How To Apply
UCP BA (Hons) Journalism

BA (Hons) Journalism

P500
P56
88
The Open University

course overview

Our journalism course is designed to enable you to train and develop as a practitioner so that you will be the ones to investigate and report on tomorrow’s news.

If you want to become a journalist and explore what journalism is and where this fast paced and exciting industry is heading, this is the perfect course for you.

Delivered at the state-of-the-art Media and Journalism Centre in the heart of the city and at the University Centre main campus, you will learn under the guidance of current industry professionals and be given a practical grounding in print, radio, photo and digital journalism.

You will learn how to produce imaginative and incisive copy to deadline as well as developing a range of skills to ensure you have the creativity and versatility to thrive in today’s industry. You’ll look at the problems, pitfalls and potential for today’s journalism, studying its past and debating its future.

If your interest is sport or fashion journalism we will support you in this allowing you to specialise throughout the course.

Students will gain valuable work experience in a local or regional media organisation as part of the Professional Development module in their final year.

During your time with us you will have the opportunity to work with local and regional partners in Peterborough and undertake exciting internships with local businesses and placements at major consumer magazine titles.

You will also have the opportunity to learn from professional journalists and media professionals in our guest speaker events organised by students and staff.

The courses at University Centre Peterborough are studied in smaller class sizes compared with other universities, a typical class size is under 30 students.

Download Course Specification

5 GCSE grades C/4 or above, including English, Maths and 88 UCAS points, which should be from a related subject in one of the following:

  • A Levels
  • BTEC Level 3 National Diploma
  • Cambridge Technical
  • Access to HE (45 credits)
  • Related work experience
  • Overseas qualifications are judged to be equivalent to the above

Students who do not qualify by any o these qualifications may be offered an interview to discuss equivelant qualifications and previous experience.
We accept A Level General Studies and AS levels when combined with other full qualifications.
If English is not your first language, you will require an IELTS score of 6.0 or above or an equivalent English Language qualification.

Mature students or students who do not have the above qualifications can contact our admissions team on 01733 214466 or admissions@ucp.ac.uk to discuss equivalent qualifications or relevant work experience.

EU STUDENTS AND OVERSEAS QUALIFICATIONS

We can accept a wide range of overseas qualifications and use UK NARIC to compare qualifications. For advice about overseas qualification conversion call the Admissions Office on 01733 214466 or email admissions@ucp.ac.uk.

UCAS TARIFF

To find out more about UCAS tariff points and how they work, visit ucas.com/tariff-calculator.

We accept a wide range of qualifications such as A-levels (you must have grades for at least two A-levels), BTEC, Cambridge Technicals, International Baccalaureate (IB), NVQ Level 3, Access to Higher Education and Scottish Advanced Highers.

The tariff points for qualifications can be added and combined together (e.g. A-levels plus BTECs).

The UCAS points for A-level General Studies, AS-levels and the EQP (Extended Project Qualification) are accepted when combined with other full qualifications.

ACCREDITATION OF PRIOR CERTIFICATED LEARNING (APCL) FOR ENTRY

APCL relates to learning completed through an earlier course of study. If you have previously completed a course which is relevant to your proposed course you should make this clear when you apply. For this to be eligible for consideration you must be able to provide certification, which shows your success in a final assessment for that course. Learning must be completed in the last five years or further evidence of updating will be required. Simple participation in a course or an attendance certificate is not sufficient.

EXEMPTIONS BASED ON ACCREDITATION OF PRIOR LEARNING (APL)

We offer students flexibility in their studies, by recognising learning they may have completed elsewhere before they apply. The Accreditation of Prior Learning process ensures that we can take this into account when determining the modules you must study. It is important that you identify any relevant prior learning when you apply. If your previous study specifically relates to modules on the course you wish to undertake we may approve a reduced programme of study, thus shortening the time it takes to obtain your award. Where this relates to learning completed through an earlier course of study, this is called Prior Certificated Learning, and where learning has been achieved through relevant work or experience, this is referred to as Prior Experiential Learning. Claims must be approved before you commence a course.

EXEMPTIONS BASED ON ACCREDITATION OF PRIOR EXPERIENTIAL CERTIFICATED LEARNING (APEL)

It is important to understand that the APEL process does not award academic credit for experience alone, but for learning which can be shown to have been achieved through that experience. Students are required to prepare an individual case for the credit arising from their learning experiences. This normally means that a student receives support in the preparation of a portfolio, which evidences their claimed exemptions for entry. This portfolio of evidence is then submitted for assessment and the possible award of academic credit. Alternative methods of assessment of evidence may be available but needs to be discussed with the Admissions team or Course Leader.

You must take modules worth 120 credits at each level of the course. Each module is worth a specified number of credits.

Year one for full-time students (Level 4)

  • Media Law and Ethics (15 credits)
  • News Reporting (15 credits)
  • Exploring Journalism (15 credits)
  • Introduction to Video (15 credits)
  • Media Law and Ethics (15 credits)
  • Integrated Design and Features (15 credits)
  • Introduction to Audio (15 credits)
  • Launching your career (15 credits)

Year two for full-time students (Level 5)

  • Mobile Filmmaking (30 credits)
  • Employability (15 credits)
  • Photojournalism (15 credits)
  • Politics and the Media (30 credits)
  • Magazine Production (15 credits)
  • Shorthand (15 credits)
  • Podcasting (optional – 15 credits)
  • Documentary Filmmaking (optional – 15 credits)

Final year for full-time students (Level 6)

  • Professional Placement (30 credits)
  • Major Project 1 (15 credits)
  • Journalism Portfolio 1 (15 credits)
  • Major Project 2 (30 credits)
  • Journalism Portfolio 2 (15 credits)
  • Content Marketing (15 credits)

A typical 15 credit module is 150 hours which includes 36 hours of tutor led delivery and 114 hours of recommended independent study.  A typical 30 credit module is 300 hours which includes 72 hours of tutor led delivery and 228 hours of recommended independent study.  A full-time student should expect to undertake 30 additional hours per week during term-time.

When studying this course at University Centre Peterborough, we will timetable your lectures as two full days a week over two semesters per year (part-time will be one to two full days a week over two semesters per year).

We are able to offer this convenient timetabling to our students as we are a smaller institution so we can timetable our staff and resources more efficiently.

Over the duration of your course, teaching will be delivered by the following methods:

Year one for full-time students (Level 4)

  • 30%     Lectures
  • 30%     Seminars
  • 40%     Workshops

Year two for full-time students (Level 5)

  • 30%     Lectures
  • 30%     Seminars
  • 40%     Workshops

Final year for full-time students (Level 6)

  • 30%     Lectures
  • 30%     Seminars
  • 40%     Workshops

There are two semesters per year and each semester is up to 15 weeks which includes up to 12 teaching weeks and 3 assessment weeks.

If studying full-time you will be in classes, seminars and tutorials for approximately 15 hours per week and will spend the rest of your time in independent study and extra-curricular activities including work placement if not embedded in your course. We recommend that full-time students allow an additional 30 hours per week for additional study.

The campus is open Monday to Friday throughout the year and you will also have 24/7 access to a virtual learning environment (VLE) with e-books, journals and abstracts plus teaching resources and interactive tools.

Timetables are available at least 6 weeks before registration and you can refer to the academic calendar for examination weeks and resit periods.

The days of the week you study may change each year and in some circumstances one of the full days might have to be split into two half days, but we aim to keep these as full days where possible.

Visit our published documents and policies page for The Open University regulations.

Throughout the duration of your course you will be assessed by the following methods:

Year one for full-time students (Level 4)

  • 80%     Coursework
  • 10%     Written Exams
  • 10%     Practical Exams

Year two for full-time students (Level 5)

  • 90%     Coursework
  • 10%     Written Exams

Final year for full-time students (Level 6)

  • 80%     Coursework
  • 10%     Practical Exams
  • 10%     Placement

We will provide, by the beginning of the first week of each semester, a current module guide with all the information you need for each module, including details of assessment tasks, the deadlines for these tasks, the required format and any relevant guidance.

Formative assessment opportunities are written into all module plans to provide students with on-going feedback.  End of semester assessments will have formative opportunities in weeks 9 or 10 of the semester.  In addition revision sessions will be held in week 12.

Your final degree classification is calculated as an average of your highest 60 credits at Level 5 and all credits at Level 6.

  • 70%+         First
  • 60-69%     2:1
  • 50-59%     2:2
  • 40-49%     Third

Students will undertake a 15 day work placement with a local media organisation. Previous students have undertaken placements with BBC Look East, Zazzle Media, BGL Group (Compare the Market) and Peterborough Telegraph.

As the course is timetabled as full days during the week when studied full-time, this also gives you the flexibility to find a work placement, internship or volunteering opportunity which will improve your employability after you graduate. All students are encouraged to identify work experience in addition to their work placement to aid their career development.

Rachel Pishhorn

Rachel Pishhorn is the Course Leader for the BA (Hons) Journalism and BA (Hons) Media Production degrees at University Centre Peterborough. Since taking on the role back in February 2022, Rachel has been able to create some fantastic opportunities for the students, including the launch of a brand-new student blog, Inside The Box – https://www.insidetheboxucp.com/, which won ‘Best Newcomer’ at the Student Publication Regional Awards 2023.

Rachel formerly worked as a journalist in local news, reporting for the Rutland and Stamford Mercury, Rutland Times, Bourne Local, Grantham Journal and Peterborough Telegraph. At all of these publications she learnt the craft of news reporting, as well as the importance of online journalism. In 2016 Rachel started lecturing in Journalism, working for both University Centre Peterborough and the University of Bedfordshire. She achieved her teaching qualification in 2018 at Peterborough College.

This year she was awarded the accolade of ‘Lecturer of the Year’ at the Inspire Education Group’s Staff Awards 2023, and more recently she has started a Doctorate in Education and Creative Media at the University of Bournemouth. As part of her Doctoral study, she plans to focus her research on Journalism education at degree level and the impact of digital media. Alongside her role, Rachel is also the Staff Governor for University Centre Peterborough, helping to make change within the University on behalf of the teaching staff.

Just some of the future careers for graduates after completing the course include:

  • Journalist
  • Public Relations Officer
  • Press Officer
  • Researcher
  • Internal Communications Writer
  • Editorial Content Writer
  • Copy Editor
  • Marketing Copywriter

Peterborough

Full-time: 3 years (2 full days a week over two semesters per year)

Part-time: 4 years (1-2 full days a week over two semesters per year)

The tuition fees for full-time undergraduate students will be £8,250 per year, which is lower compared with many other universities.

Fees for part-time study are pro-rata depending on the number of credits you are studying (i.e. 90 credits per year will be 75% of the tuition fee).

There may be additional costs for this course which are not covered by the tuition fee.

In this prospectus we will give you clear and accurate information so you can make the best choice for a successful future

Download Prospectus
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