Journalism & Creative Writing

Become a multi-skilled, passionate and ethically-driven journalist, writer and digital creative.

Whether you imagine yourself reporting from a busy newsroom, penning a Hollywood script or writing a novel, this course allows you to explore all aspects of written communication and become a flexible storyteller with sought- after skills. You’ll learn to seek out good stories, research your theme, interview with confidence and write with clarity, developing these core competencies in contexts including screenwriting, poetry, magazines, writing for games and children’s fiction. By experimenting with subject and style, you’ll develop as a distinctive and agile digital practitioner.

You will:
Develop the craft and critical skills to make you an adaptable multimedia writer, reporter and digital creative – with a professional portfolio to prove it
Learn the professional, craft and business skills to set you up for career success whether as a freelancer, employee or founder of your own company
Work on live briefs from our partners, with the opportunity to meet a range of working professionals and take up work placements in media or publishing
Engage in study and debates around key ethical issues such as sustainability and inclusion
Have access to well-equipped studios and creative spaces to give you hands-on production skills
Benefit from exposure to the complete spectrum of writing and audio-visual expertise; including active journalists, PR specialists, published authors, documentary makers, screenwriters, game writers and poets through our guest lectures and workshops

You will develop your professional and intellectual skills by exploring journalism and creative writing in a range of contexts and genres, and set your practice within the creative, ethical and legal frameworks of past and present practitioners.

As you progress, you will learn how to generate fresh ideas through experimentation, write for different readers and publishing platforms, solve problems, collaborate, research both professionally and academically, and promote your work to employers and audiences

Year One:
The first year introduces you to core skills and working methods you will apply throughout your studies, enabling you to express yourself in a supportive atmosphere. You will learn how and where to access key resources and practise fundamental research, critical-thinking and organisational skills.

You will discuss examples of creative and journalistic writing and multimedia content, to provide a framework for your own practice and a context for experimentation. You will learn about the publishing business and explore broader issues in the media.

Modules
Writing: Craft and Contexts
Mission launch: The Reporter's Toolkit
Digital News Lab: Audiovisual Storytelling
Breaking the Rules: Remix and Writing Back
The Information Age: Exploring the Media Landscape
Publishing Studio: Technologizing the Word

Year Two:
The second year supports you to build on the learning and creative confidence established in year one, offering the chance to explore other forms of non-fiction writing and choose specialist modules to suit your evolving interests, including screen writing and games writing.

Collaborative working is a key theme - you will devise and produce an original magazine with peers, engage in a multimedia newsroom project, and apply your skills to a real-world brief alongside students from other subjects.

Modules
Digital News Lab: Local is Global
Creative Non-Fiction
Making Magazines
Collaboration

Optional modules
Games
Poetry
Satire & Scandal
Screenwriting
Fiction
Magic & the Impossible
Radio & Theatre

Year Three:
The third year deepens your craft and employability skills as you progress to becoming a truly independent learner, researcher and practitioner. You will learn further research skills as a platform for a major creative or journalistic project of your own choosing.

This year also equips you with the business acumen to accelerate your career, the chance to do work experience, and the challenge of taking on team and management roles in a live newsroom. You can again specialise, with options including crime writing and writing for younger audiences.

Modules
Digital News Lab: Going Live
How to be Right: Advanced Investigation and Research
The Springboard

Optional Modules
Mini-Documentary
Dissertation and Portfolio
Creative Writing Portfolio
Children and Young Adult
Crime and Dark Fiction
We have Never Been Human
Innovations

As part of our process of continuous improvement, we routinely review course content to ensure that all our students benefit from a high-quality and rewarding academic experience. As such, there may be some changes made to your course which are not immediately reflected in the content displayed on our website. Any students affected will be informed of any changes made directly.

Giving and receiving feedback is not only vital for your own development but also to help you become an effective professional – especially in the creative industries. This can be challenging, and it is with practice in the supportive environment of the course that this will become second nature and an essential part of your own growth.

The course features a variety of assessment types based on the modules chosen, which could include:

Portfolio – a selection of your work
Presentation – a presentation made to a lecturer, class and/or panel
Report – a formal summary of a project or other activity
Journal – a reflection on your practice
Essay – an academic argument addressing a question or a hypothesis
Practical – an example of your creative or journalistic work
Case Study – an evaluation of a particular event, person, content, artefact, etc.
Dissertation – an extended piece of academic writing, longform written or media project
We'll push you to make the most of any outside opportunities, so you can utilise our facilities and support. You'll also gain valuable industry insights from our visiting speakers and Writers in Residence, who have previously included Lionel Shriver, Philip Marsden and Simon Armitage.