Do I need filmmaking equipment to study BA Documentary Journalism?

For on-campus students no — kit is loaned for project work. Online and distance students need a camera (a recent phone is acceptable for the first year), a basic external microphone and a laptop capable of running editing software. We supply software access.

Is BA Documentary Journalism more about video or audio documentary?

Both. The first two years cover video and audio in parallel, with equal time given to each. In year three you specialise — most students pick video, but audio documentary is increasingly popular as the podcast longform market expands.

How is BA Documentary Journalism different from a BA Film or BA Media Production?

BA Documentary Journalism trains journalists who use long-form video and audio. The emphasis is on truth-telling, research, ethics, evidence and contributor care — alongside the craft. A BA Film degree puts more weight on fiction filmmaking; a BA Media Production puts more weight on broadcast technical operation.

Can I publish my BA Documentary Journalism work while studying?

Yes, and we encourage it. Your annual project pieces are eligible for festival submission (we cover entry fees for selected pieces) and several graduating final projects each year are picked up by UK broadcasters, podcast networks or longform digital publishers.

Will BA Documentary Journalism prepare me for a Master's in factual production?

Yes. The degree's research, ethics and long-form craft modules are mapped to the entry requirements for UK Master's programmes in documentary, current affairs and international journalism. Several graduates each year continue at LSJHML or move on to specialist Master's elsewhere.

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

Course Overview

The BA Documentary Journalism at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a three-year UK honours degree designed for students who want to tell long, character-led, evidenced stories — on screen, in audio, and across the digital long-form space the documentary tradition has expanded into. You will direct, produce, and edit your own pieces from the first term and graduate with a credited final documentary that screens in front of industry guests.

This is a degree about the long story — the one that takes six months, builds around a single subject, sits with discomfort, and asks the audience to follow a thought. We teach you to research it, fund it, film or record it, and edit it without losing your voice or your subject's trust.

Key Features

UK honours degree in documentary practice — three years full-time, with online and distance routes.
Annual documentary commission — a piece you direct each year, with budget, schedule and edit review built in.
Field-recording and cinematography modules using kit comparable to what an indie production house uses.
Story development clinic — pitch your idea, defend it, iterate it across the year with industry mentors.
Documentary law and ethics — consent, vulnerable contributors, archival rights, music clearance.
Graduating screening at year-end with commissioning editors from UK broadcasters and independent producers in attendance.

What You Will Learn

The BA Documentary Journalism is structured around the working practice of a documentary maker — research, access, recording, edit, finishing, publication. You finish able to take an idea from a one-line pitch to a 30-to-60-minute documentary, defend the choices you made to a commissioner, and explain how you protected the people in front of your camera or microphone.

Story development — angle, premise, treatment, pitch document, sample reel.
Research and access — building trust with subjects, on-the-record agreements, contributor care.
Cinematography and field sound — composition, lighting, recording in unpredictable conditions.
Audio documentary craft — interviewing for long-form, structure, scoring, sound design.
Editing — narrative structure for long-form, pacing, the ethics of what gets cut.
Archive and rights — sourcing and clearing archive, music and stills, fair dealing.
Documentary ethics — informed consent, anonymisation, contributor wellbeing, post-publication duty of care.
Finishing — colour grade, sound mix, accessibility (subtitles, audio description), delivery specifications.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers fascinated by long-form storytelling who want a documentary career rather than a daily-news one.
International students looking for a UK degree in factual production taught in the heart of the London documentary scene.
Career-changers from teaching, social work, NGO work or community organising bringing a subject and a community they want to film honestly.
Bloggers, podcasters and YouTubers ready to formalise their craft into industry-recognisable practice.

Career Pathways

Documentary is a portfolio career for most of its practitioners — and a long-haul one. BA Documentary Journalism graduates typically progress into entry-level roles at production companies, broadcaster current-affairs teams, podcast networks and independent documentary outlets. Typical first roles include:

Documentary Researcher (current-affairs television, factual production company)
Assistant Producer (BBC, Channel 4, ITV factual strands)
Audio Documentary Producer (BBC Sounds, longform podcast network)
Self-shooting Director (entry-level documentary)
Digital Long-form Producer (newspaper video desk, social-first publisher)
Editorial Researcher (festival, longform magazine)

Graduates progress to a Master's in Documentary Journalism or to an MA in a complementary specialism such as Investigative Journalism or International 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; some courses request a portfolio or interview.
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.