Will BA Public Affairs Journalism teach me how the UK Parliament actually works?

Yes — in detail. The institutional and legislative-process modules cover the chamber, committees, statutory instruments, Hansard, devolved legislatures and local government. The Westminster fieldwork programme makes the institutions concrete through structured visits and observation.

Is BA Public Affairs Journalism only for people who want to work in Westminster?

No. Many graduates work in regional newsrooms covering devolved administrations, councils or specialist policy beats; others move into public affairs, think tanks or campaigning organisations. The skill set is portable across political reporting careers.

Do I need to support a particular political party to study BA Public Affairs Journalism?

No — and you should not. Political journalism requires the impartiality discipline the course teaches from year one. Students from all political backgrounds (and none) take the degree, and most find their own views become less rather than more partisan as they learn the craft.

Can BA Public Affairs Journalism be studied online?

Yes. The online route mirrors on-campus delivery with live tutorials, recorded lectures and supervised reporting work. Distance and online students visit campus for two intensive Westminster fieldwork weeks each year.

Will BA Public Affairs Journalism prepare me for a career in public affairs rather than journalism?

Yes — the policy literacy, institutional knowledge and writing discipline the degree builds transfer directly. Several graduates each year move into public-affairs consultancy or in-house government-relations roles rather than journalism.

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

Course Overview

The BA Public Affairs Journalism at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a three-year UK honours degree for students who want to report politics — Westminster, Whitehall, the devolved governments and the network of regulators, think tanks and lobby groups that surround them. The course draws on standards from the Parliamentary Press Gallery and the Hansard Society and uses the campus's proximity to Westminster actively, with structured visits, lobby observation and Hansard-led case study work.

You leave able to read a bill in committee, file a sketch from the press gallery, build a contact book in Whitehall and write a political story that holds up to scrutiny from a minister, a permanent secretary and a regional readership at once.

Key Features

UK honours degree in public affairs journalism — three years full-time, with online and distance routes.
Westminster fieldwork programme — lobby observation, select-committee shadowing, Hansard work.
Policy-literacy strand covering Whitehall, devolved administrations and the regulator landscape.
Specialist reporting modules across health, education, justice, defence and the economy.
Industry-led masterclasses from working lobby correspondents, Westminster reporters and political editors.
Final-year portfolio combining published political journalism with a long-form policy investigation.

What You Will Learn

The BA Public Affairs Journalism is structured around the working life of a political reporter — reading legislation, building contacts, attending lobby briefings and writing politics for audiences whose primary interest is the consequences of policy in their own lives.

UK political institutions — Parliament, Government, Civil Service, devolved administrations, local government.
Legislative process — bills, committees, statutory instruments, Hansard literacy.
Lobby practice — the lobby system, briefings, attribution rules, embargo conventions.
Policy reporting — health, education, justice, defence, the economy as specialist beats.
Election reporting — campaign coverage, polling literacy, impartiality requirements.
Media law for political reporters — parliamentary privilege, contempt, election law restrictions.
Investigative public-affairs work — FOI, Companies House, Charity Commission, document trails.
Comparative politics — UK in relation to EU, US and wider international political systems.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers who follow politics actively and want a degree that turns that interest into a working career.
International students wanting a UK honours degree in political journalism taught a walk from Westminster.
Career-changers from civil service, NGO work or academic political research moving into journalism.
Mature applicants with political volunteering, campaigning or local-government experience.

Career Pathways

Political journalism is a competitive but distinct career path with clear entry points at regional titles, national newspaper political desks, broadcast political teams and specialist publications. Typical first or next destinations include:

Political Reporter (regional press, national title, specialist publication)
Westminster Correspondent (national title, broadcaster political team)
Public Affairs Adviser (consultancy, in-house comms team)
Policy Journalist (specialist title, think-tank publication)
Lobby Correspondent (national title — typically after experience)
Political Researcher (broadcaster current affairs, longform podcast)

Graduates progress to a Master's in Political Communication, International Journalism or a complementary specialism such as Investigative 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 and an essay sample on a current political issue (up to 1,000 words).
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.