How is BA Political Journalism different from BA International Studies?

BA Political Journalism trains political reporters — craft, source work, institutional literacy. BA International Studies trains analysts and researchers. Some students take both BA Political Journalism modules and international studies electives; the two complement one another but lead to different careers.

Does BA Political Journalism include access to Parliament?

On-campus students attend select-committee evidence sessions and parliamentary debates as part of the Westminster modules. BA Political Journalism does not include lobby accreditation, which is granted to working correspondents only — but several recent graduates have moved into lobby roles within their first three years post-graduation.

Can BA Political Journalism be studied online?

Yes. The online route mirrors the on-campus degree with live tutorials, recorded lectures and structured remote coverage of parliamentary and government activity. Distance learners visit campus for two intensive Westminster weeks during the academic year.

Is BA Political Journalism NCTJ-aligned?

The course's news reporting, media law and government modules are designed around NCTJ syllabus standards. Students wishing to take NCTJ qualifications during the degree can do so through the LSJHML NCTJ pathway, scheduled around their core BA Political Journalism modules.

What kind of dissertation can I write on BA Political Journalism?

Past examples include a long-form report on a specific policy controversy, a comparative analysis of UK and devolved government accountability mechanisms and a profile-led study of a specific political institution. BA Political Journalism rewards a tightly scoped, well-sourced question.

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

Course Overview

The BA Political Journalism at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a three-year UK honours degree for students who want to report on UK and devolved politics, write policy with authority, and build the institutional knowledge and source relationships political reporting demands. You will report through the Westminster cycle, write across daily and long-form formats, study UK government and constitutional law, and finish with a sustained political reporting portfolio plus a dissertation.

BA Political Journalism is taught on the assumption that political reporting is a craft — institutional, technical and legally exposed — and that doing it well requires both reporting practice and serious literacy in how UK government works. By graduation you can read a Bill, parse a select-committee report, and write up a political story to national-press standard.

Key Features

UK honours degree in political journalism, designed around standards drawn from the NCTJ, Hansard Society and Lobby Journalists' Association.
Live political reporting through the Westminster, devolved and local-authority cycles each year.
UK government and constitutional law as a core academic strand — Parliament, courts, devolution, statutory interpretation.
Election reporting module covering impartiality rules, polling, party-conference coverage and election-night protocols.
Industry-led masterclasses from working lobby correspondents, political editors and former government press officers.
Final dissertation plus a political reporting portfolio with byline-ready pieces across daily, feature and analysis formats.

What You Will Learn

The BA Political Journalism is structured around the working competencies of a UK political reporter — institutional knowledge, source work, policy literacy and reporting craft under tight legal constraint. You leave able to file a credible Westminster story to deadline, understand the constitutional context of any policy debate, and stay safe legally on a politically sensitive piece.

News reporting craft — interviewing, structure, accuracy, on-the-record protocols.
UK government structure — Cabinet, departments, agencies, regulators, the civil service.
Parliament — procedure, the Bill cycle, divisions, statutory instruments, questions.
Devolved governance — Holyrood, Senedd and Stormont, and their relationship to Westminster.
Policy reading — Green and White Papers, consultations, impact assessments.
Election reporting — impartiality, polling, conference coverage, election-night protocols.
Lobby practice — protocols, attribution, on-the-record and lobby rules.
Political media law — parliamentary privilege, defamation, contempt at election time, harassment.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers committed to a career in political and policy journalism.
International students seeking a UK political journalism degree taught in central London.
Career-changers from parliamentary research, civil service or public affairs moving into political reporting.
Mature applicants from communications or campaigning backgrounds wanting a formal journalism credential.

Career Pathways

BA Political Journalism graduates move into political and public-affairs reporting across UK media — and into adjacent public-affairs and policy roles. Typical first roles include:

Political Reporter (regional or national title, broadcaster)
Westminster Correspondent (specialist or trade title)
Public Affairs Adviser (consultancy, in-house, charity)
Policy Journalist (specialist policy publication)
Lobby Correspondent (post-experience; entry-level lobby roles)
Parliamentary Researcher (Members of Parliament, select committees)

Graduates progress to MA Political Journalism, MA International Journalism or postgraduate work in public policy.

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.