Birkbeck, University of London
UCAS Code: PP54 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
UCAS Tariff
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About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
Our BA Journalism and Language combines the study of a modern language (French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean or Spanish) with development of journalistic skills relevant to a wide range of professional contexts. Not only will you become competent in your chosen language but you will also gain advanced knowledge of the cultures and societies of the countries in which the language is spoken. The journalism modules are taught by industry professionals with experience not only in how to write for different media and audiences, but also in how the industry works. By the end of this journalism and language degree you will have developed high-level journalistic skills, and an understanding of the cultural, political and industrial contexts of journalism.
The languages component of this degree is designed to give you the chance to reach a high level of competence in a modern language of your choice and study the associated culture(s) of that language. You can choose French, German, Italian, Japanese, or Spanish starting at the level of language learning that suits you, whether you are a complete beginner or a native speaker. Korean is offered starting from beginner level. If you decide to take this language, your final degree award will be a ‘with’ degree, so for example BA Journalism with Korean, because we currently offer this language up to intermediate level only.
You will also have the opportunity to study a number of cross-cultural modules which will allow you to explore specific themes across a variety of language-speaking areas.
If you opt for the Foundation Year route, this will fully prepare you for undergraduate study. It is ideal if you are returning to study after a gap, or if you have not previously studied the relevant subjects, or if you didn't achieve the grades you need for a place on your chosen undergraduate degree.
**This course has an evening timetable with lectures, seminars and classes taking place in the evening.**
**Highlights**
- Acquire up-to-date skills and knowledge from experienced practitioners at the heart of London's global media industry and leading academic researchers in the field, such as Professor Tim Markham, Joel McKim, Scott Rodgers and Justin Schlosberg.
- You will also be taught by specialists from a centre of teaching and research excellence in languages.
- In film, media and cultural studies, Birkbeck fosters an especially research-intensive environment. We offer an extensive portfolio of internationally respected courses that span a variety of academic disciplines and engage with the latest ideas and techniques in journalism, media and cultural theory, arts policy and management, film and television studies, creative marketing, digital culture and East Asian cultural studies.
- We also affiliate with a number of research centres and networks, including Birkbeck Interdisciplinary Research in Media and Culture (BIRMAC), Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image (BIMI), Vasari Research Centre for Art and Technology and the Centre for French, Francophone and Comparative Studies (CFFCS).
**Careers and employability**
Graduates can pursue career paths in media and cultural institutions, journalism, public relations or professional communications. Possible professions include:
- magazine/newspaper journalist
- public relations officer
- press sub-editor.
We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.
Modules
For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.
Assessment methods
Essays, journalistic writing, blogging, layout, video and podcasting.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
Birkbeck, University of London
School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
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Teaching and learning
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Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Journalism
Sorry, no information to show
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Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Modern languages
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
This is a broad subject for a variety of European languages. No matter which you take, the general theme is that some graduates go to that country to work, often as English language teachers, some go into further study, often to train as teachers or translators, but most get jobs in the UK in education - most often as language tutors, unsurprisingly, or translators. Modern language grads can also be in demand in business roles where communication and language skills are particularly useful, such as marketing and PR, and in finance or law. But remember — whilst employers say they rate graduates who have graduates who have more than one language, you need to have them as part of a whole package of good skills.
Journalism
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Others in language and area studies
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£25k
£23k
£37k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Journalism
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£22k
£24k
£25k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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