Overview

Our BA (Hons) Journalism degree, accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ), offers a well-established entry point to one of the most challenging and sought-after graduate career paths. You are taught by industry professionals with a broad range of experience – in television, radio, print and online. This course includes an optional work placement year, at no extra cost.

Our aim is to ensure a high-quality student experience whilst meeting the needs of a rapidly transforming industry at a time of unprecedented global world.

Journalists graduating from Teesside are equipped with the necessary storytelling skills to succeed across multiple media platforms. Last year more than 80% of our final-year students received a first-class or 2.1 degree whilst student work is nationally recognised for its excellence.

Studying journalism at Teesside, you begin by learning the basics of original content creation – how to find a story, discover your individual voice, and expand your interests and knowledge. You understand how stories are reframed for digital and social media, and how to set up your own website and generate revenue.

Whether your passion is sport, fashion, music or traditional news, we aim to ensure that you are industry-ready to take up your chosen career.

Benefit from TUXtra, our new integrated media publishing platform for media and journalism students at Teesside, bringing together exciting and innovative content on-air and online. Find out more at tuxtra.co.uk

Alongside the optional work placement year, you can gain valuable experience and engagement with the sector through our shorter work placements, internships and work experience opportunities. Find out more

Our talented media students have received prizes at the University’s annual Journalism Awards.
The event, which was hosted by Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie, took place at the Students’ Union in May 2019 as part of ExpoTees.
Journalism students received awards based on exceptional work produced during the past academic year.
Read the full story here

Course details

Year 1 provides the basic tools to start producing quality journalism. You develop skills producing written, audio and video content.

In Year 2 your understanding of the work of a journalist deepens and grows as you are given more space and support to work in your chosen specialism.

In the final year you hone your entrepreneurial skills and work as part of a team on a media start-up project of you choosing.

This module provides tools in your reading of cultural texts. Focusing on computer games, animation and film, you gain an introductory level of understanding in the context of your chosen fields of study.
As well as looking at the historical and contextual overview of the history of animation, film and computer games, you also look at how we interpret these types of media historically and materially. You choose a text from within your area of interest and undertake an analytical review in the form of a case study.

Creative Media Production

You explore the basic technical components of the process of making video or audiovisual materials for outputs such as online publishing, documentary or drama. You are introduced to media languages and how to communicate clearly to target audiences.
The module is project based and you carry out writing, composition and editing of your own short video or online publication. You learn basic skills in risk assessment for technical equipment, filming, editing and using online resources.
Your assessment is the creation of a video in response to a brief and the submission of a written review.

Final Project

This module aims to guide you through the production of a small-scale individual project defined in part by you, with guidance from the tutor. The final project aims to develop an individual working approach and good project management. You will develop original ideas and concepts for an appropriate project in your chosen field of study. These may take the form of a short story, artefact, report, campaign, comic, concept art or other appropriate form related to the arts and media industries.

Storytelling

Here, you apply acquired knowledge and skills to a selected project according to an area of your individual interest or specialism. This module provides an overview of professional graphic practice and enables you to reflect on your own learning and personal career aspirations. You review work from modules through your portfolio presentation and set goals for the next stage.

Study Skills

You explore learning skills for undergraduate study at University, providing you with a range of learning material and practical sessions. You develop your professional skills including teamwork, researching a topic, report writing and delivering presentations, as well as time management and learning practice.
You learn by a combination of lectures, e-learning material and support.

You are introduced to the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) at Teesside University, exploring e-learning material and reading lists, and student support and learning resources.

Your assessment is a portfolio based on set tasks, including research into set problems.

Understanding Media

You explore a range of contemporary media theories and ideas in their broader historical, social, cultural, technological and economic context. You learn how these contexts can help us understand the power and influence of the media and how to begin to read the media through identifying codes and conventions.
Your assessment is a short essay that researches one area of media production.

Year 1 core modules

You develop general digital production skills with an additional focus on post-production. The module enhances effective practical, technical and aesthetical approaches required to create a variety of digital media artefacts across a variety of digital delivery platforms with more relevance to the subject specific disciplines. You learn a variety of advanced sector specific and industry standard digital delivery methods and production techniques surrounding the acquisition, manipulation and operation of media production hardware and software applications. You also have access to freelance resources during the module. You are assessed on two pass/fail components. The first assessment involves a series of practical exams that determine your proficiency across a range of digital media production disciplines. The second is a digital portfolio of the culmination of work developed during the module.

Bootcamp Production

You are introduced to effective practical, technical and aesthetical approaches required to create a variety of digital media artefacts across a variety of digital delivery platforms. You learn a variety of sector specific and industry standard digital delivery methods and production techniques surrounding the acquisition, manipulation and operation of media production hardware and software applications. In addition to the supervised contact time, you also have access to freelance resources. You are assessed on two pass/fail components. Your first assessment is a series of practical exams that determine your proficiency across a range of digital media production disciplines. Your second assessment is a digital portfolio of work developed during the module.

Branding and identify

This module looks at the ideas, concepts, and practicalities of developing a professional online presence. It takes a critical look at social media and considers how best to make use of existing online communities and tools. You design and create something that represents you in an online presence, using a range of available technologies and third-party applications (web authoring, blogging systems, social media, file sharing and networking systems), to act as a PR tool in promoting your career or specific media-related activities to a specified audience.

Journalism and New Culture

You examine the media through the central themes of industry, audience and text, debating ideology in news production as well as the role of the public sphere, representation and bias

Law and Regulations for Journalists

This module gives you the legal and ethical training required to practice as an effective, professional journalist. You learn about the judicial process and areas such as contempt, defamation, sexual offences, youth courts, inquests, copyright, privacy and ethics. You will also work towards your NCTJ Essential Law and Court Reporting exams.

Reporting and News Gathering

You are introduced to the core journalistic skills of news reporting and news gathering in the digital landscape. You focus on different styles of writing, interviewing and research and industry level production skills with some exploration of usability and design for news audiences.

You explore news values, agenda-setting and the availability and usability of digital tools and techniques such as social media and imagery. You explore ways to cultivate and develop contacts, effectively utilising sources in the gathering, communication and dissemination of news in developing your own journalistic practice.

How you learn

A full range of the latest digital resources, software and digital recording equipment supports the newsroom environment. Independent and student-centred learning are encouraged in addition to taught sessions with staff.
Theoretical work is delivered through illustrated lectures and seminars where there is opportunity for collective and lively discussion.

The core learning, teaching and assessment tool for practical journalism is the TUXtra website where you produce real content for a publicly facing platform. You also create your own digital platforms supported by the University an enabling you to develop open source web development skills.

Work created as part of assessment builds a professional portfolio of content, which you are able to take out into industry and show perspective employers.

Career opportunities

A degree in journalism offers a well-established entry point into one of the most challenging and exciting careers. Graduates have taken up a range of roles at organisations such as BBC Tees, Sky Sports and Reach plc.