Professional Writing (Joint Honours)

When can you start this course? | UCAS code | Fees | Course length | Entry requirements

What is joint honours?

With joint honours, you can study for an honours degree in two or even three subjects. Find out more about joint honours, including what subjects you can combine with this one.

Why choose this course?

If you're excited about writing practices and learning how to use language for different media and audiences, this course is ideal for you.
You'll build up a portfolio of work you can show to prospective employers in the media industries.
Regular external speakers will give you a real insight into the industry.
You'll be taught by experts with industry knowledge, for example journalists and scriptwriters.

About the course

A joint honours degree is the perfect choice for you if you want to study more than one subject. You can combine this course with one or two other joint honours courses that are offered at our Derby Campus to create your own joint honours degree.

You can study Professional Writing as a joint subject (half and half with another subject), as a Major subject or as a Minor option. If you choose Professional Writing as a joint or major subject, you'll also have a choice of optional theory modules, which will give you an insight into the historical and current developments of the media industries.

You'll learn about newspaper and magazine journalism, scriptwriting for film, TV and radio, PR, advertising and marketing and writing for digital media.

This course has a strong practical element. You will work on producing journalistic material for our dedicated website: www.derbysphere.com, create publicity and promotional campaigns and write for the web and social media. You will also get the chance to see how theory is put into practice with study visits to, for example, newspaper and broadcasting offices, the local courts and sports grounds. We have a dedicated newsroom, with cross-platform facilities including TV and radio broadcast studios and industry standard equipment and software.

Your main focus on this course will be practising and perfecting your writing skills for different audiences and different media, so you'll develop the knowledge and understanding you'll need to choose from a wide variety of careers.

Core modules include Personal Development Planning (PDP). All our writing modules are taught by highly skilled professionals in their various fields, such as journalists, scriptwriters, digital media developers and PR and marketing experts. The theory modules are taught by academics, who are researchers and have published papers or books in their areas of expertise.

Find out more about what subjects and modules you'll be studying...

Your career

All employers need good, persuasive communicators, so your choice of future career is wide and varied.

Throughout your degree you will be building up a portfolio of writing projects to a professional level, and increasing your employability skills. You will be working individually and in teams, as well as on individual assignments in which you will have contact with outside organisations. We have excellent links with local and national employers, particularly in the creative, cultural and media industries. You will be encouraged to do periods of work experience with these organisations, which will enhance your CV and boost your career prospects.

Some of our Professional Writing graduates have gone on to work in the advertising, PR, and publishing and broadcasting industries. Others have gone on to forge careers in retail management, human resources, the Armed Forces, government agencies, the National Health Service, and in education.

Two of our former students won a nationwide BBC scriptwriting competition. Another was nominated for the Journalist of the Year award for an article she wrote for a newspaper while on work experience. Many students have had their worked published or broadcast during the course.

How you'll learn

Practical writing modules focus on writing skills for a number of media, helping you to build up a portfolio of work. Theory modules include formal lectures, seminars, tutorials, screenings, group exercises.

How you're assessed

Coursework only.

Anything else?

There have been a number of guest speakers come into our University to talk to current students on our Professional Writing course. These have included Jane Mcfarlane, the web editor for Derby Telegraph, Malcolm Bradbrook, a video journalist for the Oxford Mail, and Mike Bradley who is the executive for Eat Derby magazine.

Start dates

If you're from the UK or EU you can apply to study this course in:

September 2012

If you're from a country outside the EU you can apply to study this course full time in:

September 2012

UCAS code

Popular courses to combine with Media Writing include:

Broadcast Media
Education Studies
English
Film and Television Studies
Marketing

Fees

This is a classroom based subject.

UK/EU students

Full time:

If you combine this subject with another classroom based subject or a resource intensive subject it will cost £6,995 per year.
If you combine this subject with a specialist subject it will cost £7,495 per year.

Part time:

You usually take 18 of these modules in total for your course

Modules from classroom based subjects will cost £875 per module.
Modules from resource intensive subjects will cost £935 per module.
Modules from specialist subjects will cost £1,000 per module.

International students

Full time:

If you combine this subject with another classroom based subject or a resource intensive subject it will cost £9,700 per year.
If you combine this subject with a specialist subject it will cost £9,975 per year.

*These fees apply if you're starting this course between September 2012 and August 2013. We recommend you check fee details with us though, as they can change. Costs can increase each year.

More information about our fees for September 2012 and the support available