Journalism

Course Overview

Building on our longstanding commitment to Journalism education at the postgraduate level, NUI Galway is now introducing an exciting new programme, the BA with Journalism. A four-year degree with a distinctively practical and real-world design, the BA with Journalism provides an excellent career-focused opportunity for students who like to combine a capacity for expression and insight with a broad interest in society, media, communications and culture.

NUI Galway has a top-class reputation in the Journalism area, and our Masters programme has produced numerous prominent journalists, broadcasters and media figures. With such a well-established background of teaching expertise in the field, with extensive experience in facilitating related work-placements with high-profile employers and organisations, and with newspaper, radio and television companies all located in its hinterland, the University is perfectly placed to foster new Journalism talent.

Whether you are a beginner with an emerging interest in Journalism or an improver who has already been contributing in the field, the BA with Journalism now provides the ideal environment of a structured programme that is also focused on independent expression and exploration. We welcome all kinds of Journalism interests, from sports and politics, to fashion and music, to society and culture. Whatever your preferred format, from newspapers and magazines to radio and television or blogs, there is only one requirement: the wish to combine wide media knowledge with strong communication skills.

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Additional Requirements

Course Outline

From the start you will be guided and advised on a one-to-one basis by the programme director and mentor, and you will immediately be placed in a learning environment with people of similar journalistic interests and instincts.

The programme blends cooperative workshops with individual project work and experience, thus cultivating the combination of interaction and self-motivation required of the professional journalist. Through a system of small-group classes that emulate newsroom structures and other working settings within Journalism, you will follow a defined set of modules giving you weekly training and practice.

As well as meeting regularly with dedicated university teachers, you will have regular opportunities to meet and discuss your ideas with practitioners from a variety of areas within the Journalism industry. Your workshop activities during your first two years will be consolidated in your third year through on-site observation or work-experience in the Journalism fields outside of the University.

 

Year One

Cultural Foundations
This first module focuses on the cultures of Journalism in two ways. Through the practice of cultural analysis and criticism, you will be writing from the start in a small-group workshop setting, and you will also be introduced to the cultural background of Journalism with an emphasis on the ethical responsibilities and capabilities of the profession.

This is the News
The gathering, presentation and analysis of news are the fundamental tasks of the journalist. This module will introduce you to established methods and principles for the generation of news and will explore ongoing innovations in this prime area. The focus will be on practice, and you will move between in class and off-campus situations so that you can develop your knowledge of the ways journalists have to move between the outside world and the desk to do their reporting work.

Journalists at Work
This module will be based around weekly guest talks and workshops by visiting speakers from the various Journalism professions. You will have the opportunity to engage with and question these working professionals with a view to expanding in advance your own conception and understanding of the field.

Year Two

The Journalist’s Web
One of the major drivers of change in the world of Journalism is the rise of social media. This module will examine the advantages and challenges presented to the working journalist by such tools as Twitter and blogs, and you will engage in related practical work focused on the evolution of web-based Journalism generally. The contemporary phenomenon of consolidation whereby journalists also become their own photographers and moviemakers will be explored and you will do practical work in this area.

Broadcasting Encounters
This module will introduce you to technical and practical aspects of broadcasting as well as focusing on the preparation and presentation of work for broadcast. We will cover the established formats of radio and television and you will be involved in some actual studio work, and we will also explore the hands-on possibilities offered by such newer formats as podcasting.

Year Three

Work Observation/Placement
The aim of year three is to help you gain practical experience in the brand of Journalism that most interests you. You will be facilitated with a placement appropriate to your preference, whether that be Journalism for newspapers, magazines, broadcasting, online outlets or other media. While your work during the year may involve writing or other projects, the primary concern will be your direct encounter with day-to-day operations in your chosen area of the Journalism industry. Building on your modules over the previous two years, the principle for third year is that real career centred learning in Journalism is best gained through involved observation out in the workplace, and methods of assessment can be tailored to the particular type of Journalism experience you are acquiring.

Study at a University Abroad
Language departments require that you spend a period in a relevant country during your third year. Your work for Journalism would take precedence over a language, and since the aim of third year on this programme is to get you out of typical classroom scenarios and facilitate you instead in situations that resemble the working lives of present and emergent journalists, the better option when doing a language may be to pursue a placement or assistantship abroad. Exchanges with international universities specific to Journalism are possible, however, and non language students may also avail of a suitable exchange with an English-speaking university.

Year Four

You will complete your studies in your two core degree subjects and you will incorporate in your final projects the specialist skills and knowledge you have gained in Journalism over your previous three years.

Further Education

The skills you develop through your BA with Journalism will directly benefit you in your other degree subjects, and your specialism will also make you a highly valued candidate for postgraduate programmes that focus on writing, media and communication or that cover areas of cultural, social and political interest.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

 

Work Placement

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

Fees: Tuition

Fees: Student Contribution

Fees: Student levy

Fees: Non EU

Find out More