own placement, with support from the RealWORKS employability team.

How you’ll study during your placement year

You’ll spend time working in a professional context, as part of a business or organisation. This can be in one role, or up to three, and must be for a minimum of 24 weeks.

You’ll develop in-demand workplace skills, deepen your insight into industry and grow your network of contacts, all of which could help you get ahead in your career after graduation.

Throughout this year, you’ll develop a portfolio of work that includes critical self-reflection on what has been learned from the experience. You’ll be required to evidence your experiences, the skills you’ve learned and your professional growth.

Year Four:
The third year deepens your craft and employability skills as you progress to becoming a truly independent learner, researcher and practitioner. You will learn further research skills as a platform for a major creative or journalistic project of your own choosing.

This year also equips you with the business acumen to accelerate your career, the chance to do work experience, and the challenge of taking on team and management roles in a live newsroom. You can again specialise, with options including crime writing and writing for younger audiences.

Modules
Digital News Lab: Going Live
How to be Right: Advanced Investigation and Research
The Springboard

Optional Modules
Mini-Documentary
Dissertation and Portfolio
Creative Writing Portfolio
Children and Young Adult
Crime and Dark Fiction
We have Never Been Human
Innovations

The modules above are those being studied by our students, or proposed new ones. Programme structures and modules can change as part of our curriculum enhancement and review processes. If a certain module is important to you, please discuss it with the Course Leader

Assessment methods

100% of your assessment will be coursework.

Giving and receiving feedback is not only vital for your own development but also to help you become an effective professional – especially in the creative industries. This can be challenging, and it is with practice in the supportive environment of the course that this will become second nature and an essential part of your own growth.

The course features a variety of assessment types based on the modules chosen, which could include:

Portfolio – a selection of your work
Presentation – a presentation made to a lecturer, class and/or panel
Report – a formal summary of a project or other activity
Journal – a reflection on your practice
Essay – an academic argument addressing a question or a hypothesis
Practical – an example of your creative or journalistic work
Case Study – an evaluation of a particular event, person, content, artefact, etc.
Dissertation – an extended piece of academic writing, longform written or media project

We'll push you to make the most of any outside opportunities, so you can utilise our facilities and support. You'll also gain valuable industry insights from our visiting speakers and Writers in Residence, who have previously included Lionel Shriver, Philip Marsden and Simon Armitage.

Extra funding

If English is not your first language, you will need to demonstrate English language skills that are sufficiently developed for successful completion of your studies. We accept a range of recognised English language qualifications that are equivalent to the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic minimum score of 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. Through the award of international scholarships, we aim to support academic enrichment by encouraging diversity and excellence at Falmouth. For details of our international scholarships, and how to apply for them, please visit our website at www.falmouth.ac.uk.