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Journalism and Communications (BA)

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A BA Journalism and Communications student at Cardiff University
Journalism and Communications (BA)

Why study this course

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Leading the way

Put yourself at the forefront of Journalism and Communications in an internationally recognised and high-ranking school.

location

Capital connections

Cardiff is thriving; take advantage of growing media and creative industries plus links to BBC Wales and Media Wales, situated next door.

academic-school

State of the art facilities

Including a specialised onsite library, bright study spaces and six newsrooms.

people

Journalism now

Delve into pressing present day issues such as mediation of political violence, internet governance and body image.

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Placement opportunities

Develop the skills, confidence and connections to accelerate your career.

On a practical level, you will produce portfolios (including digital portfolios), practise journalistic writing skills across a number of platforms including online, broadcast, print and magazines, pitch ideas for new editorial products and businesses, and use a variety of software to produce graphic outputs, blogs, apps, and social media campaigns. 

While you will be able to take a number of practical modules, the emphasis of the degree is academic and analytical. You will be able to follow a clear journalism and communication path throughout the three years of study.

Crucially, you will gain the ability to research, write and critique your own written projects according to highest academic standards, and utilise modern information technology in researching and presenting. You will develop your ability to work both independently and in groups.

Finally, the course will develop and hone your awareness of the practical and economic forces which frame the media, cultural and creative industries, leaving you ideally placed to work in any field where communication skills are required.

While Journalism and Communications in particular is a product of our extensive and growing communications environment, the course also benefits from our experience teaching and researching both journalism and media studies from national and international perspectives.

While this course is both challenging and academic in nature, it does NOT provide vocational journalism training.

Subject area: Journalism, media and culture

Entry requirements

We accept a combination of A-levels and other qualifications, as well as equivalent international qualifications subject to entry requirements. Typical offers are as follows:

A level

ABB-BBC

Extended/International Project Qualification: Applicants with grade A in the EPQ/IPQ will typically receive an offer one grade lower than the standard offer. Please note that any subject specific requirements must still be met.

  • Our grade range covers our standard offer and contextual offer. We carefully consider the circumstances in which you've been studying (your contextual data) upon application. Eligible students will be given an offer that is lower than the standard offer (usually the middle or lower end of the advertised grade range).
  • Where there is no grade range advertised and/or where there are selection processes in place (like an interview) you may receive additional consideration in the selection process.

Learn about eligible courses and how contextual data is applied.

International Baccalaureate

32-30 overall or 665-655 in 3 HL subjects.

Baccalaureate Wales

From September 2023, there will be a new qualification called the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales (level 3). This qualification will replace the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (Welsh Baccalaureate). The qualification will continue to be accepted in lieu of one A-Level (at the grades listed above), excluding any specified subjects.

You must have or be working towards: 
- English language or Welsh language at GCSE grade B/6 or an equivalent (such as A-levels). If you require a Student visa, you must ensure your language qualification complies with UKVI requirements. 

We do not accept Critical Thinking, General Studies, Citizenship Studies, or other similar equivalent subjects.
We will accept a combination of BTEC subjects, A-levels, and other qualifications, subject to the course specific grade and subject requirements.

 

GCSE

Grade B or grade 6 in GCSE English Language.

IELTS (academic)

At least 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.0 in each subskill.

TOEFL iBT

At least 100 overall with a minimum of 20 in each subskill.

PTE Academic

At least 76 overall with a minimum of 62 in all communicative skills.

Trinity ISE II/III

II: Not accepted.
III: at least a Merit in all components.

Other accepted qualifications

Please visit our English Language requirements page for more information on our other accepted language qualifications.

You are not required to complete a DBS (Disclosure Barring Service) check or provide a Certificate of Good Conduct to study this course.

If you are currently subject to any licence condition or monitoring restriction that could affect your ability to successfully complete your studies, you will be required to disclose your criminal record. Conditions include, but are not limited to:

  • access to computers or devices that can store images
  • use of internet and communication tools/devices
  • curfews
  • freedom of movement
  • contact with people related to Cardiff University.

Other qualifications from inside the UK

BTEC

DDM-DMM in a BTEC Extended Diploma in Arts, Humanities and Social Science subjects.

T level

D-M in one of the following T Level subjects:

- Digital production, design and development

- Digital support and services

- Digital business services

- Media, broadcast and production

Qualifications from outside the UK

See our qualification equivalences guide

Please see our admissions policies for more information about the application process.

Interview or selection process

No interview process, offer holders will be invited to Applicant Visit days in Feb/March each year.

Tuition fees for 2025 entry

Your tuition fees and how you pay them will depend on your fee status. Your fee status could be home, island or overseas.

Learn how we decide your fee status

Fees for home status

Year Tuition fee Deposit
Year one £9,535 None
Year two £9,535 None
Year three £9,535 None

The University reserves the right to increase tuition fees in the second and subsequent years of a course as permitted by law or Welsh Government policy. Where applicable we will notify you of any change in tuition fee by the end of June in the academic year before the one in which the fee will increase.

Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland

If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss national, your tuition fees for 2025/26 be in line with the overseas fees for international students, unless you qualify for home fee status. UKCISA have provided information about Brexit and tuition fees.

Fees for island status

Learn more about the undergraduate fees for students from the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

Fees for overseas status

Year Tuition fee Deposit
Year one £23,700 None
Year two £23,700 None
Year three £23,700 None

Learn more about our tuition fees

Financial support

Financial support may be available to individuals who meet certain criteria. For more information visit our funding section. Please note that these sources of financial support are limited and therefore not everyone who meets the criteria are guaranteed to receive the support.

Additional costs

Course specific equipment

You will not need any specific equipment.

Accommodation

We have a range of residences to suit your needs and budget. Find out more on our accommodation pages.

Living costs

We're based in one of the UK's most affordable cities. Find out more about living costs in Cardiff.

Course structure

We are currently working with our students to update and improve the content of this course. The information shown below reflects the current curriculum and is likely to change. The review of the course is expected to be completed by August 2025 and this page will be updated by end of October 2025 to reflect the changes.

The BA in Journalism and Communications is a three-year, full-time, modular course. Most modules include 12 weeks of teaching and the rest of the semester is devoted to exams and other kinds of assessment, along with the processes of marking and exam boards. 

Welsh-speaking students will have the opportunity of undertaking their first-year seminars through the medium of Welsh.

The modules shown are an example of the typical curriculum and will be reviewed prior to the 2025/2026 academic year. The final modules will be published by September 2025.

Year one

All of our Single Honours degree programmes share a common first year. This is designed to give you a sound foundation in all of the contemporary and historical contexts of journalism, media and culture. It also introduces you to the practicalities of high-quality academic writing, analysis and research.

In total six core 20-credit modules are taught mainly using a lecture/seminar format. During your lectures you will be introduced to new ideas and approaches and carry out more applied and team-based work in your seminars.

Year two

You will study two core modules, one in each semester and four optional modules, taught mainly using a lecture/seminar format although the tasks developed in seminars will be more ambitious.

You will be expected to develop research protocols, both on your own and in groups, and will begin to experiment with and design methodological procedures (such as survey methods, ethnography, and content and discourse analysis).

By the end of year two, you will have the skills necessary to write a dissertation in year three.

Year three

Year three consists of an optional dissertation and a choice of elective modules allowing you to specialise in your areas of interest. While a number of these will be based on a lecture/workshop format, the range of teaching methods will be more diverse and involve assignments of greater complexity and challenge.

You will conduct independent research and apply theoretical ideas and approaches to practical and/or analytical work.

The University is committed to providing a wide range of module options where possible, but please be aware that whilst every effort is made to offer choice this may be limited in certain circumstances. This is due to the fact that some modules have limited numbers of places available, which are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, while others have minimum student numbers required before they will run, to ensure that an appropriate quality of education can be delivered; some modules require students to have already taken particular subjects, and others are core or required on the programme you are taking. Modules may also be limited due to timetable clashes, and although the University works to minimise disruption to choice, we advise you to seek advice from the relevant School on the module choices available.

Learning and assessment

Our teaching is often led and informed by our research. You will be taught in a supportive environment and assigned a personal tutor who is a member of academic staff and able to advise on a wide range of issues.

There will be multi-media and new media learning and production practices should you opt for some of the more practical journalism and media modules.

How will I be supported?

You will have regular meetings with your personal tutor.

You will have access through the Learning Central website to relevant multimedia material, presentations, lecture handouts, bibliographies, further links, electronic exercises and discussion circles.

The University offers a range of services including the Careers Service, the Counselling Service, the Disability and Dyslexia Service, the Student Support Service, and excellent libraries and resource centres.

How will I be assessed?

A number of modules also involve formative methods of assessment. These usually involve the production of proposals for research based essays (including the dissertation), allowing module tutors the opportunity to provide feedback before you embark on more substantial pieces of written work or other projects. In some cases, formative assignments will have a summative element, and form part of the overall assessment.

The School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies guarantees that for assessed work:

  • the marking criteria will be clearly displayed
  • you will receive detailed typed written comments on your text
  • you will receive prompt feedback and all assessed work will be returned to you within four weeks
  • the feedback will be explanatory and worded to help you improve
  • where necessary we will meet you individually to ensure you understand the feedback

NOTE: The University welcomes applications from disabled students and we may be able to offer alternative assessment methods. However, this may not always be possible, for example where performance is a mode of assessment in a performance module. Such competence standards may limit the availability of adjustments or alternative assessments, but you should refer to the module descriptions for details.

What skills will I practise and develop?

You will acquire and develop a range of valuable skills, both discipline specific and more generic ‘employability skills’, which will allow you to:

  • read, analyse and synthesise complex academic texts
  • analyse different media texts, including word, image and sound
  • communicate clearly, concisely and persuasively in writing and speech
  • learn from constructive criticism and incorporate its insights
  • work both independently and as part of a team, developing a collaborative approach to problem-solving
  • carry out various forms of independent research for essays, projects, creative productions or dissertations
  • work to deadlines and priorities, managing a range of tasks at the same time
  • use IT programmes and digital media, where appropriate
  • take responsibility for your own learning programme and professional development

Other information

Global Opportunities

Studying, working or volunteering abroad as part of your university experience is a great way to broaden your academic knowledge, immerse yourself in another culture and gain skills that will be highly valued by employers. You are able to apply for placements across Europe and internationally through a number of recognised schemes as part of your degree programme.

European destinations include Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands) and Stockholm University (Sweden). International destinations include University of Sydney (Australia), University of Ottawa (Canada), Auckland University of Technology (New Zealand) and University of Pennsylvania (USA).

Careers

Career prospects

Our students have an excellent reputation for finding employment after they graduate and find their skills to be helpful in a range of communications and public relations roles.

They benefit from an ability to write copy quickly, effectively and for a specific audience. Our graduates often succeed in business due to their ability to structure a coherent written and verbal argument when pitching their business ideas.

Some of our graduates utilise their newfound knowledge of current affairs and world politics to pursue a career in journalism.

Because our undergraduate degrees do not provide journalism training or a journalistic accreditation, many chose to progress on to our Masters courses, such as broadcast, magazine, news or computational journalism, to gain their practical training. Find out more about careers and employability.

In fact, you will gain skills applicable to a range of modern media driven jobs, recent career pathways and roles have included:

  • TV Production – Producer and researcher
  • Advertising – Copy writer and campaign manager
  • Public Relations – Account manager and writer
  • Teaching – Various disciplines
  • Journalism – Local reporter and blogger
  • Movie Production – Writer and producer
  • Publishing – Writer and copy editor
  • Communications – Press/communications officer

Studying in Welsh

Up to 50% of this course is available through the medium of Welsh. Please contact the Admissions tutor for more information.

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HESA Data: Copyright Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited 2021. The Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived by third parties from its data. Data is from the latest Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20, published by HESA in June 2022.