Is the Advanced Diploma in Professional Journalism the same as the NCTJ Diploma?

No, but the syllabus is aligned to it. The Advanced Diploma in Professional Journalism covers the same craft, law, public affairs and shorthand standards UK newsrooms expect of NCTJ-trained reporters, and prepares graduates to sit the NCTJ examinations directly afterwards.

Will I really learn shorthand on the Advanced Diploma in Professional Journalism?

Yes. Weekly Teeline classes run from week one with structured speed practice. Graduates target the 100 wpm NCTJ benchmark by the end of the course. Online and distance students follow the same syllabus with tutor-marked dictation exercises.

Is the Advanced Diploma in Professional Journalism recognised by UK newsrooms?

Yes. The credential is a UK qualification at Level 5, aligned to NCTJ Diploma standards and built around Society of Editors and NUJ professional benchmarks. Regional and national newsrooms recognise the qualification, and the portfolio is what most editors read first.

What sort of portfolio do I leave the Advanced Diploma in Professional Journalism with?

Twenty clips minimum, mixed across news, features, court reports and online pieces. Many graduates leave with bylined work in regional titles and the LSJHML student newsroom site, plus a court-reporting log and a media-law accuracy log.

Advanced Diploma in Professional Journalism | LSJHML London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Advanced Diploma in Professional Journalism at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a twelve-to-fifteen-month UK qualification that turns trained reporters into newsroom-ready professionals. The syllabus is designed around the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism, the standard UK newsrooms reference when shortlisting. You will write to deadline, sit shorthand, sit a practical media-law assessment, and produce a working portfolio that survives editor critique.

This Advanced Diploma is craft-first. The Advanced Diploma in Professional Journalism is for people who plan to walk out of the course and into a junior reporter post — and who want a credential the news editor recognises before they read your covering letter.

Key Features

UK senior-track journalism credential aligned to the NCTJ Diploma syllabus and Society of Editors standards.
Shorthand to NCTJ benchmark — graduates target the 100 wpm standard with structured weekly classes.
Media law module — defamation, contempt, court reporting, the Editors' Code, designed and taught with a practising media lawyer.
Public affairs strand — UK central and local government, courts and police structure, regulator landscape.
Weekly newsday with subbed copy review, photo selection and a published online edition.
Final portfolio — twenty published or publishable clips reviewed by working UK editors.

What You Will Learn

The Advanced Diploma in Professional Journalism is structured around the working life of a junior reporter on a UK regional or specialist title. You graduate able to file accurately to deadline, take shorthand notes in court, explain the legal risk of a story to a duty editor, and put together a portfolio that holds up to the NCTJ benchmark.

News writing — leads, structure, attribution, accurate quoting.
Interviewing — set-piece, doorstep, on-the-record management.
Court reporting — magistrates', Crown and youth courts, reporting restrictions, contempt.
Public affairs — Westminster, Whitehall, local government, NHS trusts, devolved administrations.
Media law — defamation defences, contempt, harassment, data protection, the Editors' Code.
Shorthand — Teeline to NCTJ benchmark, with weekly tested practice.
Production — sub-editing, headline writing, picture selection, CMS workflow.
Ethics — IPSO complaint procedure, accuracy logs, source protection.

Who This Advanced Diploma Is For

Diploma graduates ready to professionalise into a hireable junior reporter.
Working bloggers, content writers and editorial assistants wanting NCTJ-aligned training without leaving their day job.
Career-changers in their thirties moving into local newsroom work from PR, public sector or NGO communications.
International journalists relocating to the UK and needing a recognised credential to enter the local market.

Career Pathways

The Advanced Diploma in Professional Journalism is built to deliver hireable junior reporters. UK regional newsrooms continue to recruit NCTJ-aligned candidates for staff and trainee posts, and the qualification is the starting line for many national newsroom careers. Typical first or next roles include:

News Reporter (regional daily, weekly or online title)
Staff Journalist (specialist trade or consumer magazine)
Multimedia Journalist (regional broadcaster, online newsroom)
Press Officer (NHS trust, local authority, charity)
Editorial Assistant (national title, magazine group)
Junior Sub-Editor (regional press, specialist publisher)

Graduates progress to the BA in Journalism, Ethics and Media Law or an MA in a journalism specialism at LSJHML or a partner university.

Entry Requirements

A UK Diploma (Level 4) or equivalent in a related subject, OR completion of secondary school plus one year of relevant work experience.
IELTS 5.5 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
Personal statement and CV; a short writing sample is welcome.
Mature applicants (21+) without standard qualifications may apply with three years of relevant work experience.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.