miss-teek
Member
I'm thinking of doing journalism when I go to Uni can someone please tell me what kind of stuff you do?
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Journalism (1 Viewer)
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shelley
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Yea Uts is probebrly the place to go, definatly has better links with newspapers ect then others.
Generally theres a high empahsis on grammer, how word construction creates meaning, what you do will vary from uni to uni! It might be a better idea to contact the univeristies and ask them (from experience even if your bold and contact the lectureres direct they will talk/meet with you) because they can give you the best overall idea of the courses they offer and the emphasis that uni places on certain aspects of journalism. You also might want to think about what kind of journalism you want to go into so you can choose the best uni for yourself!
Generally theres a high empahsis on grammer, how word construction creates meaning, what you do will vary from uni to uni! It might be a better idea to contact the univeristies and ask them (from experience even if your bold and contact the lectureres direct they will talk/meet with you) because they can give you the best overall idea of the courses they offer and the emphasis that uni places on certain aspects of journalism. You also might want to think about what kind of journalism you want to go into so you can choose the best uni for yourself!
chookyn
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i do a subject in introductory journalism. Personally, it's not my thing, but you'll like it if you:
*are curious and always want to know what's going on (i.e. asking the who, when, what, where, why, how)
*are interested in human relations and current events/issues
*enjoy interacting with a variety of people (conducting interviews etc.)
*are picky with your spelling and grammar (a lot of journalism i've done so far focuses on the microskills of proper sentence and paragraph construction, intro writing, inverted pyramid story structure, etc)
*like plenty of writing (you develop concise writing skills as you go along)
*can keep to tight deadlines
oh yeah, assignment-wise, i have a 2000w portfolio due in just over a month. Have to write a 1500w feature article and a 500w hard-news article. We do weekly tutorials (student presentations) about industry-realted topics, and analyse news clippings for journalistic writing skills. Also, i have weekly homework in journalism microskills, to help develop a 'news sense' and the necessary skills to be able to write articles for portfolio. That's just one subject though, i'm sure doing a real journo course u'd cover more stuff, Ash would know
*are curious and always want to know what's going on (i.e. asking the who, when, what, where, why, how)
*are interested in human relations and current events/issues
*enjoy interacting with a variety of people (conducting interviews etc.)
*are picky with your spelling and grammar (a lot of journalism i've done so far focuses on the microskills of proper sentence and paragraph construction, intro writing, inverted pyramid story structure, etc)
*like plenty of writing (you develop concise writing skills as you go along)
*can keep to tight deadlines
oh yeah, assignment-wise, i have a 2000w portfolio due in just over a month. Have to write a 1500w feature article and a 500w hard-news article. We do weekly tutorials (student presentations) about industry-realted topics, and analyse news clippings for journalistic writing skills. Also, i have weekly homework in journalism microskills, to help develop a 'news sense' and the necessary skills to be able to write articles for portfolio. That's just one subject though, i'm sure doing a real journo course u'd cover more stuff, Ash would know
Last edited:
Ziff
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If you really want to become a journalist, do a degree that will enhance your general knowledge and narrative skills e.g. BA with History and Politics.
I've heard from many in the media that a Journalism degree is a waste, it only teaches you the technical side, it doesn't teach the knowledge or personal side.
I've heard from many in the media that a Journalism degree is a waste, it only teaches you the technical side, it doesn't teach the knowledge or personal side.
Charles sturt university has an awesome reputation for their journalism course. It is true what Ziff said, that so mny journo courses arent balanced. At CSU, the 3 year course is a mix of both practical and theory. In first year, you do broad communications subjects like media production and presentation, media audiences and public opinion and professional writing. Along with these, you do knowledge subjects like politics and literature.
Then in 2nd year you choose between print or broadcast and do practical subjects for these like newswriting, video production and documentary making whilst still doing politics or lit and subjects like media languages and cultures. its really diverse.
The best thing to do i think, is to shop around, see what different unis have to offer and what suits you the best. Get some industry perspectives... call up the Human resources departments of different media like the SMH, the Australian, the telegraph, ABC, Channel 7,9,10.. whatever! ask them which they think is the best. thats how i made my decision..
Good Luck!
Then in 2nd year you choose between print or broadcast and do practical subjects for these like newswriting, video production and documentary making whilst still doing politics or lit and subjects like media languages and cultures. its really diverse.
The best thing to do i think, is to shop around, see what different unis have to offer and what suits you the best. Get some industry perspectives... call up the Human resources departments of different media like the SMH, the Australian, the telegraph, ABC, Channel 7,9,10.. whatever! ask them which they think is the best. thats how i made my decision..
Good Luck!
braindrainedAsh
Journalist
UTS journalism is tops, and I'm not one to knock other courses, so bex is right, the CSU Bathurst course also has a very good reputation. Those would be the two best journalism courses in NSW.
I'm in first year journo at UTS and we have done a lot of print journalism, plus some radio and tv. We have lots of practical experience. If you check out some of my previous posts in the UTS humanities forum you can get a lot more information. Check out the post in there titled UTS Publications to see work by first year UTS journo students.
In first year you do journalism subjects, media subjects alongside broader history/political/cultural subjects... In second and third year you get electives and get to specialize in the journalism areas you are most interested in pursuing.
We write lots of stories.... hard news, features, radio and tv scripts. If you want to be a journalist, UTS is a really good course.
If you have any specific questions ask away.
I'm in first year journo at UTS and we have done a lot of print journalism, plus some radio and tv. We have lots of practical experience. If you check out some of my previous posts in the UTS humanities forum you can get a lot more information. Check out the post in there titled UTS Publications to see work by first year UTS journo students.
In first year you do journalism subjects, media subjects alongside broader history/political/cultural subjects... In second and third year you get electives and get to specialize in the journalism areas you are most interested in pursuing.
We write lots of stories.... hard news, features, radio and tv scripts. If you want to be a journalist, UTS is a really good course.
If you have any specific questions ask away.
mr EaZy
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we have a journalism grad at our school who says no one is willing to give him a chance (XP)Ziff said:
but u get that with all degrees unless the uni organises the experience sessions for ue.g. BA with History and Politics.
where is this course offered. Dont tell me uni Wollongong! its a good uni, but i can't go there !
Ziff
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I'm going to ANU next yearmr EaZy said:we have a journalism grad at our school who says no one is willing to give him a chance (XP)
e.g. BA with History and Politics.
where is this course offered. Dont tell me uni Wollongong! its a good uni, but i can't go there !
UOW's Arts department is tiny. I found it wouldn't allow me to do what I wanted so ANU won!
um..
hip hop antagoniser
exactly. fairfax are well known for picking people from a particular degree, such a finance or politics, and then giving them a six month crash course in journalism. however all my lectures tell me this trend is changing, that a communications degree is essential to become a journalist nowadays...but they are probably just saying this to make themselves feel validated.Ziff said:
as everyone has said, you do a lot of work on spelling and grammatical skills (you'll want to read up on your use of apostrophes, let me tell you now) and depending on what area you choose you will also do a fair bit on media studies (laws, ethics, media analysis etc).
jizmiester
Member
im just about to finish my first year of jouralism at CSU Bathurst... PM me if you want to ask me any other questions... but from what i was told UTS and CSU were the best for this course and i missed UTS last yr by .1 of a UAI, so i thought CSU here i come!!!!
anyway...so much happier i went to bathurst anyway.... i live there (away from my folks), party there and come home to sydney on most weekends.... its the best life.......everyone is from sydney and my course has a lot of ppl with high 2003 uai's...
so yeah i can help with any info...just write
~Jez
anyway...so much happier i went to bathurst anyway.... i live there (away from my folks), party there and come home to sydney on most weekends.... its the best life.......everyone is from sydney and my course has a lot of ppl with high 2003 uai's...
so yeah i can help with any info...just write
~Jez
Mambomeg
yay! custom!!!
i was told today that pretty much if you want to get a job as a journalist, you need to do heaps of work experience, have a degree in pretty much anything, and just be in the right place at the right time. like a lot of industries, having good contacts really helps, so doing work experince is a big plus.
i remember 5ive
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Hi,
I'm a third year journalism student @ CSU.
It's a really realistic degree. If you can get past the second year blues it's great. They really push the rural aspect of journailsm, quite smartly too as it's most likely that your first job will be at a regional/rural destination.
It's true to get anywhere you need to have stuff published; this speaks more than any intellectual uni wank. And you've gotta expect to do this for free for a long time. That's the way the industry works, you've gotta work really hard to get up eachr ung of the ladder to the glass ceiling. But then again, this should be your calling, every step brings you closer.
Third year is really intense, but have the oppportunity to get stuff published annywhere in the state through the Rural Press. We do stories every fortnight and send them off. It's such a great opportunity. And there's also the University newspaper, 2MCE commnunity radio, student TV, and National Radio News Network that runs from CSU (this radio news program goes out nationally to like 90 stations or something). So there's so many avenues for getting your work out there. You've just gotta take the initative, but it's up to you to mould your own future.
There's also the chance to do politics and media ethics for the intellectual side.
I'd recommend this degree cos there's such a realistically practical element to it.
geeez, I've only got four months to go!!!
Cheers!!
I'm a third year journalism student @ CSU.
It's a really realistic degree. If you can get past the second year blues it's great. They really push the rural aspect of journailsm, quite smartly too as it's most likely that your first job will be at a regional/rural destination.
It's true to get anywhere you need to have stuff published; this speaks more than any intellectual uni wank. And you've gotta expect to do this for free for a long time. That's the way the industry works, you've gotta work really hard to get up eachr ung of the ladder to the glass ceiling. But then again, this should be your calling, every step brings you closer.
Third year is really intense, but have the oppportunity to get stuff published annywhere in the state through the Rural Press. We do stories every fortnight and send them off. It's such a great opportunity. And there's also the University newspaper, 2MCE commnunity radio, student TV, and National Radio News Network that runs from CSU (this radio news program goes out nationally to like 90 stations or something). So there's so many avenues for getting your work out there. You've just gotta take the initative, but it's up to you to mould your own future.
There's also the chance to do politics and media ethics for the intellectual side.
I'd recommend this degree cos there's such a realistically practical element to it.
geeez, I've only got four months to go!!!
Cheers!!
braindrainedAsh
Journalist
I agree with what the others have said... you can get in to journalism without a media degree. I think the stat for intakes for cadetships in australia is roughly half half.... half from communications degrees, half from other degrees. You can also study a postgrad certificate in journo for a year after studying something else, and often this can give you a bit of an edge.
The main thing is work experience. However, it can be harder to access work experience and opportunities to get things published when you are not studying media.
However, there is a reason why communications degrees exist. Basically you learn about the media, you learn about it's workings, and you also learn all the practical skills for being out there in the workforce. If you are interested in media, then study a media degree. If you are more interested in literature or politics, then study a degree in those disciplines and do lots of journalistic work experience or postgrad stuff.
I really like my degree because I am really interested in media.
But it is not easy to get a job in the media industry no matter what degree you have. However communications degrees can be seen to be quite useful.... if you study journalism you can always go in to PR or whatever if you so desire. Also if you have another degree + a media degree it can really increase your employability in many fields. I'm probably going to study something else when I finish my journalism degree, just because of the way the profession is going- people are beginning to want specialized reporters. Business reporting is where a lot of the jobs and money are now apparently, but that could soon change.
But yeah, UTS is good. If you have any specific questions ask away.
The main thing is work experience. However, it can be harder to access work experience and opportunities to get things published when you are not studying media.
However, there is a reason why communications degrees exist. Basically you learn about the media, you learn about it's workings, and you also learn all the practical skills for being out there in the workforce. If you are interested in media, then study a media degree. If you are more interested in literature or politics, then study a degree in those disciplines and do lots of journalistic work experience or postgrad stuff.
I really like my degree because I am really interested in media.
But it is not easy to get a job in the media industry no matter what degree you have. However communications degrees can be seen to be quite useful.... if you study journalism you can always go in to PR or whatever if you so desire. Also if you have another degree + a media degree it can really increase your employability in many fields. I'm probably going to study something else when I finish my journalism degree, just because of the way the profession is going- people are beginning to want specialized reporters. Business reporting is where a lot of the jobs and money are now apparently, but that could soon change.
But yeah, UTS is good. If you have any specific questions ask away.