Find a course

Expand

Media, Journalism and Publishing

BA (Hons)

UCAS code: P300

Start dates: September 2023 / September 2024

Full time: 3 years, or 4 years with a work placement

Part time: 6 years, maximum 8 years

Location: Headington

Department(s): School of Arts

Overview

Scrolling through the news on our phones. Binge-watching box sets.  Listening to a podcast while walking from A to B. We interact with the media every day, everywhere. If you want to be a creator, not just a consumer, our BA in Media, Journalism and Publishing is the course for you. You’ll discover how to get stories out into the world through media, journalism, and book publishing.  

Oxford city has more published writers per square mile than anywhere else in the world. It’s been home to famous authors from Tolkien to Philip Pullman, C. S. Lewis to Mark Haddon. Beyond Oxford, our network extends to leading media organisations including Condé Nast, BBC, and Google. 

Our market-leading degree is based at the Oxford International Centre for Publishing, which is recognised globally for its excellence in education, training, and research. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to try new things, from exchange semesters and language learning to international collaboration on projects. As well as the chance to gain work experience through a third year optional placement or internship.

Order a Prospectus Ask a question Attend an open day or webinar

Student working on a computer

Why Oxford Brookes University?

  • Leading the way

    We’re no 2 for Journalism in the 2023 Guardian University Guide. 

  • Expert lecturers

    All our academics have worked in industry and continue their connections through research and consultancy. 

  • Home to famous authors

    The city has more published writers per square mile than anywhere else in the world. Will you discover or become the next big name?

  • Field trips

    You’ll have the chance to visit international book fairs and journalism summits, as well as volunteer at events such as the London Book Fair and the Oxford Literary Festival. 

  • Impressive connections

    We’ll introduce you to our connections at Bloomsbury, Penguin Random House, Hearst, Condé Nast, Future, Immediate, BBC, Google, and more.

  • Free language courses

    Free language courses are available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.

  • Study abroad

    You may be able to go on a European or international study exchange while you are at Brookes. Most exchanges take place in the second year. Although we will help as much as we can with your plans, ultimately you are responsible for organising and funding this study abroad.

  • Accreditation(s)

    The Journalism pathway is accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ)

    • National Council for the Training of Journalists NCTJ

Course details

Course structure

At the start of the course, you’ll complete compulsory modules that cover 3 areas. We’ll help you learn skills in design, multi-platform journalism, and book publishing. You’ll also start to explore the different ways of presenting information and publishing content.

Once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll have the freedom to choose your own modules. It’s up to you whether you keep your learning broad or whether you zone in on a certain area. A popular module is International Publishing which is run in partnership with a university in Amsterdam. This includes visiting the city and working with students there to run a book fair. 

Your dissertation is a vital part of your final year and gives you the chance to investigate a topic that interests you. Perhaps you’ll look at the news industry or maybe you’ll explore literary adaptations from page to screen. In Creative Entrepreneurship, we’ll challenge you to think about your career aspirations and how you present yourself and your professional portfolio digitally.

Student working on a computer

Learning and teaching

We use a variety of learning and teaching methods:

  • Lectures give you a knowledge and study framework to enable you to achieve your learning outcomes.
  • Seminars encourage you to talk with your tutors and peers to test your understanding and ability to apply ideas.
  • Practical workshops let you test, clarify, and apply your skills in, for example, video and audio.
  • Studio modules enable hands-on activities and project work in our dedicated IT suite of Mac computers with industry standard software.
  • The learning platform Moodle offers extra resources and learning materials.
  • Field trips. Industry trips and events let you see what you have learnt during lectures and workshops; they also develop your academic understanding, for example visiting libraries.
  • Online and print publications offer the chance to write and edit copy, and put typographic and design work into practice.
  • Student presentations offer self-evaluation and feedback from visitors from industry.

Assessment

The media and publishing industry value skills and knowledge as much as academic achievement. With this in mind the assessment methods for each module have been designed so that you can show your understanding.

The module Creative Entrepreneurship is intended to help you enter the creative industries. We aim to support you in the creation of an effective portfolio of content, across media formats, to aid the progression of your career.

Types of assessment include:  

  • essays on academic or research topics
  • business reports and case studies
  • project work across areas such as design, apps, and different forms of publication
  • presentations in role
  • pitches of new ideas and concepts
  • video reports of news stories or documentary features
  • role plays using professional scenarios
  • team-working assignments.

Field Trips

There are the opportunities for field trips and working at live events: for example, visits to industry organisations; international book fairs; media and journalism summits; and working at the Oxford Literary Festival and the London Book Fair. Field trips are optional.

Study modules

Year 1

Compulsory modules

Design and Technology

Media Law and Ethics

Storytelling as Experience

The Creative Industries

Understanding Contexts

Writing and Developing Content

Year 2

Compulsory modules

Essential Journalism

The Book Publishing Industry

Typographic Design for Page and Screen

Media Marketing and Business

Research and Data Analysis

Video Journalism

Optional modules

Fashion Journalism

Sports Journalism

Chinese Language and Culture

International Publishing

Oxford: City and Creative Industry

Print Media and Society

Year 3 (placement year)

Optional modules

Career Development Placement

Career Development Placement The aim of this module is to develop the professional profile and professional confidence of a student through experiential learning opportunities and engagement with external organisations by undergoing work placements, internships and industry experiences. It aims to enable students to manage their own learning and self-direction through identifying opportunities that align to their disciplinary ambitions, situating their practice in a professional context. It offers a range of options including an Enterprise Residency where students can operate as freelancers and develop ideas for a start-up business with the full support of Brookes Enterprise Support.

Year 4 (or year 3 if no placement)

Compulsory modules

Creative Entrepreneurship

Major Project or Dissertation

Optional modules

Children’s Publishing

Death of the Author and the Birth of the Citizen Writer

Digital and Data Journalism

Digital Product

Fiction and Non-Fiction

Magazine Journalism

Media and Propaganda

Popular Culture & the Media

Work Placement

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Careers

The world of media, journalism and publishing is constantly evolving so we’ll make sure you are quick to adapt and confident applying your skills to different industry challenges. You’ll finish the programme with a portfolio of content relevant to roles across the media and in other organisations where there is a need to communicate to external audiences.

Every student on this course has the opportunity to do work experience. Past students have worked at NewsUK, Oxford University Press, and Avon Publishing, as well as small presses such as Guppy and specialist magazines like African Leadership. We also offer live reportage opportunities for aspiring journalists and run an annual career event where you can meet experts and alumni. 

After you graduate, you’ll be the perfect match for roles in:

  • book, magazine and news publishing,
  • digital journalism,
  • public relations,
  • social media and content marketing,
  • communications, radio and television,
  • NGOs and arts administration.

Student profiles

Our Staff

Alexandra Shakespeare

Working with retail brands and newsstand publications to create compelling content for a variety of audiences, Alexandra is expert at both crafting copy and strategising editorial concepts.

Read more about Alexandra

Entry requirements

Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. The combination of A-level grades listed here would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.

Standard offer

UCAS Tariff Points: 120

A Level: BBB

IB Points: 31

BTEC: DDM

Contextual offer

UCAS Tariff Points: 96

A Level: CCC

IB Points: 28

BTEC: MMM

Further offer details

We welcome applications from candidates with alternative qualifications, and from mature students.

International qualifications and equivalences

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£9,250

Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module

International full time
£14,600

Home (UK) full time
£9,250

Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module

Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£1,500

International full time
£15,200

International sandwich (placement)
£1,500

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

Tuition fees

2022 / 23
Home (UK) full time
£9,250

Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module

International full time
£14,600

2023 / 24
Home (UK) full time
£9,250

Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module

Home (UK) sandwich (placement)
£1,500

International full time
£15,200

International sandwich (placement)
£1,500

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 483088

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Please note, tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students.

Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Information from Discover Uni

Full-time study

Part-time study

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.