BA Magazine Journalism
Course Overview
The BA Magazine Journalism at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a three-year UK honours degree for students who want to write the long story — the profile, the immersive piece, the investigative feature, the cultural essay — and to make a career of it across print, digital and specialist magazine titles. You will write and re-write under tutor supervision, pitch and commission to working magazine standards, and graduate with a published portfolio.
The degree is built in dialogue with the Professional Publishers Association and the Society of Editors and treats magazine journalism as a craft with deep historical roots and a vigorous digital future — long enough to do justice to the subject, structured enough to keep the reader turning pages.
Key Features
- UK honours degree — three years full-time, with online and distance routes available.
- Feature-writing workshops every term with sustained tutor feedback over multiple drafts.
- Pitching and commissioning module — write commissionable pitches and defend them in editorial meetings.
- Longform reporting module — research-driven features built over weeks rather than days.
- Industry-led masterclasses from working magazine editors, longform reporters and feature writers.
- Published portfolio — at least eight published features by graduation, across general-interest and specialist titles.
What You Will Learn
The BA Magazine Journalism is structured around the working life of a feature writer — find the story, pitch it, research it, write it, defend it. You finish able to write a 3,000-word profile that holds the reader, defend a pitch to a sceptical commissioning editor, and turn around a 1,200-word news feature on a 48-hour deadline.
- Feature writing — voice, structure, scene-setting, the use of the telling detail.
- Long-form reporting — research-driven features, immersive reporting, profile work.
- Pitching — the commissionable pitch, the follow-up, the editorial relationship.
- Subbing and copy-editing — house style, fact-checking, headline writing, captioning.
- Specialist magazine craft — consumer, business, trade, cultural and academic magazine modes.
- Digital long-form — scrollytelling, embedded media, the longform online format.
- Media law for magazines — defamation, privacy, harassment, advertising standards.
- The magazine industry — economics, distribution, the freelance market, the membership model.
Who This Course Is For
- School leavers who would rather write a 3,000-word profile than a 300-word news brief.
- International students seeking a UK degree in magazine journalism taught in the heart of London's publishing district.
- Career-changers from academia, civil service or marketing moving toward feature writing.
- Bloggers and freelance writers ready for a formal degree credential and structured editorial discipline.
Career Pathways
BA Magazine Journalism graduates compete for entry-level magazine staff roles, freelance commissions and adjacent feature-writing positions. Typical first roles include:
- Magazine Features Writer (general-interest, consumer, business or trade title)
- Section Editor (junior or assistant role)
- Long-form Journalist (longform online publisher, weekend supplement)
- Commissioning Editor (junior or assistant role)
- Freelance Feature Writer (multiple titles, beat-driven freelance career)
- Editorial Researcher (longform magazine, broadcast feature programme)
Graduates progress to a Master's in Magazine Journalism, Long-form Journalism, Publishing or a specialist beat.
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 writing sample is welcomed.
- 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.
Apply for BA Magazine Journalism
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