Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Journalism and Creative Writing

at University of Hertfordshire - De Havilland Campus United Kingdom

This course combines two highly respected subjects to give you a powerful business degree with real career potential. You’ll learn from Hertfordshire Business School’s highly experienced, research-active academic team. You’ll develop an in-depth understanding of the role finance and economics plays in the health of an economy, as well as have the opportunity to become part of a new generation of international financial experts.

As well as deepening your knowledge of these important areas, your lecturers here at Hertfordshire will be firmly focused on your employability, giving you the advanced skills that employers today demand.

• Understand the role economics and finance play in analysing current problems.
• Develop a firm understanding of key business functions, the industrial structure of market economies and the global environment.
• Learn how to analyse data from a financial point of view.
• Enhance your experience through a 12-month work placement or study abroad year.

This award is targeted at those who have a good Honours degree in computer science or a very closely related discipline, and who wish to extend and deepen their knowledge in two or more different sub-discipline areas. It will enhance your career prospects or preparing for a programme of research that requires knowledge of one or more of these sub-discipline areas. Those studying for this award will have a wide range of taught modules from which to choose, and will be expected to complete a major project that extends and applies what they have learnt in one or more of the taught modules they have taken.

Graduates obtaining this award will be equipped to pursue research to PhD level, or to enter specialist employment in technically advanced and unpredictable working environments requiring sound judgment and the exercise of personal responsibility and initiative.

In our so-called ‘post-truth’ era of fake news and alternative facts, what does it mean to communicate the truth? What are the ethical and philosophical issues journalists face in today’s globalised world?

Our BA Philosophy and Journalism degree allows you to examine our fundamental desire to communicate and discuss important shared events and experiences, through two distinct approaches. You’ll develop a range of journalistic skills while exploring and challenging the assumptions that frame the way we think, act and see the world around us.

In your first year you’ll be introduced to the practical craft of journalism, explore the law and ethics surrounding journalism and learn to think critically by examining reason and persuasion in the media, including the use of rhetoric and propaganda. You’ll also study social and political philosophy, covering topics such as freedom of speech and terrorism, and examine the nature of knowledge and reality.

All our philosophy lecturers are active researchers, so you’ll share the excitement of doing original work in a supportive and highly-rated academic community. Our Philosophy team is in the top 15 in the Guardian League Table 2019 and rates as one of the 100 best Philosophy departments worldwide in the 2017 QS rankings.

Our journalism team are highly experienced practitioners, who’ll help you develop the skills to produce work in different styles and for diverse markets. You’ll learn how to source stories and get hands-on experience as part of a vibrant student community and through work placements. You’ll take part in News Lab workshops, conduct interviews, write features and join lively group discussions.

In your second year you’ll delve into influential works of philosophy and political theory such as the themes in Plato’s Republic. You’ll also have the opportunity to specialize in news or feature writing, radio journalism or social media.

In your final year you’ll develop your journalism skills portfolio, examine journalism, government and the people and have the opportunity to develop your interests in topics such as political or feminist philosophy, or the philosophy of language.

• A flexible programme of study, allowing you to concentrate on areas you find especially interesting
• An exceptional academic team, conducting internationally renowned research
• Stimulating, innovative courses that allow you to make rewarding connections between two disciplines
• CV-building potential through work placements and extra-curricular activities

The University of Hertfordshire MA in Creative Writing offers you the opportunity to develop your creative, critical and professional writing skills in a stimulating and supportive environment.

Through writing workshops and intensive tutorial-based supervision our teaching staff - all established authors themselves - will help you improve your own writing as you explore the advanced craft, theory and techniques of poetry, prose and drama.

Whether you have an unfinished novel you’re passionate about or want to learn how to write powerful dialogue or create memorable characters, this MA Creative Writing offers a range of modules that give you both literary context and practical professional guidance.

In all modules you will be taught by lecturers who are themselves professional practitioners and who bridge the gap between creative and academic approaches to their fields. These include two award-winning playwrights, Simon Vinnicombe, whose work has been produced at the National Theatre, Old Vic and around the world, and Drew Pautz, who is additionally a screenwriter and director whose work has also been performed at the National Theatre. As a feature film screenwriter he has worked with UK and European production companies.

Guided by our staff, you’ll take two core Writing Workshop modules examining creative and critical processes in your first two semesters. These workshops provide supportive spaces for you to contribute your own writing, reading your work to your fellow students and learning in turn to critique their work from a writer’s point of view.

Other modules may change but could include Working as a Writer and People and Places. As part of Working as a Writer you’ll submit your work to magazines and creative writing competitions, helping you to gain a practical understanding of the publishing world and how to approach editors and prepare your work for publication.

People and Places focuses on aspects of writing with communities, including the methods and approaches writers have used to portray communities or locations in creative work, and the tradition of writers working with communities to create joint artistic projects.

In your final semester you’ll complete a dissertation. This can take the form of a novel, script for stage, TV or film, a work of creative non-fiction, short story or poetry collection. Wherever your writing ambitions lie, this is your opportunity to add polished work to your portfolio and look ahead to your future writing life.

We give you:

• Teaching staff who are all published authors, poets or dramatists
• Visits and talks by writers, editors and agents working across the creative writing industries
• Opportunities to create and develop a portfolio of work, whether poetry, prose or drama
• A platform for publishing your work and a springboard for your future life as a writer

Like the BEng, this course includes many of the modules featured on our general aerospace engineering course, as well as special modules on the design of space vehicles, rocket propulsion, space flight control and satellite communication systems. However, in your MEng year you’ll deepen your skills and knowledge, taking extra modules in aerospace embedded systems, computational fluid dynamics and human resource management. As with the BEng, you’ll have the chance to join with other aerospace students to design a complete aircraft. You’ll also work with astrophysicists to design a space vehicle in conjunction with a major space industry employer.

• This MEng degree course in aerospace engineering with space technology is part of a suite of aerospace degrees run by the University, which has an excellent, long-established reputation with the aerospace industry
• The University of Hertfordshire has produced aerospace engineers with practical experience of design and development for future aerospace systems; You will have access to the best equipment: flight simulator, wind tunnels, specialist laboratories and CAE software
• You will be offered the opportunity to take a short air-experience flight in the second year of the course, flying either a light aircraft or a microlight aircraft. Please note, this is subsidised by the University but still incurs an added cost
• Our aerospace staff have a wealth of industrial experience which gives an applied approach to their teaching and their contacts prove invaluable to graduates seeking employment
• Aerospace students from the University of Hertfordshire have previously completed work placement years at companies including: Airbus, MBDA, and Marshall Aerospace
• Recent Aerospace Engineering graduates have gone on to work at organisations including The Royal Air Force, Jaguar Land Rover, and BAE Systems

This highly practical and participatory course will provide you with the skills and knowledge you need for a career in legal governance. The two compulsory modules – Legal Risk Management, Governance and Compliance, and Corporate Governance – offer a solid grounding on which you can build with a range of optional modules to suit your own unique requirements.

The Legal Risk Management, Governance and Compliance module introduces you to the basic concepts of project management in the context of risk management. It provides an in-depth understanding of some of the core challenges faced by businesses in this area, as well as knowledge of the relevant regulatory frameworks. In the Corporate Governance module, topics such as corporate governance theories, law and practice are covered. You can then build on this foundation with two additional modules from the range of optional modules on offer, to fit your own needs and preferences. Alternatively, you can combine it with other complementary study routes, and graduate with a named joint pathway.

Why choose this course?

• In the fast-moving corporate world, skilled, knowledgeable legal practitioners are always in demand. The University of Hertfordshire is well known for its strong links with industry and its high-quality staff, all of whom are specialists in their fields. You can therefore be sure that the teaching is always up to date, relevant and supported by cutting-edge research and practice.
• The complementary pathways that are available mean that you can shape your study route according to your personal career goals and ambitions, which will also further enhance your attractiveness to potential employers.
• Hertfordshire Law School has helped graduates forge successful careers for 40 years. You’ll benefit from our reputation for being forward thinking, innovative, and responsive to the world around us.
• The innovative, flexible and practical teaching methods will enable you to develop the intellectual, transferable interpersonal and practical skills you will need for your career in the professional, commercial, business, or academic sectors. 

What will I Study?
The focus of this course is on active, practical learning to develop the skills required for employment. Class seminars are supported by group work, which are fantastic opportunities to pool knowledge and resources and to work collectively on problem-solving and real-world scenarios. Role plays, debates and discussions will enhance your skills of negotiation, persuasion, presentation, leadership and teamwork. A peer support and mentoring scheme is also available, which will further enhance all these vital skills and abilities.

On the BA in Politics and International Relations you’ll study the central challenges that politics faces in the 21st century. You’ll develop the skills to understand, analyse, and critically debate the issues and arguments that shape national and international politics today. Our Politics and International Relations degree allows you to take your interest in politics and add the knowledge and training to turn it into a successful career in the world of local and global politics, the media or business.

Paramedics are autonomous practitioners, who are often the first point of contact for a patient requiring emergency or urgent healthcare. They work in a variety of settings and deliver patient care in situations that can be complex and highly pressured. This course will equip you with the knowledge and skills required to manage patients with illness or injury, including assessment and diagnostic skills through to treatment or referral to other healthcare professionals. The course has strong emphasis on high-quality care, taking into account rapid changes within the profession. A sound understanding of evidence-based practice and research is a fundamental part of your education. Your studies will be interspersed with practice placements, facilitated by local ambulance services.

• Your learning experience is constructed from 12 years of professional leadership in paramedic education and development, specifically designed to support your studies and enhance your work experience. 
• The BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science degree is the first nationally to integrate your full paramedic training to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration standards within a full-time degree programme.
• Your vocational placement will be either the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS) or the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST).
• You will be eligible to apply to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a qualified Paramedic on successful completion of this BSc (Hons) Paramedic Science degree, which significantly increases your employability opportunities.
• 100% of our Paramedic Science graduates went on to employment or further study within 6 months according to the latest national Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey.

The MSc Sustainable Planning is delivered in the Ebenezer Howard School of Planning, reflecting our unique location in the county which houses the world’s first garden cities and our focus on exploring the contemporary planning implications of this placemaking patrimony.

Planning plays a key role to play in improving the condition of life in our towns, cities and rural areas. Towns and cities themselves impact on global sustainability and can play a very influential role in tackling global environmental, social and economic problems.

The breadth of material covered will give you the skills you need in order to meet contemporary sustainability challenges in planning cities and rural areas. The planning system provides one of the most sophisticated mechanisms for regulating environmental change, global environmental, social and economic problems and implementing sustainability principles.

You’ll benefit from a wide range of modules, from Planning Law, Policy and Practice to Sustainable Energy and Urban Design and Conservation. You'll choose between three pathways: MSc Sustainable Planning, MSc Sustainable Planning and Environmental Management and MSc Sustainable Planning and Transport.

This program offers you opportunities to gain valuable skills in a much needed and fast changing professional area and makes you highly employable in a diverse range of disciplines which will allow you to contribute to the creation of more sustainable urban environments.

Join the next generation of media professionals, with a powerful, practical course that gives you the skills and agility to thrive in a rapidly changing industry. Explore the nature of language, communication and the media. Write news, features and fiction. Study films, music and celebrity. Design magazines, websites and a fascinating, successful future.

The media world is evolving fast. Digital and social media are developing at breakneck speed and changing the way we talk to, learn from and understand each other. Here at Hertfordshire, our mass comms course focuses on communication and media practice, encouraging you to be entrepreneurial and professional, with a diverse set of sought-after creative skills.

You’ll have a whole range of opportunities, including exploring publishing and PR, examining the ethical and legal aspects of journalism, developing your voice as a writer, studying the context behind films, spending a life-changing year abroad or taking a year-long work placement.

Bridging theory and practice — Students studying this course will gain a theoretical and critically reflective understanding of media whilst gaining practical skills as an author and designer of published material. The majority of our courses are assessed by 100% coursework.

Value added — Every student is allocated a personal tutor to monitor and advise on their overall academic and personal development supplemented with drop-in skills sessions and specialist tutors to refine and polish your writing. Our Media Matters series of Media Industry talks and Creative Writing talks are career focussed, delivered by industry specialist professionals.