Do I need a maths A-Level to study BA Business Journalism?

No. The course assumes numerical confidence — comfort with percentages, basic ratios, simple spreadsheets — but does not require A-Level Maths. Accounts literacy is taught from the ground up, on the assumption you have not studied finance before.

Is BA Business Journalism aimed at people who want to work at the Financial Times or Bloomberg?

It is one of the natural destinations, but the degree also trains reporters for national newspaper business desks, trade press, broadcast business teams, the wire services and financial PR. The skill set is portable across the sector.

Will BA Business Journalism teach me how to read company accounts?

Yes — accounts literacy is a core thread running through all three years. You leave able to read a P&L, balance sheet and cash-flow statement; pull Companies House filings; and identify the red flags a working business reporter is trained to spot.

Can BA Business Journalism be studied online?

Yes. The online route mirrors on-campus delivery with live markets newsdays via video call, recorded earnings analyses and supervised filing. Distance learners follow structured deadlines with one optional intensive week in London each year.

Is BA Business Journalism a good route into investigative reporting?

It is one of the strongest. Most major investigations have a financial trail — and business journalists with accounts literacy and document-discipline are routinely recruited into specialist investigations teams. Several graduates each year move into investigations roles at UK national titles.

BA Business Journalism in London | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The BA Business Journalism at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a three-year UK honours degree for students who want to report the world of money, markets and corporate power. The capital is the natural setting — the FCA, the Bank of England, the London Stock Exchange and the City's financial press all sit within a short walk of the campus — and the degree uses that proximity actively.

You leave able to read a set of results, interrogate a company's accounts at Companies House, file copy to the standards a financial wire expects, and bring numerical literacy to a story without losing your readers.

Key Features

UK honours degree in business journalism — three years full-time, with online and distance routes.
Live markets newsday each week, writing to wire-service deadlines and house style.
Financial-literacy strand — accounting basics, capital markets, central-bank policy, taxation literacy.
Specialist beats across personal finance, tech, energy and macroeconomic reporting.
Industry masterclasses with City correspondents and financial editors from UK national titles, wire services and trade press.
Final-year portfolio of published business journalism, including one long-form investigation.

What You Will Learn

The BA Business Journalism is structured around the technical and editorial skills the City demands of working business reporters — fast accurate filing, accounts literacy, regulatory awareness and the analytical chops to turn a balance sheet into a story your readers can use.

News writing for business audiences — wire-service style, tight ledes, accuracy under deadline.
Accounts literacy — reading P&L, balance sheet and cash-flow statements; spotting red flags.
Capital markets — equities, bonds, derivatives basics, IPO and M&A reporting.
Corporate disclosure — Companies House, RNS announcements, prospectuses, AGMs.
Macroeconomics for reporters — central-bank policy, inflation, employment, GDP construction.
Personal finance journalism — pensions, mortgages, consumer credit, regulatory protections.
Media law for business reporters — defamation, market abuse, insider information, embargoes.
Data journalism — spreadsheets, basic SQL, visualisation, regulatory dataset interrogation.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers fascinated by business, markets or economics who want a writing-led degree rather than a pure finance one.
International students looking to study in London, the European capital of business journalism.
Career-changers from banking, accountancy or consultancy who want to move into reporting.
Mature applicants with portfolio experience in business writing or financial blogging.

Career Pathways

Business journalism is a competitive but skill-rewarded market. Graduates with strong accounts literacy, wire-style writing and a portfolio of published clips compete strongly for entry roles at UK and international financial titles. Typical destinations include:

Junior Business Reporter (national newspaper business desk)
Wire-Service Reporter (Reuters, Bloomberg, Dow Jones graduate entry)
City Correspondent (regional or specialist title)
Markets Journalist (trade press, specialist financial publisher)
Personal Finance Reporter (national title, consumer magazine)
Financial PR Account Executive (City PR consultancy)

Graduates progress to a Master's in Financial Journalism, Business Journalism, or a complementary specialism such as Investigative Journalism.

Entry Requirements

Three A-Levels at BBC or above (or international equivalent — IB 28 points, BTEC DMM, or accepted national qualification).
GCSE English Language at grade 5 or equivalent English proficiency test.
IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
A short personal statement; numerical confidence is helpful but no maths A-Level required.
Mature applicants (21+) without standard qualifications may apply with a portfolio and short interview.

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.