Do I need to speak another language for the BA International Journalism?

Strongly encouraged but not required at entry. The degree includes an extended foreign-language module across all three years, and students often arrive with one working language and graduate with two. A second language is a real career advantage in international reporting.

Will the BA International Journalism send me abroad?

The final-year international reporting project is the central international experience. Most students complete it remotely or with fixer support; some travel where the destination, ethics review and safety planning support it. The project is a structured journalistic deliverable, not a guaranteed travel programme.

How does the BA International Journalism handle safety training?

All students complete a hostile-environment briefing aligned with industry standards from the Rory Peck Trust and the ACOS Alliance. Students whose project work involves higher-risk destinations complete additional pre-deployment training and risk review.

Is the BA International Journalism recognised by international newsrooms?

It is a UK honours degree taught in London, the European base of most major international wire services. Wire-service desks, the BBC World Service and international online publishers all recruit from international-track journalism graduates. Your portfolio carries equal weight with the credential.

Can I take the BA International Journalism online?

Yes. The online route mirrors the on-campus curriculum, including the comparative media systems strand, the safety briefing and the final international reporting project. Distance-learning students complete on extended deadlines with named tutor support.

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

Course Overview

The BA International Journalism at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a three-year UK honours degree for students who want a foreign-correspondence career, an international staff-reporter role at a UK title, or a cross-border investigative path. You will study comparative media systems, build the law, ethics and safety literacy international reporting demands, and complete a credited international reporting project in your final year.

The BA International Journalism is taught in dialogue with the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism's research and the International Press Institute's press-freedom standards. By the end, you understand how news works in the places you want to report from — and what that means for the people you intend to interview.

Key Features

UK honours degree in international journalism — three years full-time, with online and distance routes.
Comparative media systems strand — UK, US, EU, Council of Europe region and selected emerging markets.
Foreign-language module — students develop or extend a second working language alongside their journalism training.
International reporting project in the final year — a structured reporting piece based on remote, fixer-supported or (where supported) in-person work.
Hostile-environment briefing aligned with Rory Peck Trust and ACOS Alliance standards.
Industry-led masterclasses from foreign correspondents at the BBC World Service, Reuters, AFP and independent international outlets.

What You Will Learn

The BA International Journalism is structured around the working competences of a junior international journalist — comparative literacy, safety awareness, source diversification, and the editorial demands of reporting on places that are not your own. You graduate able to plan and execute an international reporting piece, manage basic risk, and write for a global readership without collapsing into London-centric assumptions.

Comparative media systems — press freedom, regulation, ownership patterns across regions.
International news production — wire services, syndication, the foreign-desk economy.
Foreign reporting craft — fixer relationships, language access, cultural competence.
International media law — comparative press freedom, libel tourism, jurisdictional risk.
Hostile-environment safety — pre-deployment planning, digital security, post-incident protocols.
Cross-border investigation basics — collaboration models, data sharing, legal coordination.
Reporting on diaspora communities — accuracy, dignity, source-community accountability.
Foreign-language competence — extended modules in a second working language alongside the journalism core.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers with strong A-Levels and a serious interest in foreign correspondence or international affairs.
International students wanting a UK honours degree in journalism with explicit comparative and global content.
Career-changers from NGO communications, international relations or aid work moving into journalism.
Mature applicants with significant overseas experience seeking a UK-recognised journalism qualification.

Career Pathways

International journalism is competitive but resilient — wire services, broadcasters and non-profit investigative outlets all hire from international-track journalism graduates. Typical first or near-first destinations include:

International Reporter (national newspaper foreign desk, online publisher)
Wire Bureau Journalist (Reuters, AFP, AP — junior assignments)
Foreign Correspondent (regional or specialist outlet)
Global News Editor (BBC World Service, BBC Monitoring, specialist publisher)
International Producer (current-affairs television, longform podcast network)
Cross-border Investigator (non-profit investigative newsroom)

Graduates progress to an MA in International Journalism or in a regional-specialist field at LSJHML or a partner university.

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; a second-language indication is welcomed and considered favourably.
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.