Degree For Journalism?

I have recently started A Levels and am taking English Lit, Religious Studies, Sociology and Government & Politics.

1. Are these subjects suitable for a Degree in English?

2. Is a Degree in english and philosophy a good choice for a career in journalism?

3. Is english w/ philosophy the same as english and philosophy?

Any other advice would be muchly appreciated :smile:

Reply 1

Magic Potion

graffic

Firstly any humanity subject is good for journalism, in particular history and/or english. I've been told by many professionals and a professor that it's better to learn to write about something (English/History/Politics) rather than do a degree in media or journalism studies.
A degree in english and philosophy will be good for a career in journalism. You might want to do a year journalism course afterwards in London or Manchester which gives you the practical tools to apply for a job on a magazine or a newspaper. You need a good degree first and try hard in your a-levels because the better the grades, the better the university and the better chance you have of making good contacts or landing a good job after.

In addition i would add it's really important to get work experience. Get involved with your local paper, get involved with a magazine and when you do go to Uni make an effort to get involved with the student paper.

Journalism is fiercely competitive but if you show determination and an ability to write well it can be an extremely rewarding career.

I'm doing a journalism degree and I think that will stand me in good stead to be a good journalist. I'm hoping that because of the vocational element it will allow me to build my contacts and get a good job. Journalism/media degrees will continually be slated because they are fairly new and are therefore shunned because they break what is conventional ie. academic and vocational emphasis. However, it is worth remembering that these type of degrees still have many transferable skills to offer, so shouldn't be written off so easily.

Additionally, if you have an area of interest you want to develop after a doing a journalism degree you can go and do an MA which can help to add depth to the knowledge you already have.

How about the NCTJ?

1- I'd say so. Most English courses want English Lit and/or Lang, but more often than not, Lit is preferred.

3- Nope. AND indicates it's 1 50/50 balance. WITH indicates it s 75/25 in favour of the first subject.

Reply 4

Platinum Mech

nathanjacobs

2. Is a Degree in english and philosophy a good choice for a career in journalism?

If that's the degree you're interested in, I definitely think you should do it. Just make sure you take a degree you enjoy, and hence will do well in -- since, as graffic says, qualifications probably aren't the be-all and end-all in journalism.

Reply 5

netally

English is a good degree to take. It's well respected and if you change your mind about going into Journalism, then you've got other options. However, it's up to you to go out there and arrange work experience and learn practical skills. The uni paper is a good starting point, so maybe look into this when choosing where to go. Also, think about the area you're moving to. Does it have a local paper / radio station where you might be able to intern? The big cities are going to be a better choice in terms of places to work.