How is BA Journalism and Media Studies different from a pure journalism degree?

A pure journalism degree weights almost entirely toward reporting craft. BA Journalism and Media Studies splits the focus between reporting and strategic communications, with a media-analysis strand to ground both. Students who know they want only newsroom work often prefer our straight Journalism BA.

Will BA Journalism and Media Studies prepare me to work in PR?

Yes. The communications-strategy strand is aligned with CIPR and PRCA standards and covers campaign planning, measurement and crisis response. Several graduates each year move into PR and public-affairs roles at consultancies and in-house teams.

Does BA Journalism and Media Studies cover broadcast journalism?

Multi-platform craft including broadcast formats is part of the reporting strand, but the degree does not specialise deeply in broadcast. Students wanting a TV/radio specialism continue to a Master's in broadcast journalism after the BA.

Can I take BA Journalism and Media Studies online?

Yes. The online route mirrors on-campus delivery with live newsdays via video call, recorded lectures and supervised assignments. Distance learners follow structured deadlines with optional campus weeks each year.

Is BA Journalism and Media Studies recognised by UK employers?

Yes — it is a UK honours degree at Level 6 and structured around the standards employers in journalism and communications recruit on. As with any media degree, your published work and placements carry weight alongside the credential itself.

BA Journalism and Media Studies in London | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The BA Journalism and Media Studies at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a three-year UK honours degree that combines working journalism craft with the strategic communication and media-analysis literacy increasingly demanded across newsrooms, press offices and public-affairs agencies. The course is aligned with CIPR and PRCA professional standards alongside the practical reporting traditions of UK journalism schools.

You graduate able to file copy to deadline, analyse a campaign with method, brief a CEO and read a media landscape with the critical apparatus the modern industry expects from its senior practitioners.

Key Features

UK honours degree in journalism and media studies — three years full-time, with online and distance routes.
Live reporting newsdays from term one, writing to wire and broadcast deadlines.
Communications-strategy strand covering OASIS planning, campaign measurement and crisis response.
Media analysis module grounded in current research from the Reuters Institute, Pew and Ofcom.
Industry-led masterclasses from working reporters, communications directors and media analysts.
Final-year portfolio combining published journalism with a strategic campaign or analytical dissertation.

What You Will Learn

The BA Journalism and Media Studies is structured to make graduates fluent across two adjacent careers — reporting and strategic communications — that increasingly draw from the same skill set. You leave able to file a news story, plan a campaign, evaluate a media intervention, and explain to a sceptical client or editor why your judgement is the right one.

News reporting — story selection, interviewing, accurate writing to deadline.
Multi-platform craft — print, online, broadcast packaging, social-first formats.
Media law — defamation, contempt, harassment, data protection, the Editors' Code.
Communications strategy — OASIS planning, message-house construction, campaign measurement.
Audience research — segmentation, qualitative and quantitative methods, behavioural insight.
Media analysis — current research from Reuters Institute, Ofcom, Pew; framing, agenda-setting, network effects.
Crisis communication — pre-mortems, holding lines, escalation, recovery.
Research methods — mixed-methods media research, content analysis, audience interviewing.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers undecided between newsroom journalism and strategic communications who want both routes open.
International students wanting a UK honours degree in media taught from a working London base.
Career-changers from teaching, NGO work or marketing moving into journalism or communications.
Mature applicants with content-creation, blogging or in-house comms experience seeking academic grounding.

Career Pathways

BA Journalism and Media Studies graduates move into a wide range of UK media and communications roles, from regional newsroom trainee positions to junior consultancy roles at PR and public-affairs agencies. The dual specialism is increasingly valued by employers who want hires who understand both sides of the editor-press officer relationship. Typical destinations include:

Junior News Reporter (regional or national title, online publisher)
Communications Officer (charity, public body, FTSE corporate)
Account Executive (PR consultancy, public-affairs agency)
Strategic Communications Adviser (campaigning organisation)
Press & Comms Officer (NHS trust, central or local government)
Media Analyst (consultancy, broadcaster research team)

Graduates progress to a Master's in any journalism, communications or media specialism, or directly into trainee schemes in media or PR.

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 applicants are invited to a short 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.