BA (Hons) Journalism Bachelor's degree at the University of Brighton
BA (Hons) Journalism at University of Brighton. You will study core theory, research methods and applied practice across multimedia platforms, plus specialist options and an independent project that let you pursue your particular interests.
About this course
Be taught on your Journalism degree course by industry professionals and respected academics. Learn everything a journalist needs. Take a look From the provider’s course page.
BA (Hons) Journalism is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at the University of Brighton, based in Moulsecoomb. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Journalism graduates from this provider, 100% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 75% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £22,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Media & Communications, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Limited evidence Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 100% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 70% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 6 modules
- Video Journalism
Module details
The module introduces video journalism, teaching you how to produce video packages and accompanying social media activity suitable for the web. You will learn about basic multimedia recording and editing techniques and develop visual storytelling abilities on digital platforms.
- Introduction to Journalism Studies
Module details
This module will introduce you to key debates in journalism studies. You will develop and apply your understanding of the central concepts and theories in journalism research, and examine journalism practice from a variety of perspectives. You will also develop graduate skills and a capacity for critical thinking and writing.
- News and Ethics
Module details
This module develops fundamental skills for news reporting: news writing, ethical practice and shorthand. You will learn to recognise, select and present news for specific audiences and platforms, and learn the techniques required to write publication-standard articles and apply them in defined scenarios. You'll also learn to locate news reporting practices in the context of specific regulatory and ethical codes.
- Production Journalism
Module details
This module introduces how to create journalism involving digital production techniques. You will learn how to produce newspaper and magazine pages involving desktop publishing software, and explore the principles of production and the ways in which words and pictures work together in the story-telling process. You will also discover how journalism is adapting its styles, forms and working practices for different platforms.
- Politics in Context
Module details
In this module you will develop a working knowledge and critical understanding of public administration as it affects journalists. This includes central and local government structures. In addition, you will learn the journalistic skills required to make sense of, record and accurately report central and local government activities and issues.
- Podcast Journalism
Module details
This module provides an introduction to podcast journalism. You will learn how to produce audio reports and podcasts, as well as accompanying social media activities suitable for the web. You will also cover basic audio recording and editing techniques and develop your audio storytelling abilities on digital platforms.
Year 2 5 modules
- Specialist Portfolio
Module details
In this module you will produce your own journalism in a subject area of your choice, using a range of forms and styles. You will create and populate an online publication platform, using audience development strategies (including social media and analytics) to build a following and employing professional techniques. You will also publish your work in a collaborative journalism project.
- Critical Issues in Journalism
Module details
This module explores the relationship between media and society and looks at the key theoretical considerations in media and cultural studies. You will examine different approaches to media analysis, exploring how current affairs are produced and represented through the media. Focus is directed towards the cultural and ideological issues that operate through these representations and their production.
- Media Law
Module details
You will develop a detailed understanding of criminal and civil law and regulation impacting journalism practice during this module. You will explore the legal requirements affecting journalists and apply them to a range of unpredictable practical scenarios. Topics include reporting restrictions, prejudice and contempt of court, defamation, copyright and practical court reporting.
- Converging Journalism
Module details
During this module you will learn how to create journalism using digital production techniques. You will be introduced to the principles of convergent journalism and the ways in which video, audio and print work together in the storytelling process. You'll also discover how journalism is adapting its styles, forms and working practices for digital and social media platforms.
- News Portfolio and Shorthand
Module details
This module enables you to develop your news reporting ability to an advanced level where you can find and produce your own stories for a specific audience.
Year 3 5 modules
- Broadcast Journalism
Module details
In this module, you will apply your knowledge of audiovisual digital journalism and production to create original TV packages. You will learn about the broadcast journalist's role in the digital newsroom and take part in industry standard practice in the electric news gathering (ENG) process. You will also develop autonomy and flexibility in journalistic decision-making.
- Public Service Journalism
Module details
In this module, you will work at the forefront of debates regarding journalism's role in society and gain a theoretical and practical understanding of public service journalism, evaluating contemporary examples. You will develop and propose solutions to the professional challenges identified within the module. Topics include fake news, fact-checking and verification, media pluralism, diversity and the media and digital disruption.
- Magazine Journalism
Module details
This module will give you an in-depth knowledge of the frameworks, principles, working practices, technologies and techniques of contemporary magazine journalism. You will learn how to apply the key principles of sub-editing to 'live' copy and research and write thematically linked articles for magazines. You will also explore the role design plays in magazine production, and practice contemporary layout design with software such as InDesign.
- Critical Investigation
Module details
In this module, you will produce a comprehensive piece or package of investigative feature journalism for a specified publisher. Supported by tutorial supervision, you will initiate an original inquiry, selecting and employing a range of professional techniques. You will critically reflect on your approach, including its theoretical, ethical and legal context, evaluate its effectiveness and account for your decision-making.
- Professional Practice
Module details
Giving you the opportunity to develop as a reflective practitioner, this module will enhance your professional practice. It will involve you preparing for and undertaking a work placement within journalism or a related profession. You will demonstrate the critical and reflective attributes required for self-evaluation and personal improvement with an analysis of your placement experience.
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
Taught by industry professionals and respected academics, this course covers everything a journalist needs to know. You'll usually start with media foundations, theory, production skills and industry economics, before moving to practical journalism in year two, where you'll learn storytelling and reporting craft alongside research methods and ethics. In year three, you can develop specialist knowledge in areas such as PR & advertising, film & TV, social media, games & interactive, or production portfolio work. Most students complete an industry project with a media organisation and a substantial dissertation or production piece, applying what you've learned to real work.
Who it's for
You are drawn to journalism because you want to investigate stories, ask difficult questions and communicate truth to the public. You are a strong writer and listener with curiosity about the world around you, and you thrive when working under deadline pressure. You will find this degree challenging in the best way: balancing theoretical understanding of the media landscape with hands-on reporting, interviewing and production work. If you enjoy meeting people, following leads and turning raw material into compelling narratives, this course will develop your ability to do exactly that.
Careers & job market
Nationally, 90% of Media & Communications graduates were in work or further study within 15 months of graduation; 60% of those in work were in highly skilled positions. Journalism graduates' starting salaries (15 months out) typically ranged from £22,000 to £28,000, with variation reflecting sector and role. After five years, earnings typically ranged from £22,525 to £31,800. These are national figures across the sector; individual outcomes depend on your choices, experience and the roles available to you.
University & format
The BA (Hons) Journalism is delivered full-time over three years at the University of Brighton, a university based in Moulsecoomb. The course is taught in English and is accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). Brighton holds Silver status for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023 and is recognised as a nationally accredited degree-awarding body.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.
The provider publishes contextual-offer information. Eligibility and any reduced offer are applicant-specific.
Placement year. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 95% |
| an Access course | 5% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students came in with a broad spread of qualifications and UCAS points. If you're worried about grades, this course has historically taken a wide range, and contextual offers may apply.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code P502). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Standard capped home fee at English providers (2026/27); Scotland, Wales & NI differ.
Check fees at University of Brighton →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Media & Communications graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £22,000 | £20,000 – £25,500 | 10 |
| 3 years after | £25,000 | £20,000 – £29,500 | 60 |
| 5 years after | £29,000 | £24,500 – £36,000 | 65 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Limited evidence. Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in media & communications · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Media & Communications nationally
National figures for Media & Communications graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Limited evidence. Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Media & Communications courses at the same study level.
Compared with 541 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Media ProfessionalsSOC 2020 249 · 25% of published destinations · ASHE median £40,895
- Artistic, literary and media occupationsSOC 2020 341 · 25% of published destinations · ASHE median £33,824
- Business and public service associate professionalsSOC 2020 35 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £38,760
- Leisure, travel and related personal service occupationsSOC 2020 62 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £22,297
- Sales occupationsSOC 2020 71 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £15,975
- Elementary occupationsSOC 2020 9 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £19,087
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 25; response rate: 55%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Media & Communications graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Media & Communications graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Media companies
- Agencies
- In-house comms teams
- Broadcasters & charities
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Media & Communications graduates.
Media Operations, VP (Parental Leave Cover)WPP MediaMedia Relations ManagerCommonwealth War Graves CommissionMedia ManagerUS Tech SolutionsMedia Planning and Buying CoordinatorBurberryMedia Sales ExecutiveService ServiceMedia Planner/BuyerDifferent Technologies Pty Ltd.Is this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
100% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £22,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 7.9 out of 10: NSS 67.6% · in work or study 100% · continued 70%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The University of Brighton
Media, journalism and communications across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Moulsecoomb
1,006 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Media & Communications right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to University of Brighton from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by University of Brighton; international fees are typically £12,000–£30,000/year for classroom subjects and higher for lab/clinical ones. You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
This course lists IELTS 6.5 overall, 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in th. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check University of Brighton’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with University of Brighton and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at University of Brighton
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates go on to do?
What will it cost me?
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