Journalism with Media Studies
University of Portsmouth
UCAS Code: P5P3 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
112-120 points to include a minimum of 2 A levels.
112-122 Tariff points from the Access to HE Diploma.
Cambridge Pre-U score of 46-50.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
3 GCSEs at grade C or above to include English and Mathematics/3 GCSEs at grade 4 or above to include English and Mathematics.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
25 points from the IB Diploma, to include 3 Higher Level subjects.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
H3,H3,H3,H3,H4-H3,H3,H3,H3,H3
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
112-120 Tariff points to include a minimum of 2 Advanced Highers.
Acceptable when combined with other qualifications.
T Level
UCAS Tariff
112-120 points to include a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent.
112-120 points from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate including 1 A level, plus the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
**This is a Connected Degree**
Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course.
**Overview**
Are you a budding critic, publisher, or journalist?
Our BA (Hons) Journalism with Media Studies degree course gives you a critical understanding of the media field while providing a grounding in journalism disciplines and techniques.
You'll learn from published media researchers and expert journalists, as well as using professional-grade media analysis and production facilities. You’ll also develop transferable skills you'll be able to use in any profession.
With the option of taking industry placements and the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) qualifications, you can tailor your study on this course to fit your ideal journalistic or media career.
**Course highlights**
- Get further professional qualifications by taking National Council for Training Journalists (NCTJ) exams
- Refine your practice by learning from published media researchers and journalists with written and broadcast experience in local, regional, national and international journalism
- Learn more about the journalism and media industries by meeting visiting professionals from industry bodies – past guests include Dream Team FC, The Times, Novara Media, Sky News, and the Cabinet Office at 10 Downing Street
- Gain valuable industry experience by taking optional placements throughout your degree
- Enhance your teamworking skills by collaborating with other students on other courses within the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries
- Capture information at up to 100 words per minute by taking shorthand training
**Work towards your NCTJ Diploma**
On this course, you can choose to take the examinations that lead to the industry-recognised NCTJ Diploma in Journalism.
If you want to do the full NCTJ diploma alongside your degree, apply for our BA (Hons) Journalism course instead.
**Careers and opportunities**
Writers, journalists, and media professionals are needed across a wide range of sectors, with communications and marketing being the most popular. Due to the shift to digital and online platforms to adapt to the pandemic, this demand has grown. The non-specialist skills you'll graduate with will also help widen your career options.
The majority of our graduates are in professional roles within two years of graduating, with some progressing to postgraduate study or taking further teacher training to become educators.
Graduate areas
Our graduates have gone on to work in areas such as:
- online, newspaper, magazine and broadcast journalism
- social media
- public relations
- marketing
- corporate communications
- publishing
- teaching (with further study)
Graduate roles
Job roles our graduates have taken on include:
- campaign assistant
- editorial assistant
- PR and marketing assistant
- trainee reporter
- journalist
After you leave the University, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years from our Careers and Employability service as you advance in your career.
Modules
Year 1
Core modules in this year include:
- Academic Skills and Career Planning
- Introduction to Media Studies
- Journalism in Context
- Media and the Image
- Media Law and Regulation
- Reporting
Optional modules in this year include:
- NCTJ Essential Law
- NCTJ Court Reporting
Year 2
Core modules in this year include:
- Feature Writing and Media Research
- Media Networks: Exploring Digital Culture
Optional modules in this year include:
- Engaged Citizenship Through Interdisciplinary Practice
- Factual Media Production
- Film, Media and Communication Study Exchange
- Film, Media and Communication Study Exchange
- Investigative Journalism
- Modern Foreign Language
- Media, Culture and National Identity
- Mobile Journalism
- Press and Public Relations
- Professional Experience
- Propaganda
- Screen Media
- Social Media and Journalism
- Specialist Journalism
- Student Enterprise
Placement year (optional)
On this course, you can do an optional work placement year between your 2nd and 3rd years to get valuable experience working in industry. We’ll help you secure a work placement that fits your situation and ambitions. You’ll get mentoring and support throughout the year.
Year 3
There are no core modules in this year.
Optional modules in this year include:
- Celebrity and Society
- Cultures of Consumption
- Digital Media and Democracy
- Dissertation
- Global Journalism and Human Rights
- Journalism Special Investigation
- Magazines: Print Media in a Digital World
- Media Fan Cultures
- Money, Government and Power
- News, War and Peace
- Placement
- Representing Science in the Media
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.
Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.
Assessment methods
You’ll be assessed through:
- essays and close textual analysis
- in-class tests
- media artefacts
- seminar presentations
- a 10,000-word dissertation
- post-placement assessment
You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.
You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.The way you’re assessed may depend on the units you select. As a guide, students on this course last year were typically assessed as follows:
- Year 1 students: 22% by written exams and 78% by coursework
- Year 2 students: 17% by practical exams and 83% by coursework
- Year 3 students: 10% by practical exams and 90% by coursework
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
University of Portsmouth
Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Journalism
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Media studies
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Journalism
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Media studies
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Only a small number of students study courses within this catch-all subject area, so there isn't a lot of information available on what graduates do when they finish - bear that in mind when you look at any stats. Marketing and PR were the most likely jobs for graduates from these courses, but it's sensible to go on open days and talk to tutors about what you might expect from the course, and what previous graduates did.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Journalism
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£16k
£23k
£26k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Media studies
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£16k
£23k
£26k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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