How is the Higher Diploma in Multimedia Journalism different from the Higher Diploma in Broadcast Journalism?

Broadcast journalism focuses on TV and radio — on-air work, studio operation, longform broadcast features. The Higher Diploma in Multimedia Journalism is cross-platform: print, online, social, video and audio together. Many modern newsrooms recruit multimedia reporters more readily than single-platform specialists.

Does the Higher Diploma in Multimedia Journalism cover video properly?

Yes. The visual journalism module covers phone-first and DSLR video, basic editing, motion graphics at working level and the editorial discipline of video journalism. Students leave able to shoot and edit short news video to a working newsroom standard.

Can I take the Higher Diploma in Multimedia Journalism online?

Yes. The cross-platform nature of the course suits online delivery particularly well, with synchronous workshops, recorded technical sessions and structured project supervision. Distance learners complete on extended deadlines with named tutor support.

Will the Higher Diploma in Multimedia Journalism prepare me for a national title?

Yes. National titles increasingly recruit for cross-platform reporting capability, and the Higher Diploma is calibrated to that expectation. Your portfolio of published cross-platform work carries equal weight with the credential itself.

Higher Diploma in Multimedia Journalism | LSJHML London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Higher Diploma in Multimedia Journalism at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a fifteen-to-eighteen-month UK qualification for working journalists ready to step up from confident single-platform reporting into senior cross-platform practice. You will report and publish across print, online, social, video and audio in the same week, design audience-aware editorial packages, and graduate with a published multimedia portfolio and a direct route into the final year of a UK Bachelor's degree.

The Higher Diploma in Multimedia Journalism is taught in dialogue with the Society of Editors and the Professional Publishers Association's working standards. Modern UK newsrooms are multi-platform by default, and this Higher Diploma is built for the journalists they actually recruit.

Key Features

UK Higher Diploma (Level 5) in multimedia journalism — fifteen to eighteen months full-time, with online and distance routes.
Cross-platform week — report and publish a single story across print, online, social, video and audio in the same week.
Visual journalism module — photo, video, data visualisation, basic motion graphics at working level.
Social newsroom strand — platform-specific framing, distribution ethics, audience-team coordination.
Audience and analytics module — reading platform data, ethical optimisation, retention discipline.
Direct top-up into the final year of a UK Bachelor's degree at LSJHML or a partner university.

What You Will Learn

The Higher Diploma in Multimedia Journalism is structured around the working competences of a senior multimedia reporter — multi-platform craft, visual fluency, audience awareness and editorial judgment. You graduate able to take a single story across every platform a modern newsroom publishes on, with the editorial discipline to do it without flattening the journalism.

News writing for digital and print — top lines, intros, structure for both reading modes.
Visual journalism — photo, video, data visualisation, basic motion graphics.
Audio for journalism — short package, podcast cut, social-audio adaptation.
Social-platform craft — current best practice on the major platforms, format-specific framing.
CMS and publishing workflow — WordPress and Arc-style systems, headline optimisation, scheduling.
Audience analytics — Chartbeat / Parse.ly literacy, retention curves, ethical optimisation.
Multi-platform editorial planning — how a single story moves across formats and audiences.
Media law for multi-platform work — defamation, contempt, harassment, takedown protocols.

Who This Higher Diploma Is For

Working reporters at regional or national titles ready to formalise cross-platform practice.
Advanced Diploma graduates in journalism stepping up to senior multimedia roles.
Specialist journalists (print, online, broadcast) wanting to expand into adjacent platforms.
International journalists relocating to the UK and needing a UK-recognised senior-track multimedia credential.

Career Pathways

The Higher Diploma in Multimedia Journalism opens onto senior multimedia roles across UK national, regional and specialist publishing. Typical post-Higher-Diploma destinations include:

Senior Multimedia Reporter (national newspaper, regional digital publisher)
Print Sub-Editor (national title, magazine, specialist publisher)
Social Newsroom Producer (national or regional title)
Visual Journalist (data desk, graphics team, video journalism unit)
Content Editor (in-house brand newsroom, agency, platform publisher)
Audience Editor (regional or national title)

The Higher Diploma articulates directly into the final year of a UK BA in Multimedia Journalism, Digital Journalism or a related discipline at LSJHML or a partner university.

Entry Requirements

An Advanced Diploma (Level 5) or equivalent in a related subject, OR a Diploma plus two years of relevant work experience.
IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
Personal statement and CV.
Mature applicants (25+) without standard qualifications may apply with significant senior-track work experience.

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.