Course description

Combine your passion for football with high level journalism skills on the only course of its kind in the country.

• Journalism at Derby is ranked in the Top 30 in The Guardian University Guide 2023
• Choose our foundation year route if you want to strengthen your knowledge and skills before you progress to stage one of the BA (Hons) Football Journalism degree.
• Join the next generation of talented football journalists at a time when interest in the ‘beautiful game’ has never been higher
• Enjoy substantial practical experience of researching and producing powerful print, radio, TV and online football stories. Our students (Derby Uni Footy Journos) were in France reporting on the FIFA Women's World Cup 2019
• Get to grips with the latest techniques and technologies which are transforming journalism in an era of digital news
• Learn about the culture, history and practice of the football industry and the media that surrounds it
• Gain invaluable insights through work placements within football and media organisations
• Benefit from our outstanding facilities which include TV and radio studios as well as a fully equipped newsroom
• Build the core practical and intellectual skills of a journalist so that you’re also equipped for a broad range of media careers beyond the world of sport.

Foundation Year - helping you to achieve more

Including a foundation year as part of your four-year study programme will give you a head start in your academic and professional life. The foundation year offers the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence – with extensive support from our expert staff – before you advance to stage one of your honours degree. It could also be beneficial if you are planning a career change and want to get to grips with aspects of subjects which are new to you.

Our degrees with a foundation year are continuous, meaning that you won’t need to apply again once you have successfully completed the first year.

What you will study

How you will learn

During your foundation year you will be assessed mainly by coursework, and with some in-class tests.

For the rest of your degree you’ll be assessed in several ways, including academic essays, audio and video reporting, case studies, editing skills, examinations, extended reports, journalistic writing, presentations, process analyses, production design and content production, production skills in image manipulation, reflective diaries, report writing and self-evaluation.