How long is the Diploma in Digital Journalism?

The Diploma in Digital Journalism runs for 9 to 12 months, with on-campus newsroom shifts, online live daily newsdays or a distance route with mentor desk-edits.

Can I study the Diploma in Digital Journalism online?

Yes. The Diploma in Digital Journalism is offered fully online with live daily newsdays, or as distance learning with structured desk-editing by a working UK digital editor.

Is the diploma recognised by UK newsrooms?

The Diploma in Digital Journalism is aligned with NCTJ digital pathways, NUJ professional standards and the IPSO Editors' Code that UK news organisations work to.

What are the entry requirements for the Diploma in Digital Journalism?

Completed secondary schooling or equivalent work experience, GCSE English at grade 4/C, IELTS 6.0 for non-native English speakers, and a sample of writing with your application.

What does the Diploma in Digital Journalism cost and are scholarships available?

Fees vary by route. The Diploma in Digital Journalism offers a digital-newsroom progression bursary each intake — contact admissions for the current fee schedule and eligibility.

Diploma in Digital Journalism London | LSCT London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Diploma in Digital Journalism at the London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a 9 to 12-month qualification for new and early-career reporters who want to work in the way modern UK newsrooms actually operate — digital first, mobile first, with audience data on every editor's desk. The diploma is aligned with NCTJ digital pathways, the NUJ digital working group standards and current Society of Editors guidance, and is taught from our central London base with online and distance routes.

You will publish from week one on an LSCT-run digital news title, learning the rhythms of live blogging, mobile filing, vertical-video production and search-aware story structure. Assessment combines a portfolio of published cuttings, a data and verification project, and a fast-turnaround news story produced under deadline.

You will publish or broadcast to a real audience from the first term, with editorial standards set on day one and applied consistently across all student output. The faculty maintains active newsroom and agency contacts across UK media so guest practitioners drop into seminars regularly and feedback loops back from the industry into the syllabus continuously.

Key Features

NCTJ digital-aligned syllabus with NUJ professional practice standards.
Three study modes — central London newsroom shifts, online with live daily newsdays, or distance learning with mentor desk-edits.
Live digital title students publish to from week one.
Vertical-video production module for TikTok, Reels and Shorts newsroom practice.
SEO and audience-data module using GA4 and Chartbeat-style dashboards.
Final portfolio assessed by a working UK digital editor.

The programme is scheduled around the rhythm of a working media operation — newsdays mid-week, longer-form work over the weekend — so students experience the cadence as well as the craft. Editorial standards are set on day one and applied consistently across every piece of student work.

What You Will Learn

The diploma builds the four reflexes UK digital editors interview for — clean fast writing, mobile and vertical-video craft, verification discipline, and audience-data fluency. You will graduate able to file a breaking-news update from a phone, build a search-aware feature and read an audience dashboard without flinching.

Digital news writing and headline craft for search.
Live-blogging, push-alerts and breaking-news workflow.
Vertical and short-form video production.
Verification, OSINT basics and fact-checking practice.
SEO, audience analytics and social-traffic strategy.
Newsletter craft and direct-audience formats.
UK media law for digital reporters — defamation, contempt, data.
IPSO Editors' Code compliance for online journalism.

Modules are assessed by working practitioners as well as academics, which means feedback reads more like an editor note than a marker comment. Students leave with cuttings, packaged work and a portfolio that can be sent straight to a hiring desk.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers and graduates aiming at digital news desks.
Career changers from marketing, content or copywriting moving into journalism.
Creators and bloggers formalising their reporting craft.
International students seeking a UK-recognised digital-journalism credential.

Working journalists adding a specialism are welcome and the media department offers flexible scheduling for those filing daily. International applicants seeking UK media credentials are supported through the post-Brexit publishing landscape and IPSO regulatory framework.

Career Pathways

Graduates feed into the UK digital news economy, from national online desks to specialist trade titles and regional digital teams. Typical destinations include:

Digital Reporter
News Reporter (Online Desk)
Social Media Journalist
Vertical Video Producer
Newsletter Editor
Audience Engagement Editor

Recent destinations include desks at UK regional and national titles, in-house communications teams at FTSE-listed firms, the press functions of public-sector bodies, charity communications, and independent podcast and digital-publishing operations. The placements team supports portfolio review, pitch practice and direct introductions where appropriate.

The diploma feeds cleanly into a BA in Media Studies or an Advanced Diploma in Investigative Journalism.

The media department maintains an active alumni network across UK newsrooms, agencies and in-house communications functions, with former students regularly returning as guest tutors and direct referrers for current cohorts.

Entry Requirements

Completed secondary schooling (A-levels, BTEC Level 3, IB or recognised international equivalent) or equivalent work experience.
GCSE English Language at grade 4/C or above (or equivalent).
English language: IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
A short personal statement and a sample of writing (a blog post, newsletter or article) submitted with your application.

Mature applicants with newsroom, agency or in-house communications experience may apply with a CV and a small portfolio rather than the formal qualifications listed above. International applicants are supported through pre-arrival orientation and CAS issuance, and the media department offers tutorial support for those building UK-context portfolios.

Why Study at LSCT

The London School of Commerce and Technology (LSCT) is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London and part of Harold International College. We teach in small cohorts so every student is visible to their tutor, run a single intake schedule that students can rely on, and partner with UK professional bodies so qualifications carry weight with employers. London puts Whitehall, the City, Silicon Roundabout, the Royal Courts of Justice, the West End and the NHS estate within a short tube ride of every classroom — and our students use that proximity in their projects, placements and graduate job hunts. Our media faculty includes working digital editors, so newsdays mirror the actual pace and tooling UK digital desks run on.

The media department brings practitioner panels into every cohort — from working journalists who file daily to PR directors who handle current FTSE reputations — which keeps the syllabus connected to the live UK industry. Students publish to a real audience under their own bylines from the first term.

Apply for Diploma in Digital Journalism

Ready to take the next step into the Media, Journalism & Communication sector? Click Enrol Now to submit your application for the Diploma in Digital Journalism; admissions reply within one working day.

Admissions on the media programme respond within one working day with intake confirmation and a short portfolio review where applicable. Tuition discussions and any relevant industry-progression bursaries are flagged privately by the team during enrolment.