Entry Points (2023)
418

Course Overview

If you are a budding reporter or are curious about the world around you and like to write, or have a passion for radio, television or social media, then this is an ideal programme for you. The BA Journalism is an exciting programme for University of Galway (reformed for 2019) which offers you an opportunity to gain highly coveted communication and media production skills while undertaking an Arts degree.

This four-year degree programme combines academic study with practically-focused modules that give you real world experience of what it is like to work as a journalist. You’ll be introduced to news and feature writing, reporting a ‘beat’; reading the news on radio and video editing to tight deadlines. You’ll have the opportunity to study abroad and undertake a work placement in a media company. You’ll also get an opportunity to expand your understanding of the media through challenging modules in critical media studies and communication.

The joint honours degree lets you choose a second Arts subject that interests you from a range of options, giving you a breath of knowledge and experience.

Applications and Selections

Who Teaches this Course

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 Grades in the Leaving Certificate, including Irish, English, another language, and three other subjects recognised for entry purposes.

We welcome applications from mature students and QQI applicants. A number of places are reserved annually for mature and QQI applicants. Further information about QQI can be found here.

Additional Requirements

none

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Duration

4 years

Next start date

September 2024

A Level Grades (2023)

universityofgalway.ie/alevels

Average intake

30

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

5 (More Info)

Closing Date
NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

GY119

Course code

Course Outline

The BA Journalism degree is designed to give you high-level digital skills in media production and editorial practice, and introduce you to key debates and ideas from the world of media and communication. You will gain skills across four years in news writing and reporting, writing for features and magazines, radio reporting, multimedia, social media and television. There are optional modules in data journalism and sports reporting. You’ll also be guided through modules in media and communication that examine key issues and debates in the media such as ethics, regulation, ownership, bias, privacy, and the role of the media in democratic society.

In your first year, you’ll take four modules in journalism, media and communication and you can choose to take two Arts subjects from English, History, Economics, Philosophy, Law, Politics and Sociology, Modern European languages (French, Italian or Spanish), Gaeilge or IT. At the end of first year you can choose to continue with one Arts subject along with journalism in a joint honours format to degree level.

In your third year you have the option to undertake an international study exchange and/or a work placement in a media company. Students taking a language will spend at least part of their year studying their language in a European country.

By the end of the four-year degree programme you’ll have an excellent understanding of the media and leave with in-demand communications skills that will set you up for careers in media production, journalism and the wider field of communication. You’ll also have strong interpersonal, critical thinking, judgement and decision making, and teamworking attributes, as well as understanding of innovation, making you ideally suited for employment. You’ll have the opportunity to pursue specialist training via Masters programmes on offer at University of Galway. 

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits
You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module
An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject
Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional
A module you may choose to study.
Required
A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject
A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester
Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Year 1 (60 Credits)


Optional Subject: Economics (20 Credits):
Required EC1108: Skills for Economics I - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required EC135: Principles of Microeconomics - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Optional RPL010: Recognised Prior Learning - 10 Credits - Semester 1
Required EC1109: Skills for Economics II - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required EC136: Principles of Macroeconomics - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Optional Subject: English (20 Credits):
Required EN1101: Literature and the Social World - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required EN1106: Exploring English - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required EN124: Introduction to English 1 - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Optional EN1102: Exploring English - 1BA and Denominated Programmes - 10 Credits - Semester 1
Required EN125: Introduction to English 2 - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Optional Subject: French (20 Credits):
Required FR1100: Introduction to French Language and Culture - 15 Credits - Semester 1
Required FR1101: Introduction to French Literature in Context - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Optional Subject: Gaeilge (20 Credits):
Required NG1105: An Teanga Bheo - 10 Credits - Semester 1
Required NG1106: Litríocht agus Cultúr na Linne - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required NG1107: Scéal agus Pobal na Gaeilge - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Optional Subject: History (20 Credits):
Required HISK1101: Skills for Historians (1) - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required HI1103: Europe and Ireland 1789 - 1918 - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required HISK1102: Skills for Historians (2) - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required HI1104: Europe: From Medieval to Modern - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Optional Subject: Information Technology (20 Credits):
Required CT1120: Algorithms - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required CT1101: Programming I - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required CT1100: Computer Systems - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required CT1102: Programming II - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Optional Subject: International Development (20 Credits):
Required HR101: Introduction to Human Rights I - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required DEV1103: Introduction to International Development - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required HR102: Introduction to Human Rights II - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required DEV1100: Introduction to Sustainable Development I - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Optional Subject: Italian (20 Credits):
Required IT1100: Italian Language and Culture - 15 Credits - Semester 1
Required IT1101: Italy at the movies - 5 Credits - Semester 1

Required Core Subject: Journalism (20 Credits):
Required AJ1103: This is the News - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required AJ1100: History of Media - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required AJ1102: Introduction to Media and Communication Studies - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required AJ1101: Radio Fundamentals - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Optional Subject: Law (20 Credits):
Required LW103.I: Irish Legal Systems - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required LW3109: Tort Law - 10 Credits - Semester 1
Required LW126: Legal Skills - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Optional Subject: Philosophy (20 Credits):
Required PI120: Philosophical Questions & Issues - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required PI107: Introduction To The History Of Philosophy - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required PISK1102: Critical Thinking and Logic - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required PI108: Introduction To Practical Ethics - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Optional Subject: Sociological & Political Studies (20 Credits):
Required SP1120: Practicing Politics - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required SP1125: Introduction to Politics - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required SP1121: Practicing Sociology - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required SP1126: Introduction to Sociology - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Optional Subject: Spanish (Beginners) (20 Credits):
Required SH1100: Intensive Beginners Spanish Language and Culture - 15 Credits - Semester 1
Required SH1102: Mundo hispano: An Introduction to the Hispanic World - 5 Credits - Semester 1

Optional Subject: Spanish (Intermediate) (20 Credits):
Required SH1101: Intermediate Spanish Language and Culture - 15 Credits - Semester 1
Required SH1102: Mundo hispano: An Introduction to the Hispanic World - 5 Credits - Semester 1

Year 2 (60 Credits)


Optional Subject: Economics (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Economics in the previous year / semester.
Required EC207: Irish Economic History - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required EC273: Mathematics for Economics - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required EC269: Intermediate Microeconomics - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EC219: Comparative Economic Thought - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EC259: Economics of Public Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EC247: Introduction to Financial Economics - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required EC275: Statistics for Economics - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required EC268: Intermediate Macroeconomics - 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional Subject: English (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied English in the previous year / semester.
Optional EN448.I: Stories Told and Re-Told - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN2166: Seduction, Sexuality, and Race: Early Modern Identities - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN2102: Renaissance Drama - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN2106: Shakespearean Comedies - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN2107: Shakespearean Comedies - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN2154: Exploring Shakespeare (S1) - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN298.I: Spenser: The Faerie Queene - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN3154: Literature, Empathy and Estrangement (S1) - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN2121: Media Industries A - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional ENG227.I: Eighteenth-Century Writing - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN2112: Creative Writing - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN2173: Travel Writing in the Arctic - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN402.I: History Of the English Language - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN3133: The Brontës (S1) - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN2133: Media, Culture, Society - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional ENG230.I: 19th Century Detective Fiction - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN3101: Allusion, Adaptation and Appropriation - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN3113: Modernist Fiction - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional ENG243.I: Special Topic - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN2171: SERVICE LEARNING: READING AND WRITING WITH PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN(S1) - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN2152: Monsters, Mischief, and Marvels: Reading Old English (S1) - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN385: Drama And Theatre Studies - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional ENG215.I: Literature of North America - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional ENG244.I: Textual Histories - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN410.I: Jane Austen - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN2113: Creative Writing - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN278.I: Milton's Poetry - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN444.I: Pain & Pleasure in Jacobean Theatre - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional EN3141: North American Literature - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional ENG213.I: Film Studies - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional ENG230.II: 19th Century Detective Fiction - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN410.II: Jane Austen - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN2114: Renaissance Drama - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN2116: Shakespearean Comedies - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN2155: Exploring Shakespeare (S2) - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN434.I: Studies in 20th Century Fiction - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN434.II: Studies in 20th Century Fiction - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN2172: SERVICE LEARNING: READING AND WRITING WITH PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN(S2) - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional ENG203: Genre Studies - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional ENG304: Contemporary Literature - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN264: Studies In Medieval Literature - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional AJ2114: Communicating Through Storytelling - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN2100: Creative Writing - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN2174: Exploring Shakespeare (S2) - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN2117: Shakespearean Comedies - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN2153: Monsters, Mischief, and Marvels: Reading Old English (S2) - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN278.II: Milton's Poetry - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN2142: Worlds in Revolt: Romanticisms - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN2156: Love and Literature - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN298.II: Spenser: The Faerie Queene - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional ENG243.II: Special Topic - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN2122: Media Industries B - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional ENG215.II: Literature of North America - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN3155: Literature, Empathy and Estrangement (S2) - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional ENG244.II: Textual Histories - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN3102: Allusion, Adaptation and Appropriation - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN2120: Media Studies - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN2101: Creative Writing - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN448.II: Stories Told and Re-Told - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN3114: Modernist Fiction - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN2111: Nineteenth-Century Gothic Fiction - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional ENG213.II: Film Studies - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional EN2168: Early Modern Studies in the Global Classroom - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional ENG202: 18th Century Studies - 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional Subject: French (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied French in the previous year / semester.
Required FR266: French Language 5 - 10 Credits - Semester 3
Required FR269: Lecture du français: Textes, Contextes, Idées - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required FR270: Langue poétique/ langue vivante - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required FR2100: Expressing French and Francophone Identities - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required FR267: La France mise en scène - 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional Subject: Gaeilge (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Gaeilge in the previous year / semester.
Required NG227: Teanga Na Nua-Ghaeilge I - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required NG2101: An Gearrscéal sa Ghaeilge - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required NG2100: An tSochtheangeolaíocht - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional NG2107: Ainmneacha, Sloinnte agus Logainmneacha na hÉireann - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional NG2104: Na Meáin Chumarsáide agus an Ghaeilge - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional NG2103: Teanga na Sean-Ghaeilge I - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional NG2108: Canúint agus Caighdeán - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional NG2102: Scannánaíocht na Gaeilge - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional NG2106: An Fhiannaíocht - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional NG2105: Amhránaíocht na Gaeilge - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required NG228: Teanga Na Nua-Ghaeilge II - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required NG2109: Téamaí i Nuafhilíocht na Gaeilge - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional NG2110: Drámaíocht na Gaeilge - 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional Subject: History (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied History in the previous year / semester.
Optional HI2103: Monarchy & Society in Early 17th Century France - 10 Credits - Semester 3
Optional HI166: Ireland in the 1950s - 10 Credits - Semester 3
Optional MG3113: Megatrends - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional BSS2103: Introduction to Sustainability 1 - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional HI2155: Cultural Heritage & Public History - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional HI2147: Life in urban Galway during the long nineteenth century - 10 Credits - Semester 3
Optional HI2110: Making Ireland English: 1580-1665 - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional HI2150: Europe, 1918-49 - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional HI292: Central Europe, 1867-1918 - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional HI284.I: Themes in Early Modern History I - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional HI2148: The British Empire in the Eighteenth Century - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional HI431: French Mobilisation and the Great War, 1914-24 - 10 Credits - Semester 4
Optional HI2135: Fluxes, Fevers and Fighting Men: Disease and Armies (1489-1856) - 10 Credits - Semester 4
Optional HI249: Ireland:Economy And Society,1700-1850 - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional AJ2114: Communicating Through Storytelling - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional MG3115: Megatrends - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional BSS2104: Introduction to Sustainability 2 - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional HI2156: Revolutionary Technologies, from Steam to Green - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional HI494: British Social Movements Since 1945: Sex, Colour, Peace and Power - 10 Credits - Semester 4
Optional HI2123: Life and Death in Victorian Britain - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional HI2151: Europe since 1950 - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional HI2146: The Making & Breaking of Britain - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional HI2149: Global History 1870-1945 - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional HI459: The Tudors: Religion, State & Society - 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional Subject: Information Technology (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Information Technology in the previous year / semester.
Required CT2101: Object Oriented Programming I - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required CT230: Database Systems I - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required CT2105: Web-based Information Systems - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required CT2104: Web Application Development - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required CT2103: Systems Analysis & Design - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required CT2102: Object Oriented Programming II - 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional Subject: International Development (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied International Development in the previous year / semester.
Required DEV2101: Sustainable Agriculture - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required DEV2102: Development Policy and Practice - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required DEV2104: Food Systems and Geographies - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required DEV2100: Comparative Rural Business Development - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required DEV2103: International Development Seminar - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required HR2103: Contemporary Issues in Human Rights Protection - 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional Subject: Italian (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Italian in the previous year / semester.
Required IT2101: Oral (Communication and Presentation Skills) - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required IT235: Intermediate Language I - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required IT238: Italian Culture & Society I - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required IT236: Intermediate language II - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required IT237: Applied Language Skills: Intercultural Studies - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required IT239: Italian Culture & Society II - 5 Credits - Semester 4

Required Core Subject: Journalism (30 Credits):
Required AJ2103: Reporting and Writing - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required AJ2108: Employability and Career Skills - 0 Credits - Semester 3
Required AJ2102: Power without Responsibility - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required AJ2105: Broadcast Journalism (Radio) - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional AJ2104: Magazine Journalism - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional AJ2107: Sports Journalism - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required AJ2106: Multimedia - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required AJ2100: Online and Social Media: Theory and Practice - 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional Subject: Law (30 Credits):
Required LW202: Contract I - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required LW107.I: Legal Methods And Research - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required LW228: Constitutional Law II - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional LW232: Housing Law & Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional LW370: Comparative Disability Law - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional LW358: Environmental Law II - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required LW205: Contract II - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required LW227: Constitutional Law I - 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional Subject: Philosophy (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Philosophy in the previous year / semester.
Optional PI210: Moral And Political Philosophy - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional BSS2103: Introduction to Sustainability 1 - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional PI234: Topics in Practical Philosophy - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional PI248: Phenomenology - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional PI240: Bioethics - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional ED2103: Design Your Life - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional PS3123: Exploring Routes to Wellbeing - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required PI216: History Of Modern Philosophy - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional PI2102: Formal Logic - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional BSS2104: Introduction to Sustainability 2 - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional PI207: Philosophy Of Art - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional PI2105: Philosophical Inquiry through P4C - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional PI241: History Of Irish Thought - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional PI2101: Information Ethics - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional ED2104: Design Your Life Semester 2 - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional PI247: Nietzsche & Philosophy - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional PI2100: East Asian Philosophy and Culture - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional PI246: American Pragmatism - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional PI232: Topics in Theoretical Philosophy - 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional Subject: Sociological And Political Studies (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Sociological & Political Studies in the previous year / semester.
Optional SP216.I: European Politics - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional SP235: Social Issues and Policy Responses - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional SP2116: Sociology of Health - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional SP2117: International and Global Politics - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required SPSK3101: Politics and Society: Themes and Topics - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional SP212: Classical Social Thought - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional SP215.II: Modern Political Thought - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required SPSK3102: Society and Politics: Ideas and Research - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required SP220: Methods For Social And Political Science - 5 Credits - Semester 4

Optional Subject: Spanish (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Spanish (Beginners) in the previous year / semester.
This subject is available if you studied Spanish (Intermediate) in the previous year / semester.
Optional SH2100: Spanish Language II B: Ex-Beginner - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Optional SH2101: Spanish Language II A: Ex-Intermediate - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required SH2102: Spoken Spanish and Oral Presentation Skills - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required SH232: Hispanic Literature & Culture I - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required SH236: Cultural Debates in Latin America - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required SH2103: Spanish Language II C - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required SH233: Hispanic Literature & Culture II - 5 Credits - Semester 4

Year 4 (60 Credits)


Optional Subject: Economics (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Economics in the previous year / semester.
Optional EC3105: Econometrics - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EC345: Health Economics - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EC369: Money And Banking - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EC388: Environmental And Natural Resource Economics - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required EC3101: Microeconomics and Public Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EC3100: Economics and Philosophy - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EC362: Economics Of Financial Markets - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EC429: Marine Economics - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EC386: Public Economics - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EC3106: Behavioural Finance - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EC3104: Agricultural and Food Economics - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Required EC3102: Macroeconomics and Public Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 8

Optional Subject: English (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied English in the previous year / semester.
Optional EN3105: 20th Century Children's Fiction - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EN3109: Poetry of the First World War - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EN3110: Poetry of the First World War - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EN3144: Empire Writing (S1) - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EN2146: Medieval Piety: Poetry, Play, Prose (S1) - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EN464.I: Negotiating Identities: Aspects of 20th Century Irish Writing - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EN459.I: Contemporary Irish Writing - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EN387: Specialist Studies : Twentieth Century Literature - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional ENG238: Nineteenth Century British Literature - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EN3141: North American Literature - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EN280.I: Transformations of the Novel - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EN3146: Monsters, Mischief, and Marvels: Reading Old English (S1) - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EN598.I: Literature and Visual Art - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EN3159: 20th Century Writing By Women (British & North America) - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EN435.I: Studies in 20th Century Poetry - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional ENG223.I: Special Theme - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EN599.I: Literary Composition - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional ENG213.I: Film Studies - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EN3150: Historical Fiction (S1) - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional EN3111: Poetry of the First World War - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EN3112: Poetry of the First World War - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EN3140: Twentieth-Century Irish Drama (S2) - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EN3156: 20th Century Writing By Women (British & North America) - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EN3120: Technology and Culture B - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional ENG232.II: African Fiction - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EN3137: James Joyce, Ulysses (S2) - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EN459.II: Contemporary Irish Writing - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EN3138: Literature in the Digital Age - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EN464.II: Negotiating Identities: Aspects of 20th Century Irish Writing - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EN280.II: Transformations of the Novel - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EN385: Drama And Theatre Studies - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional ENG228: Old English Poetry - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EN3145: Empire Writing (S2) - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EN4110: Gender, Sexuality and Drama (S2) - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EN3151: Historical Fiction (S2) - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EN388: Studies In Modern Irish Literature - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional ENG202: 18th Century Studies - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EN4112: Ecology and Literature - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional ENG207.II: Nineteenth-Century Writing - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EN3122: Murder, Intrigue, and Early Modern True Crime (S2) - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional EN399: Essay - 5 Credits - Semester 8

Optional Subject: French (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied French in the previous year / semester.
Required FR3100: French Literature and Culture 11 - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required FR371: French Literature & Culture 7 - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required FR379: French Language 6 - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Required FR366: French and Francophone Studies 10 - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Required FR380: French and Francophone Studies 11 - 5 Credits - Semester 8

Optional Subject: Gaeilge (Cursa A) (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Gaeilge in the previous year / semester.
Optional NG4102: Miontráchtas Taighde i Léann na Gaeilge - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional NG4103: Scannánaíocht na Gaeilge - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional NG4104: Cineál agus Ceart na Gaeilge - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional NG4106: Ainmeolaíocht na Gaeilge - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional NG4107: Teanga na Sean-Ghaeilge II - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional NG4112: Scríbhneoirí Thír Chonaill - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional NG4115: Gaeilge na hAlban 1 - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional WE111: Introduction to Welsh Language I - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required NG4101: Filí agus Filíocht na Gaeilge, 700-1900 - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required NG4113: Teanga Na Nua-Ghaeilge 111 - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required NG4105: An Béaloideas - An Scéalaíocht - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Required NG4109: Próslitríocht na Gaeilge - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Required NG4114: Teanga Na Nua-Ghaeilge IV - 5 Credits - Semester 8

Optional Subject: History (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied History in the previous year / semester.
Optional BSS2103: Introduction to Sustainability 1 - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional HI167: Power and Conflict in Northern Ireland, 1963-1972 - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Optional HI443: State & People in Ireland 1820-1845 - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Optional HI3100: Brave New World: Globalisation since 1945 - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional HI376: Popular Culture In Pre-Industrial Europe - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional HI3102: The Irish and Colonial Australasia 1788-1901 - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Optional HI3112: The First World War: Transnational perspectives - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Optional HI3123: Power and Pleasure at Versailles: The Reign of Louis XIV of France, 1661-1715 - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Optional HI3126: Labour radicalism in the Anglophone world, c.1900-1939 - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Optional HI3194: The Environment Since 1945 - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Optional MG3113: Megatrends - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional HI2155: Cultural Heritage & Public History - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional HI3110: European Warfare 1618-1714: Theory and Practice - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Optional BSS2104: Introduction to Sustainability 2 - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional HI488: Labour in Irish Society & Politics, c. 1760-1960 - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional HI3195: Suffrage to Repeal: women's activism in Ireland and Britain, 1880-2016 - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional HI3196: The Great Irish Famine - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional HI362: Party & Power In 19th & 20th Century British History. - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional HI3304: Technology and Society 1750-1930 - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional MG3115: Megatrends - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional HI2156: Revolutionary Technologies, from Steam to Green - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional AJ2114: Communicating Through Storytelling - 5 Credits - Semester 8

Optional Subject: Information Technology (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Information Technology in the previous year / semester.
Optional CT318: Human Computer Interaction - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional CT319: Artificial Intelligence - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required CT3535: Object Oriented Programming III - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional CT411: Multi-Media Development - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Required CT328: Final Year Project - 10 Credits - Semester 8
Required CT327: Humanities Applications - 5 Credits - Semester 8

Optional Subject: Italian (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Italian in the previous year / semester.
Optional IT342: Italian Culture & Society III - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional IT345: Community Based Learning:Language Teaching - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required IT324: Language 111 - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Required IT346: Oral, Presentation and Transferable Skills - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional IT343: Italian Culture & Society IV - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional IT344: Italian Childrens Literature - 5 Credits - Semester 8

Required Core Subject: Journalism (30 Credits):
Optional AJ4109: Independent Practice Project - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Optional AJ4110: Independent Research Project - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Required AJ4100: We need to talk about gender, identity, race and sex - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required AJ4104: Advanced Practical Journalism (Print and Digital) - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Optional FM4109: Research Approaches in Sport & Exercise Studies - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional AJ4101: Advanced Practical Journalism (Broadcasting) - 10 Credits - Semester 8
Required AJ4105: Media Law and Ethics - 5 Credits - Semester 8

Optional Subject: Law (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Law in the previous year / semester.
Required LW409: Criminal Law I - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required LW4103: Administrative Law I - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required LW503: European Union Law I - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required LW413: Criminal Law II - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Required LW4104: Administrative Law II - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Required LW504: European Union Law II - 5 Credits - Semester 8

Optional Subject: Philosophy (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Philosophy in the previous year / semester.
Optional PI3103: Environmental Ethics - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional PI246: American Pragmatism - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional PI3100: Kant's Theoretical Philosophy - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional PI3104: Philosophy of Culture in Context - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional PI315: Philosophy of Mind - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional PI335: Moral Theory - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional PI3106: Formal Logic 2 - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional BI3103: Career Development and Employability Skills - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional PI310: Topics In Applied Philosophy: Disability, Poverty And Human Freedom - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional PI327: Philosophy Of Religion - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional PI399: Extended Essay - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional PI3105: Philosophy of Nature - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional PI129: Advanced Philosophical Text - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3211: Empathy in Action - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional PI241: History Of Irish Thought - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional PI3102: Contemporary East Asian Philosophies - 5 Credits - Semester 8

Optional Subject: Sociological And Political Studies (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Sociological And Political Studies in the previous year / semester.
Optional SP3197: Thinking Politically: The Power of Ideas - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional SP404: Development And Change - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional SP219: Political Sociology - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional SP3195: Equality, Diversity and Collective Action - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional SP3208: Contemporary American Politics - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional SP3199: Care, Power, Information - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Optional SP305: Comparative Public Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP405: Contemporary Social Thought - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3139: Comparative Government and Politics - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3137: Youth and Society - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP419: Marxist Theory - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP420: Sociology Of The Environment - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP618: Welfare Words: Key Words in Social Work & Social Welfare - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP701: Children & Young People in Families Today - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP705.II: Revisiting Violence - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP721: Ocean and Marine Politics - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional WS821.II: Thinking Differently: European Women's Studies - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SPL315.II: Smart & Liveable Cities and Suburbs - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3101: 'Community' - Significance and Change - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3103: European Union: Political Theory and Pol. Economy - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3129: Sexualities, Genders and Diversities - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3133: The Northern Ireland Conflict - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3134: Human Rights Advocacy: Concepts, Law and Practice - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3141: Socially-Engaged Art and Relations of Power - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3150: Teaching Methods for the Politics and Society Classroom - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3192: Sociology of Religion - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3193: Introduction to Social Work - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3194: Theories of Nationalism - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3198: Songs of Rebellion: Power, Resistance, and Affect - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3205: Digital Society: Policy and Governance of the Digital Age - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3144: Political Liberty - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3213: Contemporary African Politics - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3214: Biosociality and Bioeconomy: The Value(s) of Living Things - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3215: Security & World Affairs: People, Planet, Places - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SP3209: The Sociology of the Bioeconomy - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Optional SPL304: Women, Men & the Economy: Critical Explorations of Theory & Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 8

Optional Subject: Spanish (30 Credits):
This subject is available if you studied Spanish in the previous year / semester.
Required SH336: Hispanic Literature & Culture III - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required SH337: Hispanic Literature & Culture IV - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required SH339: Spanish Language III - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required SH3104: Hispanic Research: From Theory to Practice - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Required SH340: Spanish Language IV - 10 Credits - Semester 8

Year one

Introduction to Media and Communication – 5 Credits
History of Media – 5 Credits
This is the News – 5 Credits
Radio Fundamentals – 5 Credits
Choose two Arts subjects (20 credits x 2) 

Year Two
Interviewing and Reporting – 5 credits
Power without responsibility – 5 credits
Social media: theory and practice – 5 credits
Broadcasting – 5 credits
MICEE - Media innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship and employability – 5 credits
Choose either Sports Journalism (5 credits) Or Feature writing and magazines (5 credits)
Continue with your chosen Arts major

 Year three
Work internship or International study exchange: Full year
(or you can choose to do a split year, one semester internship and one semester of study abroad) 

Year Four
Multimedia newsdays (10 credits)
Global Political Economy of the Mass Media (5 credits)
The contemporary Irish media: Ethics, rules and regulation (5 credits)

Choose from:
Final project (documentary; investigative project; or long-form feature) (5 credits)
We need to talk about sex, gender and the media (5 credits)
Data journalism (5 credits)
The revolution will be televised (5 credits)
Social media audience development (5 credits)
Television journalism (10 credits)

Further Education

University of Galway offers a range of innovative and specialist professional postgraduate programmes including the MA Journalism, MA Sports Journalism and Communication, MA Broadcasting. The BA Journalism qualifies you to apply for a place on University of Galway.

MAs offered by the Discipline, as well as postgraduate study in other universities. University of Galway is well recognised internationally and graduates from this programme have successfully completed postgraduate study in the UK, EU and other top international universities. For more details of MA programmes on offer at University of Galway, see here.

MA Journalism, the MA Sports Journalism and Communication and the MA Broadcasting. The BA Journalism qualifies you to apply for a place on University of Galway MAs offered by the Discipline, as well as postgraduate study in other universities. University of Galway is well recognised internationally and graduates from this programme have successfully completed postgraduate study in the UK, EU and other top international universities. For more details of MA programmes on offer at University of Galway, see here.  

 

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Exciting career opportunities: The new BA Journalism programme is an exciting, four-year programme with a built-in internship in third year. We have excellent relationships with a range of media companies including RTE, national and local newspapers and radio, and all of our students get the opportunity to undertake a work placement as part of their studies. This, alongside the excellent range of modules on offer, gives our graduates a distinct advantage when it comes to securing employment after graduation. Students may also decide to specialise with one of our exciting Professional Masters programmes.

Great Facilities: We have a world-class digital broadcast centre that you will get to use as a student. Our student-friendly radio studio is equipped with a ‘Studer’ digital radio console, where our students learn to edit audio and put together news packages and programmes using Adobe Audition and the ‘Burli’ playout system. NUI Galway has its own FM radio station on campus - Flirt FM - where you can sign up to broadcast your own show.
Our brand-new television studio is the first of its kind in Ireland. The 4k, fully-robotic digital studio is built on a ‘Newtek’ mainframe, and includes state-of-the-art cameras and editing facilities, a news studio equipped with ‘Autoscript’ news reading software and ‘chromakey (greenscreen). It can take up to 16 simultaneous inputs and 8 outputs, allowing our students to broadcast live news and current affairs and other topics programmes to our website, as well as Facebook Live and YouTube. Our students learn to shoot and edit television and ‘mojo’ from the field; are trained in Adobe Premiere Pro, live studio production; and get the chance to create their own television shows in small teams.   

Challenging and engaging learning environment: Students on the BA Journalism programme are challenged across four years with a range of modules that help them develop their understanding of the media, as well as training in cutting-edge professional practice including writing for print and online, social media, radio and television. Students can choose specialisms in their second year such as sports journalism or features and magazines; and can further specialise in fourth year in an area of interest.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€5,598 p.a.(€5,738 p.a. including levy) 2024/25

Fees: Tuition

€2,598 p.a. 2024/25

Fees: Student Contribution

€3,000 p.a. 2024/25

Fees: Student levy

€140 p.a. 2024/25

Fees: Non EU

€20,000 p.a. (€20,140 p.a. including levy) 2024/25


EU Fees are comprised of Tuition + Student Contribution Charge + Student Levy** €140.  **Payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI.  Further detail here.

Find out More

Tom Felle,
Head, Discipline of Journalism and Communication
Tel: +353 (0) 91 49 2049
Email: tom.felle@universityofgalway.ie

Dr Uinsionn Mac Dubhghaill
BA Journalism Programme Director
Email:uinsionn.macdubhghaill@universityofgalway.ie

 

 


What Our Students Say

Ciara

Ciara Brennan |   (third year)

The BA Journalism has really been the perfect course for me. It is unique as it not only allows me to explore my interest in journalism, but it also enables me to take another subject to degree level, broadening my possibilities for future careers. Placing more emphasis on practical content has expanded my skills and heightened my confidence heading out on my third-year work placement, which is a real asset to this course. The classes are small and intimate allowing me to really get involved and make loads of friends. I would highly recommend this course for anyone with a keen interest in journalism but who also wants to explore other prospects.
Matthew

Matthew Geraghty |   (second year)

I found my first year studying journalism at University of Galway to be thoroughly enjoyable. The course has been varied and exciting. I found the modules interesting, they helped me to gain a solid grounding in the basics of journalism such as writing for news and developing my critical thinking and writing skills. The lecturers were attentive, understanding and interested to hear from us- the students.