Journalism and PR
Bring your stories to life in the mediaHUB, our multimedia publishing and broadcasting newsroom, alongside BBC Newcastle Journalists. Work on our award-winning digital publications: Fashion North, SportsByte and Spark Sunderland. Be inspired by our lecturers and their strong industry contacts, broaden your horizons on inspiring field trips and graduate with a professional portfolio to impress prospective employers.
Courses we offer
Our Journalism courses are 4th in the UK and 1st in the north-east (Guardian University Guide, 2024). They're designed for you to hone your practical skills alongside plenty of networking opportunities and chances to build contacts with regional and national industry experts. As well as this, we’re proud to be shortlisted for University of the Year in the Times Higher Education Awards 2024.
Our journalism courses are accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ), a gold standard for courses that turn out highly skilled, highly motivated and highly employable trainee journalists. You could be the next graduate to land a job with leading employers, from the BBC, The Guardian and Stylist magazine, to various roles in PR and marketing companies. Take a look below to find the right course for you.
Undergraduate courses
BA (Hons) Sports Journalism
Launch your career as a sports journalist for top-end multimedia sports platforms such as Sky Sports News, BBC Sport or national newspapers, or join the media teams of Premier League clubs, Formula One teams or golf's DP World Tour. Gain the skills to work with, and for, the best in the business on this NCTJ-accredited course.
Find out more about Sports Journalism
BA (Hons) Journalism
Study a practical journalism degree, led by professional journalists who have worked for some of the UK’s biggest titles. Work closely with industry to learn the cutting-edge skills required to make your mark in the media. Become a journalist from the day you arrive and work for our award-winning radio station and websites, covering everything from news, to sport, fashion, arts and entertainment.
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BA (Hons) Fashion Journalism
Develop essential fashion journalism skills such as catwalk reporting, styling, street style photography, podcasting, social media stories, beauty and video journalism. Learn from industry experts, publishing opportunities and fashion trips. Earn your National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) Diploma in Journalism, the industry-recognised qualification, at the only NCTJ-accredited fashion journalism course in the country.
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BA (Hons) Social Media Management
Create engaging content from video to graphics. Manage social media channels and develop strategies and campaigns for brands, using analytics to grow and engage your audience. Build skills as a content creator and excel in a career in social media.
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BA (Hons) Sports Journalism with Integrated Foundation Year
This is a four-year version of our popular BA (Hons) Sports Journalism course, with an integrated foundation year. The North East has a burgeoning sports scene, with a Premier League football team on our doorstep. Develop core skills necessary for any sports journalist, from writing match reports and features to previews and sports news stories. Grasp the opportunity to work on our sports platform, SportsByte, covering live sports events across the North East.
Find out more about BA (Hons) Sports Journalism with Integrated Foundation Year
BA (Hons) Journalism with Integrated Foundation Year
This is a four-year version of our popular BA (Hons) Journalism course, with an integrated foundation year. Explore different types of journalism, from its history to present day, allowing you to specialise in a specific area of interest. Choose to focus on Magazine Writing, Sports Writing, Investigative Journalism, or Entertainments and Games Journalism.
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BA (Hons) Fashion Journalism with Integrated Foundation Year
This is a four-year version of our popular BA (Hons) Fashion Journalism course, with an integrated foundation year. This innovative course is the UK’s only Fashion Journalism degree to have NCTJ accreditation. Work on the University’s fashion platform, Fashion North, and learn the core skills that every fashion journalist needs to make it in the industry. Write features, style photo-shoots, create fashion spreads and produce your own magazine to impress prospective employers.
Find out more about BA (Hons) Fashion Journalism with Integrated Foundation Year
BA (Hons) Social Media Management with Integrated Foundation Year
This is a four-year version of our popular BA (Hons) Social Media Management course, with an integrated foundation year. Master social media platforms to engage online audiences. Develop cutting edge and highly transferable skills to meet a growing need for Social Media Managers and build your own following. Become an expert in existing social media platforms with the ability to create, curate and share content, and analyse and engage online audiences. Learn media law, with the opportunity to gain an additional qualification recognised by leading employers nationally.
Find out more about BA (Hons) Social Media Management with Integrated Foundation Year
Customised Awards Scheme
Pick and choose the modules you want to study to build a tailor-made course. Available at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, this course allows you to gain a qualification that closely matches your particular needs.
Find out more about Customised Awards SchemePostgraduate courses
MA Journalism / MA Journalism (Sport)
Develop your own specialist area of interest such as crime, health or political journalism. Cover media ethics and law, reporting and public affairs, shorthand and sub-editing and production. Research and write like a journalist. Produce a series of in-depth articles or your own newspaper. Hone your craft in the mediaHUB, our bustling multimedia newsroom.
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MA Public Relations
Do you want to tell people the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of an organisation, charity, rock band, sports club or fashion brand? Then this PR course is for you. Develop a thorough knowledge of journalism, business and marketing, social networking and communication theory. Gain a competitive edge in a fast-moving industry with a course accredited by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
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Senior Journalist Apprenticeship
This Level 7 Senior Journalist Apprenticeship will prepare you for a role as a senior journalist or editor in your company. You'll also be equipped to take the NCTJ National Qualification in Journalism (NQJ). The course will cover key developments around digital publishing and brand awareness and include full training in media law and editorial leadership.
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MPhil Master of Philosophy
Take your education to the next level. Choose the areas you want to study, and which questions you want to research. Take the initiative while we support you with advice, guidance and facilities.
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PhD Doctor of Philosophy
Refine your own agenda and do what you find interesting every day. Develop mastery of research methods that are appropriate to your chosen field. Discover things that no-one else has ever discovered.
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PhD by Existing Published or Creative Work
Take the fastest route to a PhD. Convert your previous research outputs into a qualification which will increase your employability and open up new opportunities. Progress your academic career and add credibility in applications for research funding.
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Higher Doctorate
Take your academic career to the highest level. Make a very significant and sustained contribution to your subject. Gain an elite qualification that will mark you out as an outstanding contributor to your field.
Find out more about Higher DoctorateResearch courses
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Award-winning Journalists and Broadcasters
From the former Head of Features at the Daily Mirror and the former Deputy Editor of Grazia magazine to award-winning sports journalists, you’ll perfect your craft alongside experienced academics who have years of industry expertise. You’ll have the opportunity to engage with regional and national high-profile journalists such as Kevin Maguire, Associate Editor at the Daily Mirror and Visiting Professor in Journalism at the University, and ITV News Correspondent Alastair Stewart. Both regularly visit the University along with a host of experienced journalists to give insight into the industry via masterclasses and lectures. Working journalists are also on hand daily in the Journalism Newsroom to offer expert advice on projects and portfolios. At Sunderland, we offer some of the most comprehensive Journalism courses in the UK accredited by the leading industry body the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ).
State-of-the-art facilities
Our department has a great reputation for giving you access to state-of-the-art facilities. You'll be based at The David Puttnam Media Centre, which houses our fantastic mediaHUB, and has the added benefit of a great location, close to the city centre and within miles of stunning coastline.
Our journalism suites are equipped with Apple Macs and the latest design and video-editing software such as Final Cut Pro, Burli, Newscutter and ENPS, and our Broadcast Journalism Newsroom features 17 workstations plus an Avid Utility server, Sky feed, and two 40” plasma screens.
Becoming a journalist
You’ll explore all areas of journalism and learn the key skills to make it as a journalist, from Shorthand, Media Ethics, News and Online Writing, Public Affairs Reporting, Multi-Platform and Video Journalism, to Writing and Researching. You'll have the opportunity to showcase your skills in your final portfolio of work, in addition to working for newspapers, magazines, radio stations, TV and PR companies to connect you to the industry through placements.
Our courses all prepare you for an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, and the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) Diploma in Journalism, the nationally recognised industry entry qualification. NCTJ accreditation is widely recognised as a gold standard for courses that turn out highly skilled, highly motivated and highly employable trainee journalists.
Learn more about the benefits of studying an NCTJ-accredited course.