How long is the Diploma in Journalism?

The Diploma in Journalism runs for 9 to 12 months across on-campus, online and distance routes, with weekly live newsdays, court observation visits and a final reporting portfolio submission.

Can I study the Diploma in Journalism online?

Yes. The Diploma in Journalism is delivered fully online with live newsdays, on-campus near Holborn, or by distance learning with weekly milestones and assessed multimedia uploads.

Is the Diploma in Journalism recognised by UK newsrooms?

The Diploma in Journalism is aligned to NCTJ Diploma in Journalism core modules and NUJ entry-level standards, with content judged against the rubrics UK regional and national editors actually use.

What are the entry requirements?

For the Diploma in Journalism you need completed secondary schooling, GCSE English at 4/C and IELTS 6.0 for international applicants; mature applicants may apply with a portfolio of writing.

What does the Diploma in Journalism cost?

Fees for the Diploma in Journalism vary by route and domicile; small access scholarships for under-represented voices in UK journalism are reviewed each intake — contact LSCT admissions.

Diploma in Journalism (Online, London) — NCTJ-Aligned | LSCT

Course Overview

Tooled for the next generation of UK newsroom recruits, the Diploma in Journalism at LSCT sits inside the Media, Journalism & Communication department and is a focused, practical programme for students who want to enter UK journalism with a working portfolio, sound legal literacy and the contact book that gets first interviews. Delivered over 9 to 12 months on-campus, fully online with live newsdays, or by structured distance learning, the Diploma covers newswriting, media law, public affairs and the multimedia skills regional and national newsrooms recruit for.

From the first week you will be reporting — court cases, council meetings, community stories — and publishing under tutor supervision on an LSCT-run digital title. By graduation you have a portfolio of cuttings, a verification dossier, basic shorthand exposure and the structured experience UK newsrooms expect from a first hire.

The Diploma in Journalism timetable is built around UK assessment realities: continuous coursework that produces the artefacts employers actually ask for, plus end-of-module case-based assessments rather than rote examinations. Tutors include working practitioners drawn from Fleet Street’s remaining presence and the Westminster lobby — not only academics — so the standard being marked against is the standard media employers apply at first interview. Students join one cohort intake per year, so the cohort moves through the programme together and forms the working network that matters when first media-sector job applications start going out.

Key Features

Syllabus aligned to NCTJ Diploma in Journalism core modules and NUJ entry-level standards.
Three study modes — on-campus near Holborn, fully online with live newsdays, or distance learning with weekly milestones.
Magistrates' and Crown Court reporting practicum with structured observation visits.
Council and public-affairs module covering London boroughs and devolved government.
Media-law deep dive on defamation, contempt, privacy and reporting restrictions.
Shorthand to introductory level for on-campus students (NCTJ standard target).

What You Will Learn

Graduates leave able to write a clean news story, report a magistrates' hearing, follow a council meeting, verify an online claim and publish across print and digital with media-law confidence. Modules include:

News Writing for Print and Digital
Media Law for Journalists (defamation, contempt, privacy)
Public Affairs (Westminster, Whitehall, councils)
Reporting Courts and Tribunals
Interviewing and Newsgathering
Multimedia Production (audio, video basics)
Editorial Ethics and the IPSO Editors' Code
Shorthand (introductory)
Investigative Methods and FOI

Who This Course Is For

School leavers, mature applicants and career changers aiming for UK newsroom roles.
Bloggers and creators ready to formalise their craft into reportage.
International students who want a UK-recognised journalism qualification.
PR and content staff moving into editorial journalism.

Career Pathways

Graduates feed UK regional and national newsrooms, digital publishers and specialist trade titles. Typical first roles include:

News Reporter (regional, national, online)
Multimedia Journalist (regional)
Editorial Assistant (digital or print)
Press Officer (junior, public sector or charity)
Content Strategist (digital publisher)
Junior Investigative Reporter

Many graduates progress to a BA in Journalism, a Diploma in Broadcast Journalism or a Higher Diploma in Digital Journalism.

One pragmatic note for prospective applicants: UK newsrooms, agencies and platforms have not stopped recruiting craft-confident practitioners, and the Diploma in Journalism is designed to produce the documented portfolio that gets a CV read rather than only an academic transcript that does not. Coursework is structured so that, on graduation, you can hand a hiring manager three or four pieces of evidence — a project, a report, a deck, a documented intervention — that map directly to a published UK job description. Personal academic tutors also run two one-to-one careers conversations during the programme to keep that mapping honest.

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) — clear and confident written English is essential and tested at interview through a short writing exercise.
English language: IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
A short personal statement; mature applicants may apply with a portfolio or CV of relevant writing work.

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. For journalism students that proximity is the curriculum: students cover live hearings at the Royal Courts of Justice, council meetings in London boroughs and Westminster lobby briefings as part of assessed reporting.

The teaching model is small-cohort and tutor-led on purpose. Discussion-based seminars, regular formative feedback and structured peer-review are how editorial-judgement is built — none of which scales to large lecture halls. Personal academic tutors are assigned at enrolment, and every student has a named contact for academic, pastoral and career-related questions. UK and international students mix in every cohort, which becomes an active strength in case sessions, group projects and the media-sector network that follows you after graduation.

Beyond classroom contact, the Diploma in Journalism makes deliberate use of UK-specific resources that international comparators cannot reach as easily: open government data on the gov.uk estate, parliamentary publications, House of Commons Library briefings, Bank of England datasets, ONS releases and the open-access research output of British universities. Throughout the programme, tutors expect editorial writing — accurate, fair and defensible against an IPSO or Ofcom complaint. Graduates often describe leaving LSCT with a set of writing and analytical habits they continue to use across a UK career — not only a transcript and a portfolio.

Apply for Diploma in Journalism

Ready to take the next step into the Media, Journalism & Communication sector? Click Enrol Now to submit your application for the Diploma in Journalism; admissions reply within one working day with the next intake date and a short writing-exercise slot.