Music Journalism with a Foundation Year – BA (Hons) – BA (Hons)
Course Feature
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Attendance Full Time (4 years)
Class Description
Get practical, professional preparation for a career in music journalism with our BA (Hons) Music Journalism with Foundation Year course. You’ll get the chance to develop the skills to cover a range of music stories for print, digital, TV and radio, including covering live events, interviewing key figures and running collaborative liveblogs. You’ll also explore the global impact of music journalism on audiences. You’ll be armed with mobile reporting kits to work as real reporters from day one.
We pride ourselves on teaching creative, contemporary journalism underpinned by traditional values and skills. That means learning the core media and communication skills that every working reporter needs before you specialise in an area that interests you.
You’ll be challenged academically – often by some of the industry’s leading names – and you’ll be expected to undertake meaningful work experience placements in media environments, and work on live stories, learning how to craft a story in a way that engages the audience.
By the time you graduate, you’ll be a thinking journalist with a specialism in music. You’ll also be adaptable to the changes that the industry faces. Our graduates have gone on to work for Sky, BBC, Trinity Mirror and the Express & Star. Others have scooped prestigious awards at the Midlands Media Awards while still studying.
About foundation courses
This four year programme has been specifically designed to allow you to undertake additional level 3 study, to ensure you are successful on your chosen degree programme.
After successful completion of your foundation year, you will have the flexibility to switch (should you wish to change direction) onto a number of related undergraduate degree programmes within Birmingham School of Media.
What’s covered in the course?
BA (Hons) Music Journalism is delivered by industry experts from broadcast, print and digital and provides a strong foundation for a future professional career with a range of music-related outlets. You’ll be able to use your own mobile reporting kit when you arrive, allowing you to work as a real reporter from day one.
Our Live Newsroom modules will get you to the heart of the action, covering a range of stories, creating content for our award-winning Birmingham Eastside website and other partner outlets. You’ll get the chance to apply practical mobile reporting skills in a real-world environment for a variety of platforms. Our strong links with key journalism organisations means you’ll also get the chance to work on live briefs throughout the course.
Teaching is delivered in our industry-standard facilities, as well as on location, thanks to our focus on mobile reporting. Our newsroom media hub also allows for collaborative work as part of the wider University journalism community, while access to the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire will offer a whole host of story opportunities on your doorstep.
By tackling real stories, you will quickly develop a sense of the impact they can have. The focus on innovation and entrepreneurship will also encourage you to think critically about the journalism landscape. This will allow you to be one step ahead of the game to spot and exploit the next big move in the world of music journalism.
Why Choose Us?
- Specialised, sophisticated equipment for every area in our new £62 million home in the city centre, including six radio studios, four TV studios, edit suites, music production studios, a newsroom media hub, and photography studios.
- You’ll receive a mobile journalism kit on arrival, allowing you to learn cutting edge skills across multiple platforms and experience the thrill of live reporting from day one.
- Teaching by active journalists who are industry-leading specialists in their field, including data journalist and author Paul Bradshaw, VR and 360 expert Sarah Jones and hyperlocal reporting award-winner Ross Hawkes and former News Anchor for Sky News, Marverine Duffy.
- The course’s experimentation ethos means you’ll learn to push the creative boundaries to tell stories to a range of real audiences in a new and innovative ways
- The chance to see your work published on the award-winning Birmingham Eastside platform and partner outlets.
- A range of guest speaker masterclasses from across the journalism industry. Previous sessions have been delivered by editors and reporters from the likes of the BBC, Trinity Mirror, Twitter and Google.