A Scottish university is launching a new undergraduate journalism degree it claims is the only one of its kind north of the border.

The University of the West of Scotland will be welcoming the first intake on its new four-year BA (Hons) Sports Journalism course next month at its Hamilton campus, south east of Glasgow.

The course will cover practical journalism skills, including compulsory shorthand, and look at sport from a journalistic, academic, cultural and economic perspective.

Although it is not accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists, students will have the chance to take the NCTJ’s preliminary exams.

Students will also be ideally placed to benefit from the 2011 Children’s Olympics, in towns across Lanarkshire, and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Margaret Hughes, sports journalism course leader, said: “We have consulted closely with industry in developing this programme, ensuring that it will equip our students with the skills required for success in the exciting and growing field of sports journalism.

“The programme has a strong practical element and thanks to the university’s industry links students will undertake work placements with newspapers, magazines, broadcast and online news environments as part of the degree.”

Comments

Cynical sports hack (17/08/2009 13:12:24)
Will they be explaining to all the naive kids who sign up to this latest sports journalism course that the chances of actually getting a sports reporting job at the end of it are almost zero?
How exactly do you study sports journalism for three years?
I somehow think not. Just take their money and run as per usual.

J (17/08/2009 13:23:59)
Couldn’t agree more. I have just forked out £3,500 for an NCTJ course…3 jobs on HTFP – how many graduates?

The Pedant (17/08/2009 14:22:22)
Or study sport for four years perhaps? I guess Cynical Sports Hack isn’t quite ready for his move into sub-editing just yet!!

Anon (17/08/2009 17:19:40)
Shouldn’t the ‘naïve’ kids check out what the job prospects are like themselves? Perhaps they’d have a better chance of being a good journo then.