How is the Certificate in Online Journalism different from the Certificate in Digital Journalism?

Online Journalism focuses on long-form web writing craft and editorial workflow. Digital Journalism focuses on analytics, verification and social distribution. Both are useful; students often complete one and pick up the other through the Diploma.

Will the Certificate in Online Journalism help me launch a Substack or newsletter?

Indirectly. The course covers long-form web writing and editorial workflow which transfer directly to newsletter craft, though it does not specifically cover newsletter business operations. The Advanced Diploma in Content Creation covers that side.

Do I need a CMS or website to take the Certificate in Online Journalism?

No. The course provides access to a working CMS for portfolio publication and teaches CMS principles that transfer across systems. Students with their own publications use them for portfolio work where preferred.

Is the Certificate in Online Journalism technical?

Lightly technical — CMS use, image optimisation, basic SEO fields. No coding required. The focus is editorial craft.

Can I take the Certificate in Online Journalism part-time?

Yes. Most students take it over six to nine months part-time, which fits well with a journalism job or freelance practice running alongside.

Certificate in Online Journalism in London | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Certificate in Online Journalism at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a three-to-six-month UK qualification for journalists writing for the open web. The course focuses on long-form online writing, online editorial workflow and the audience-awareness that distinguishes good web journalism from print writing pasted into a CMS.

Where the Certificate in Digital Journalism leans into analytics and verification, this Certificate sits closer to the editorial craft — how you structure a 1,500-word web feature so a reader actually finishes it, and how you sit a digital editor's desk with the right instincts.

Key Features

Long-form web writing module — structure for scroll, deck and subhead discipline, multimedia integration.
Editorial workflow — CMS use (WordPress, contemporary alternatives), publishing rhythm, version control.
Audience-aware writing — what online readers actually do, retention metrics, what holds attention.
Multimedia integration — image, video, audio, infographic, embedded social.
Working portfolio — five long-form web pieces published or publication-ready by course end.
Three study modes — on-campus, fully online, or distance learning.

What You Will Learn

The Certificate in Online Journalism is structured around the craft of writing journalism that people read all the way through online — and the editorial workflow that gets it there on time, attributed, image-optimised and SEO-aware.

Long-form web structure — hook, deck, subhead rhythm, ending discipline.
Web prose — sentence length, paragraph length, link discipline, scannability.
Multimedia integration — image, pull quote, video embed, audio, infographic.
CMS use — publishing, scheduling, taxonomies, image alt text, SEO fields.
Online editorial workflow — commissioning, briefing, sub-editing, scheduling.
Online accessibility — heading hierarchy, alt text, caption discipline.
The economics of long-form online — subscription, sponsorship, programmatic.
Online standards — corrections, updates, link rot, archive practice.

Who This Course Is For

Reporters wanting to specialise in long-form web journalism.
Bloggers and Substack writers wanting to formalise their craft for traditional publishers.
Editorial assistants moving into commissioning and digital production roles.
Career-changers from print or broadcast adding web journalism to their portfolio.

Career Pathways

The Certificate in Online Journalism supports moves into long-form digital newsrooms and into adjacent web-editorial roles. Typical applications include:

Online Editorial Assistant (digital-first publisher, magazine online team)
Long-form Digital Reporter (specialist online title)
Web Content Producer (broadcaster digital arm, in-house editorial team)
Newsletter Editor (independent, in-house)
Junior Commissioning Editor (online magazine)
Continued Study (Diploma in Online Journalism, Diploma in Journalism)

The Certificate articulates into the Diploma in Online Journalism at LSJHML for students continuing.

Entry Requirements

Minimum age 16.
Secondary school qualification (GCSE/O-Level or international equivalent).
IELTS 5.5 (or equivalent) for non-native English speakers.
No prior journalism experience required.

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.