Journalism Studies. Employability.

Journalism Studies. Employability.

2 National Council for the Training of Journalists, Journalism Skills conference 2014 I began on the Daily Mail trainee scheme in 2011 a few months after graduating and did a six-month secondment on the sport desk at the Manchester Evening News before returning to London, where I now live and work. I won the Sport Journalist Association s Young Sportswriter of The Year award in 2013 and have been nominated for a British Press Award. I also regularly appear as a guest on TV and radio shows including BBC 5live and BT Sport. I think the practical elements of the course were the most useful for me being allocated a patch of the city to cover allowed me to experience real reporting for the first time, building up a contacts base and learning to recognise good news stories. I still find having a working knowledge of media law helps on a week-to-week basis because although the lawyers are on hand it is useful to have a good grasp on the legal implications of what you are writing. Even in sport you can often be asked to cover court cases... so having experience of court reporting is invaluable. Martha Kelner, BA Journalism Studies Chief Sports Writer, the Guardian Employability. The Department of Journalism Studies has a strong reputation in the media industry. We have close links with newspapers, broadcasters and other media organisations so we understand what employers need and make sure our students graduate with practical skills ready for the workplace. Double professional accreditation for our BA Journalism Studies degree by the National Council for the Training of Journalists and Professional Publishers Association is a further hallmark of quality and employability recognised by media organisations across the UK. Our graduates are highly successful in gaining employment after completing their degrees. Graduates from BA Journalism Studies have gone on to roles with the BBC, Bloomberg, the Press Association, a range of national magazines, local television and radio, regional newspapers and high-profile titles such as the Guardian. Professor Jackie Harrison and Professor Marie Kinsey, Heads of Department 3

4 We support our students with practical sessions on CV writing and interview preparation, and through work experience placements. Our work placement co-ordinator helps to link students with carefully selected employers that match their interests. Our guest lectures and Careers Days bring high-profile media professionals into the department and direct contact with students helping them to start networking and offering genuinely useful advice. What support is available in the department? Teaching practical journalism skills is an important part of what we do but because of Sheffield s world-class research culture, our students see journalism s bigger picture. Our academic staff are experts in media freedom and ethics, law, journalism history and propaganda, and their work feeds directly into the BA Journalism Studies degree. So our graduates are highly skilled media professionals who also understand why a healthy democratic society needs excellent journalism. That s why they re the best journalists in the business. The Press Association enjoys an excellent relationship with the Journalism Studies department at the University of Sheffield. A number of students have had work experience at PA as part of their studies, across News, Sport and Features. The students are impressive and clearly benefit from a course that is focussed on giving them the skills to go out and find jobs in what remains an exciting and rewarding profession. Pete Clifton, Editor in Chief of the Press Association 5

6 Careers Service. The University s Careers Service works closely with the Department of Journalism Studies to organise opportunities for students to meet employers, gain work experience placements and graduate jobs. Careers advisers meet students to support them in developing their skills and make choices from the wide range of opportunities open to them. You can find out more about our support at sheffield.ac.uk/careers Students can undertake a range of placements and access dedicated support from our placements team. Opportunities range from summer and year-long placements, through to part-time placements whilst you study. You can explore your options here: sheffield.ac.uk/ placements/students You can also explore the career options for students in journalism and see graduate vacancies on our dedicated Careers Service page: sheffield. ac.uk/careers/jou Opportunities for our students. The Department of Journalism Studies is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Sheffield. Global Learning Opportunities in the Social Sciences (GLOSS) aims to provide students with unique opportunities to understand their courses in an international context, actively engage with international policy makers, stakeholders and partners, and be involved in international research. GLOSS also allows students to develop their skills which will enhance their employment prospects. GLOSS offers three distinct schemes to students: the Global Leadership Initiative, the Research Associate Scheme and SIDshare. You can find out more at sheffield.ac.uk/gloss Sheffield Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) offers undergraduate students in their penultimate year of study the chance to be directly involved in research activity at the University of Sheffield, working in partnership with an academic staff member on a dedicated real life research project during the summer vacation. The scheme allows students to gain practical research experience and to develop transferable skills that will benefit them in their studies and their future careers. Find out more about SURE at: sheffield.ac.uk/sure/301 7

Department of Journalism Studies University of Sheffield 9 Mappin Street Sheffield S1 4DT Tel: +44 (0) 114 222 2500 Email: journalism@sheffield.ac.uk Web: www.sheffield.ac.uk/journalism @sheffjournalism /SheffieldJournalism The content of our courses is reviewed annually to make sure it s up-to-date and relevant. This is in response to discoveries through our world-leading research; funding changes; professional accreditation requirements; student or employer feedback; outcomes of reviews; and variations in staff or student numbers. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, for the reasons detailed above, changes may need to be made to modules, courses, entry requirements and fees between the date of this publication and the start of your course. This publication is correct at the time of print, but please see our website for the most up-to-date information. If there is any inconsistency between this publication and our website, the information on our website should be taken as correct.