Overview

Join the only undergraduate journalism degree in Scotland, and one of only a handful in the UK accredited by both the National Council for the Training of Journalists and the Broadcast Journalism Training Council.

You’ll gain the skills that will launch your career in journalism and media, including:

writing for print, online, radio and TV
broadcast journalistic practice
interviewing
law and ethics
research and investigative skills
digital content creation.

You’ll learn to gather great content, source the best interviewees and provide accurate, ethical journalism in line with media law. Our staff are experienced journalists who regularly work in the industry to keep their skills sharp.

Multimedia journalism in Glasgow and the UK

Glasgow is well known for its media and cultural creativity. The city is home to several Scottish newspaper headquarters, including Bauer (Clyde, Forth, Tay etc.) and Global radio companies (Capital, Heart, LBC etc). Our industry links enable great work placements and career opportunities.

BBC Scotland and STV television studios are a short ride on public transport from campus, and the area is also an increasingly popular shooting location for films. This means the opportunity for placements close to Glasgow and in these companies is excellent.

We partner with alumni across the UK to ensure our teaching is up-to-date and will get you industry ready. This contributes to the strong and supportive community of students, graduates and staff.

If you’re a people person who loves great storytelling, this course is for you.

Why study Multimedia Journalism at GCU?

Build real industry experience through work placements, industry projects and strong links with media employers, helping you develop the skills news organisations are looking for.
Learn from experienced journalists who still work in the industry, bringing real newsroom knowledge, current practices and professional insight into your teaching.
Study at one of only a handful of undergraduate journalism degrees in the UK accredited by both the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJJ) and the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC), showing employers you’re trained to industry standards.
Train using professional TV studios, radio studios, editing suites and mobile production equipment, just like the tools used in real newsrooms.
Join a supportive journalism community where students, staff and graduates work closely together, helping you build contacts, confidence and your professional identity.

National Council for the Training of Journalists

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Broadcast Journalism Training Council

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What you will study

Please note that full module information is in the process of being finalised for publication and will be made available here shortly.

In the meantime, you can view and download the Programme Specification at the bottom of this page. This document provides an overview of the course structure, including indicative modules, learning content and further key information. The modules listed on the Programme Specification are for the current academic year and are intended to give you an idea of what you may be able to study on this course.

Careers

Our graduates have an excellent employment track record. We put this down to the modern industry skills our students have, and our staff’s close relationships with employers - many of whom are GCU graduates. Employers are confident our students can be trusted to do the job.

Graduates have gone on to work at prestigious media outlets including the BBC, STV, The Herald, Clyde FM, Sky Sports and more.

They’ve also gained employment in a variety of media outlets and institutions such as:

Global Radio (Capital, LBC, Heart)
INRIX
Glasgow Times
Press & Journal
GOALS
Ross County FC
PJ Radio Scotland
Westender Magazine
Greenock Telegraph
Press & Journal
Newsquest (Herald, The National)
Scottish Sun.

Graduates have also been employed in areas away from traditional journalism, such as public relations, digital marketing, and brand management. We offer modules as options in all these subjects to strengthen your professional skillset.

The creative industries workforce in Scotland is expected to continue to grow and reach nearly 120,000 by 2034, with most jobs in the Greater Glasgow area. Across the UK, the number of people employed in journalism is forecast to grow by 6% to just over 59k by 2030 (Skills Development Scotland, 2024).

Course information

Award	Mode of study	Duration	Start date	Location	UCAS
BA (Hons)	Full time	4 years	Sep 27	Glasgow	P500	Enquire Apply
Award	Mode of study	Duration	Start date	Location	UCAS
BA (Hons)	Full Time	4 Years	Sep 26	Glasgow	P500	Enquire Apply

Please note that admission to GCU is considered on a competitive basis, and the academic entry requirements stated here may be the minimum required to be eligible for an offer.

International students can get information on entry requirements specific to their country in our International Study section.

Year 1

Standard entry requirement

UCAS Tariff: 114

Scottish Higher: ABBB or equivalent incl Higher in English or Media Studies

A Level: BCC or equivalent incl A Level in English or Media Studies

Minimum entry requirement

UCAS Tariff: 90

Scottish Higher: BCCC or equivalent incl Higher in English or Media Studies

A Level: CCC or equivalent incl A Level in English or Media Studies

Year 3 entry

Standard entry requirement

HND Practical Journalism with AB/BA in graded units, which must include Public Affairs

English language

IELTS score of 6.0 with no element below 5.5 (or equivalent)

Application guidance

This is a very competitive course with a high ratio of applications to places. To gain a place the following details are the really important things your application needs to include. You will probably need a couple of paragraphs at least on the UCAS form to cover all of this.

A clear statement in your UCAS application that you want to be a journalist.
Supported by some evidence of that commitment: work experience in a newsroom; editing the school magazine; any articles published. Any one of these may suffice.
Say as much as you can in your UCAS statement about your journalism experiences, achievements and ambitions.

Additional information for international applicants

Entry requirements by country
Application deadlines
English language tests
Knowledge of English - Applicants from a majority English speaking country may not be required to provide further proof of your English language proficiency. Information about this requirement is available on the Student Visa section of the gov.uk website.

Additional information for all applicants

Relevant experience (Recognition of Prior Learning)

GCU's flexible entry policies exist to allow relevant work experience and prior learning to be considered towards standard entry or advanced entry into a course.

If you do not have the typical academic entry qualifications, but can demonstrate relevant work experience and/or credits from recognised professional bodies, you may be eligible to enter this course via the University's Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) scheme.

Minimum entry requirements

Minimum entry requirements are for widening access students only. If you are from a group that is not currently well-represented in higher education you may qualify as a widening access student. This includes living in a target postcode area, attending a target school or college, attending SWAP, are care-experienced or provide care for someone else, have refugee status or are an asylum seeker.

Teaching and assessment methods

Your teaching and assessment on practical modules is based on industry practice, informed by accreditors and lecturers’ industry experience. Practical assessments in writing, audio, video and digital content are submitted online and marked with extensive feedback.

In tandem with studying for your degree, you can gain your NCTJ skills diploma through attaining a select set of modules. Some of these are taught directly in GCU modules, whilst others are standalone and optional.

Academic modules are assessed by a mixture of essays, reports, group presentations, multimedia portfolios and reflective journals. A reflective journal allows you to record work experiences with evidence to evaluate later.

Placements

Work experience is a mandatory part of the course. You are responsible for applying for your own placements, however, we’ll support you every step of the way. We have many industry connections and can help with arranging placements.

You must achieve 20 days’ worth of work by the end of the fourth year. This will form the basis for your assessed journal submitted in the final year Industry Engagement module. Previous placement providers include BBC, STV, Newsquest, Bauer Media, and Global Radio.

Students are responsible for finding their own placements, but staff will support you every step of the way. You can also get help with applications from our dedicated Careers team.

Facilities 

There is no better learning environment than one in which you feel comfortable and confident. On campus, you will have access to a wide range of industry-standard facilities and specialist equipment. Trained technicians and teaching staff support practical sessions, helping you to develop strong technical skills and professional confidence.

Television production facilities

You have access to a purpose-built TV production studio and gallery on campus. The TV studio is equipped with:

HD JVC studio cameras
Green screen and Chroma Key facilities
Autocue and graphics/titling software
Full talkback system for presenters and camera operators
Blackmagic server for gallery play-in and remote studio integration.

The department also provides Sony Z-190 HD cameras, supplied with tripods and boom microphones for field and studio production.

Mobile production equipment

You have access to mobile production kits, ideal for content-creation and on-location production. These include:

Steadicam camera gimbal
iPhone
Tripod
RØDE lapel microphone
Sennheiser handheld microphone
Headphones

You will use Adobe Premiere installed extensively in labs across campus. We also have available:

Digital SLR cameras
Lighting kits
Rifle mics
Boom mics

Radio and audio production facilities

There are two soundproof Clyde Broadcast Synergy Bronze digital radio studios on campus. Each studio includes:

Separate control booths
Burli radio news network editing system

Additional audio editing and recording equipment includes:

Adobe Audition digital audio software
i-phone kits

Flexible production studio space

You will also have access to a multi-purpose open video production studio. This space supports a wide range of video, studio and creative production work,

featuring:

Blackout walls
Green screen
Six-colour background system
Professional lighting rig

Research-led teaching

Much of our teaching is based upon staff research and many modules include articles and books written by our lecturers on their resource lists. Areas of expertise include:

Textual and discourse analysis (screen, text, discourse, Television industry, production, formats and genres

Rural creative economy and cultural policy for music
Digital and fan cultures
Media institutions, cultural policy and platformisation
Media and sustainability
Regional journalism and broadcast production

At the last Research Excellence Framework (REF2021), 100% of our communications, culture and media research impact was classed world-leading or internationally excellent.

Journalism and the Common Good

We believe the values of journalism that we teach are intrinsic to the University’s values for serving the Common Good:

Active citizenship – we believe journalism encourages people to hold power to account through truthful information

Entrepreneurial mindset – journalism encourages both independent investigation and problem-solving. We also encourage you to consider diversity in your investigation and output
Responsible leadership – you and your peers will be rotated as team leaders in third- and fourth-year Newsday modules and professionally direct your team to a common goal
Resilience, compassion and empathy – rejection is a standard part of a journalist’s life and you’ll be taught the skills to move on quickly. You’ll also be able to show compassion and empathy to those kind enough to share their stories
Confidence – you’ll have the confidence to both pitch your ideas and interact with a wide variety of people to get the information you need to deliver them.

Accreditation

Our Multimedia Journalism course is the only undergraduate journalism degree in Scotland, and one of only a handful in the UK accredited by both:

National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ)
Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC).

Being accredited by the NCTJ and the BJTC means that employers know GCU graduates are industry ready when they go for work experience or take up employment.

The BJTC accredits and reviews the course every few years on condition that we are meeting industry benchmarks for teaching broadcast and digital journalism.

The NCTJ diploma is attained separately to the degree, but the teaching is delivered through your GCU modules.

Visit the BJTC website

Visit the NCTJ website

Download the programme specification

In addition to the core modules that all students must undertake, some courses offer students a choice from a selection of optional modules to shape the focus their degree. Optional modules where available, form part of the overall credit structure of the course.

Download the programme specification for a detailed breakdown of the course structure, including modules, what you'll learn and other useful information.

Terms and Conditions

Details of the University’s terms and conditions are available here.