Journalism with Creative Writing

This is a Connected Degree

Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course.

Overview

If you love writing and reporting, our Journalism with Creative Writing degree course can help you turn your abilities with the written word into a fulfilling career.

You'll study, experience, and combine the complementary disciplines of factual journalism and creative writing. One day you might write a news report about a local charity or review a concert, and the next author a short story, a poem, or a play script.

You'll also develop research skills and learn about the structure and mechanisms of the industries you could end up working in – from getting a script approved to legal issues surrounding publishing news stories.

You’ll graduate ready to dive into a career in professional writing, with the skills and knowledge you need to get started in whichever writing field you choose.

Course highlights

• Get further professional journalistic qualifications by taking National Council for Training Journalists (NCTJ) exams

• Refine your practice by learning from published authors of novels, poetry and screenplays, and journalists with written and broadcast experience in local, regional, national and international journalism

• Grasp of the role of journalists in democratic society by learning about media law and industry code

• Enhance your discipline and teamworking skills by collaborating with other students on other courses within the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries

• Gain valuable industry knowledge and experience by taking an optional placement

• Capture information at 100 words-per-minute writing speed by taking shorthand training

Work towards your NCTJ Diploma

On this course, you can choose to take the examinations that lead to the industry-recognised NCTJ Diploma in Journalism.

If you want to do the full NCTJ diploma alongside your degree, apply for our BA (Hons) Journalism course instead.

Careers and opportunities

As traditional communication and literature move towards web and digital, the demand for journalists and writers is growing. Print newspapers and magazines may be declining, but digital versions are replacing them. In addition, social media, blogging, TV and film production, and other platforms contribute to the demand for journalists and writers. Graduates with strong transferable skills are also sought in related industries such as public relations or communications.

As a graduate, you'll have diverse writing skills that will help you in most sectors.

You can also freelance or pursue postgraduate studies.

Graduate areas

Areas our graduates have gone onto include:

• broadcast, print and online journalism

• creative writing

• marketing

• public relations

• communications

• teaching

• advertising

• arts management

Graduate roles

Our graduates have worked in a variety of roles, including:

• trainee reporter

• social media editor

• digital marketing executive

• copywriter

• theatre manager

• editorial assistant

When you finish the course, our Careers and Employability service can help you find a job that puts your skills to work in the industry. After you leave the University, you can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years as you advance in your career.

Year 1
Core modules in this year include:

• Academic Skills and Career Planning (20 credits)
• Journalism in Context (20 credits)
• Media Law and Regulation (L4) (20 credits)
• Reporting (20 credits)
• Telling Tales (20 credits)
• True Stories (20 credits)

There are no optional modules in this year.

Year 2
Core modules in this year include:

• Feature Writing and Media Research (20 credits)

Optional modules in this year include:

• Creative Writing and Critical Thinking (20 credits)
• Engaged Citizenship Through Interdisciplinary Practice (20 credits)
• Factual Media Production (20 credits)
• Finding Form - Fiction (20 credits)
• Finding Form - Nonfiction (20 credits)
• Finding Form - Speculative Fiction (20 credits)
• Investigative Journalism (20 credits)
• Mobile Journalism (20 credits)
• Press and Public Relations (20 credits)
• Professional Experience (20 credits)
• Social Media and Journalism (20 credits)
• Specialist Journalism (20 credits)
• Student Enterprise (20 credits)

Year 3
Core modules:

• Writing Project (With Publishing) (20 credits)

Optional modules in this year include:

• Cultures of Consumption (20 credits)
• Digital Media and Democracy (20 credits)
• Dissertation (40 credits)
• Finding Form - Fact and Fiction (20 credits)
• Global Journalism and Human Rights (20 credits)
• Journalism Special Investigation (40 credits)
• Magazines: Print Media in a Digital World (20 credits)
• Money, Government and Power (20 credits)
• Placement (20 credits)
• Researching Animation (20 credits)

Placement year (optional)
On this course, you can do an optional work placement year after your 2nd or 3rd year to get valuable experience working in industry. We’ll help you secure a work placement that fits your situation and ambitions. You’ll get mentoring and support throughout the year.

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

You'll be assessed through: essays, presentations, in-class tests, media artefacts (e.g. producing a video or magazine), practical and written exams, short stories, screenplays, a collection of poems, a public relations campaign, final-year dissertation. You'll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.