Fashion Journalism with Integrated Foundation Year BA (Hons)

This is a four-year version of our popular BA (Hons) Fashion Journalism course, with an integrated foundation year. Share your passion for fashion with readers both online and in print. Write features, style photoshoots, report on catwalks and design fashion spreads. Graduate with a portfolio of published work to impress prospective employers.

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Overview

Develop the core skills of fashion journalism. Learn specialist skills such as catwalk reporting, styling, red carpet verdicts, street style photography, style icons and subcultures, social media, beauty and video journalism

Access industry experts, placements, publishing opportunities and field trips within the fashion industry – recent trips include our London Fashion Masterclasses. Graduate with both an honours degree in Fashion Journalism and the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism, the nationally recognised industry entry qualification significantly boosting your employability as a Fashion journalist.

Increase your practical experience by taking on reporting, editing and/or managerial roles on Fashion North; our student-run website covering fashion across the North-East. Get involved in award winning Spark Radio or Spark magazine, all based in our innovative mediaHUB, BBC Newcastle’s home in Sunderland and host to visiting Journalists from organisations such as Trinity Mirror (Newcastle Chronicle, Journal) and Johnston Press (Sunderland Echo).

In your final year, you’ll go on placement on a fashion publication at the likes of Grazia, Elle, Asos and Glamour - putting what you’ve learnt into practice. You’ll undertake a project to produce your own fashion magazine or website which will add significantly to the portfolio of work you can present to prospective employers.

Why us?

Graduates working at Victoria Beckham, Vogue, Mail on Sunday’s You magazine and Asos
Placements include Elle, Hello! Fashion monthly, Grazia, InStyle, and Fabulous magazine at the Sun on Sunday
The only fashion journalism degree in the UK to be accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ), giving you an extra qualification desired by editors
"Your facilities are second-to-none, especially the incredible mediaHUB and Fashion North. The course produces extremely capable and competent graduates equipped with the skills to succeed in magazine media,” according to The Professional Publishers Association, the national body for the magazine industry

Our Journalism courses are in the top 25% in the UK for Student voice, according to the National Student Survey 2018
Led by former Grazia deputy editor Carole Watson whose contacts on glossy fashion publications keep the course at the cutting edge
Enjoy bespoke styling challenges in high street department stores, fashion trips and exciting masterclasses and newsdays run by Sky News, Sky Sports News, BBC, ITV and Guardian journalists
Create your very own fashion magazine or website and hone your social media, video, photography, styling and writing skills
Gain real-world experience on our website Fashion North, attend weekly fashion conferences and take a senior editorial role in our innovative mediaHUB

Course structure

In the first year – the foundation year – you will study five modules: a module about the foundations of humanities, journalism and media theory, an essential study skills module, a foundation project module, practical numeracy skills, and a multimedia communications module or a new century module depending on your degree choice. After completion of this foundation year, you will then move onto the Fashion Journalism honours degree course.

Teaching methods include lectures, demonstrations, seminars, workshops, group projects and practical skills work. All our teaching staff have worked as journalists and have strong links with regional employers and industry organisations. We also invite experienced industry professionals to carry out regular guest lectures and classes.

Assessment is split between portfolios of practical work, essays, examinations, reports and presentations.

Foundation Year

The English, Journalism and Media Integrated Foundation Year includes five modules:

Foundations of Humanities, Journalism and Media Theory (40 credits)

Essential Study Skills (20 credits)

Foundation Project (20 credits)

Practical Numeracy Skills (20 credits)

Depending on the degree you wish to study after the Foundation Year, you will also take one of the following modules:

Multimedia Communications (20 credits)

The New Century (20 credits)

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Year 1 (national level 4):

Essential Journalism (20 credits)

Essential journalism toolkit – learn what a journalist does and how you can get started. Learn how to interview, structure stories and write.

Media Histories (20 credits)

Understand the development of newspapers, magazines, broadcast and online through the decades.

Style Icons and Subcultures (20 credits)

Learn about the most important fashion designers throughout history, the importance of celebrities and different fashion subcultures, from wartime through to punk.

Introduction to Fashion Journalism (20 credits)

Acquire core fashion skills including catwalk reporting, red carpet verdicts, street style photography and trend forecasting. Create moodboards and Fashion North stories.

Essential Media Law and Regulation (20 credits)

Learn laws such as copyright, privacy and libel along with the ethical regulations which are essential for every professional journalist.

Digital Storytelling (20 credits)

Develop digital skills for an online audience such as infomaps, graphics and other non-traditional storytelling techniques.

Year 2 (national level 5):

Journalism and PR Studies (20 credits)

What influences how journalists work? And how does journalism shape our world? Do some original research on a subject of your choice from diversity in fashion; whether magazine covers are racist; to sustainability and fast fashion.

Video Journalism (20 credits)

Develop skills in shooting and editing video content to create compelling fashion content for online audiences.

Fashion Journalism 1 (20 credits)

Develop and practice advanced fashion journalism skills including memoirs, fashion news and styling location shoots in a module which includes editorial conferences and is taught in the real-world Fashion North newsroom.

Newsroom (20 credits)

Get published and build your journalism portfolio by finding, researching, interviewing and writing news stories to deadline in our state-of-the-art mediaHUB.

Design and Production Journalism (20 credits)

Learn professional magazine design and subbing skills, using the latest software to experiment with design for print and digital platforms, essential for creating magazines.

Styling for Fashion Editorial (20 credits)

Spend time in our photographic studio styling outfits, learning advanced photography skills and create a portfolio of work.

Shorthand

Learn Teeline, the system of rapid handwriting, used by journalists to quickly write down the spoken word. Aim for 100 words per minute, the industry standard.

Final year (national level 6):

Core modules:

Fashion Journalism 2 (20 credits)

Take a senior editorial role and hone your real-world fashion journalism skills via our bespoke Fashion North website, based in the mediaHUB. Record podcasts, write fashion analysis and attend Fashion North conferences to present ideas for content.

Journalism Practice, including placement (20 credits)

Create an interactive CV, learn how to win jobs through interview techniques and gain valuable experience during a two-week work placement. Develop your own Fashion North feature for publication with words, photos and video under real-world pressure.

Media Ethics (20 credits)

Examine the daily dilemmas and global challenges facing journalists in the world today.

Journalism Practical Project (40 credits)

Plan and produce your very own fashion magazine or website. You'll create stories, photos, videos, podcasts and social media platforms as part of your own brand.

Optional modules (choose one):

Business of Magazines (20 credits)
Public Relations (20 credits
Styling for Editorial II (20 credits)

The library is your gateway to information resources and services both on and off campus, all through a single search box. We have resources and support tailored for your course including: Newstream online full-text access to UK regionals, national, broadsheet and some international newspapers; Box of Broadcasts (BoB) an on-demand TV and radio streaming service; and The World Global Style Network - ideal for Fashion Journalists. See the journalism key resources for more information.

Access 1400 study places, including quiet and silent zones, 300+ PCs, group work hubs, online module reading lists and study skills support, all in our quality learning environments. You’ll have full use of two libraries, both with extensive opening hours. And ‘Live Chat’ enables you to access library support and help, from anywhere, 24/7.

We’re much more than a library, the University Library and Study Skills team are on hand to guide you throughout your studies on and off campus from embedded skills sessions, digital skills support to one-to-one and drop-in advice on research and academic skills.
Library support for Journalism
The mediaHUB is a bustling multimedia newsroom on the top floor of our David Puttnam Media Centre where you will get a real taste of life as a working journalist or social media manager.

BBC Newcastle have a team of journalists based here, and they are joined by visiting journalists from organisations such as Trinity Mirror (Newcastle Chronicle, Journal) and Johnston Press (Sunderland Echo).

The mediaHUB runs websites and social media channels covering sport, news, entertainments and fashion, provides the content for news bulletins on our award-winning radio station¿Spark, and is responsible for writing and editing Spark magazine.

The ground-breaking workspace is designed to be a professional environment and even has a cloud filled sky line, funky colour scheme and a shed for a meeting room. It includes plenty of workstations each with industry-standard software including NewsCutter, Burli and ENPS, and a Sky feed with two 40” plasma screens. The whole space is managed by an ex-Sky Journalist, who is on hand with her team to point you in the right direction.
mediaHUB
Map and directions

Facilities

Our David Puttnam Media Centre is a buzzing place to study fashion journalism. As well as working in our mediaHUB on fashion content, you can volunteer with our award-winning Spark radio station, write for one of our suite of websites or edit Spark Magazine. Get hands on in our journalism and digital editing suites. Learn from experts in this centre of excellence for training.

Entry requirements

Our typical offer is

GPA 3.0 or above from High School Diploma along with one of the following at the required grade - SAT I and SAT II, ACT or Advanced Placement

If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at admissions@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.

We also require three passes at GCSE grade C or above, which must include Mathematics and English Language, or an equivalent qualification, for example; a minimum of Level 2 Key Skills in Communication and Application of Number. If you have studied for a new GCSE for which you will be awarded a numerical grade then you will need to achieve a grade 4 or above.

If English is not your first language we will require an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with an overall score of 6.0 and at least 5.5 or higher in each component: reading, writing, listening and speaking. An alternative approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) can also be considered if the applicant's element scores are equivalent to those required for IELTS.

If successful you will be required to attend an applicant day where you will have a short informal interview with an academic member of staff.

Fees and finance

The annual fee for this course is £9,250 but you will receive £3,000 cashback in Year 1 of the full undergraduate course.

In addition, you may receive free travel across the Tyne and Wear region and a University of Sunderland StudyPLUS Card loaded with additional offers up to the value of £200, plus a bundle of study skills books worth £80.

If you are a full-time UK student you may be eligible to receive financial support to cover your fee and maintenance loan for the full four years.

Please note, this course is not available to international students.

If you are not sure whether you qualify as a UK, EU or international student, find out more in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

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This information was correct at the time of publication.

Career ready

This degree prepares you for writing and talking about fashion in magazines, radio, TV and online media, as well as for retailers or brands. The industry qualifications also equip you to work as a general magazine or newspaper journalist.

The degree is also highly relevant to many positions in industry, commerce and the Civil Service, as well as to jobs in PR and the arts and voluntary sectors.

Recent journalism graduates from Sunderland have gained jobs with employers such as Sky, MTV, The Guardian, Grazia, Elle, regional newspapers and PR companies.

Real-world experience – right on campus

Rub shoulders with BBC Newcastle Journalists, get advice from former Sky News Journalists and see a Newsroom in action in our innovative mediaHUB.

You’ll be actively involved in the Fashion North website and have the opportunity to get involved in Spark Sunderland, the 24/7 Community Radio station based in the Media Centre. Spark has won many awards including four golds at the Student Radio Awards 2012, and holds the Nations and Regions Award for Best Radio Station in the North East. Students are responsible for all news-gathering, programme production and advertising.

Sunderland’s daily newspaper, The Sunderland Echo, has a weekly page called 'On Campus' that is written entirely by students at the University. It’s an opportunity to find and research your own stories, take photographs, meet deadlines and see your name in print.

Other opportunities for real-world experience include Spark online magazine, SR-News website, Northern Lights website and SportsByte, which are all linked to our Journalism and Media courses.

Superb industry links

Our academics are industry experts and have excellent relationships across the fashion industry including Vogue, Grazia, ITV and BBC.

Broaden your horizons with inspiring trips – recently students have enjoyed visits to the Clothes Show in Birmingham and Fashion Masterclasses in London with speakers from across the industry. The Student Style challenge with John Lewis Retail, inspired students with an industry talk with stylist Josta Wood, followed by a styling challenge in-store.

Work placements

You will undertake a work placement module in your final year, though many of our students arrange placements for all three years. Recent student placements at fashion publications include Elle, Grazia, Asos, More! and Fabulous - the Sun on Sunday’s magazine.

Here, Candice Farrow shares her experience of her two-week placement at the Sun newspaper in London in the autumn of 2018, working on their Fabulous fashion pages.

In the past, our students have commissioned and styled fashion shoots for magazines and newspapers, worked on catwalk shows and fashion weeks and provided fashion reports for the websites of major retailers in the North East.

All students studying on-campus undergraduate Fashion Journalism courses can take up a CV-enhancing work placement, a University-led industry initiative, or a professional and business development boot camp. By the term placement, we mean we are offering you a taste of the industry which might last anything from two days to four weeks on a part-time basis.

Join award winners

Our students and graduates have been making a splash, winning awards and prizes across the board.

Mariam Khattab won the 2020 NCTJ features category for her articles on the human rights of Muslims across the world
Joe Nicholson won the sports journalism award in 2019 for his portfolio of work
Emily Parker, highly commended in the 2017 NCTJ awards for excellence for her plus-size fashion magazine, Bold
Bethany Elsey was shortlisted for Royal Television Society North East Student Award for Best Documentary

Meet the team

Related courses

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

View Programme Specifications for the Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries.

Page last updated: 08 June 2020

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Overview

Why us?

Course structure

Foundation Year

Year 1 (national level 4):

Year 2 (national level 5):

Final year (national level 6):

Facilities

Entry requirements

Fees and finance

Career ready

Meet the team

Related courses

Contact

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