An editor turned lecturer is set to lead a university’s new journalism degree after previously teaching the subject at a different institution in the same city.

The University of Leicester will is launched its BA journalism programme at its open day on Friday 6 July.

The three-year programme will be led by associate professor in journalism Tor Clark, who was previously principal lecturer in journalism at Leicester’s De Montfort University and served as programme leader of its two journalism degrees.

Tor, a former editor of the Harborough Mail and Rutland & Stamford Mercury, took up his new post last year after previously spending 12 years with De Montfort.

On the new course, he said: “Having worked in journalism for the last 30 years and taught it for the last 14, I have designed a programme which uses all my knowledge of the industry and the academy to create a degree which is enjoyable to study, helps students enjoy their own academic, professional and personal development and then equips them for either employment or further study on graduation.”

He added: “We are very excited about our new Journalism degree. It is designed to embrace all the various forms of journalism now operating, to give students a taste of all platforms, but also to emphasise students’ development of core and key journalism skills.

“Alongside the development of these skills, students will study the context and controversies of journalism and develop their employability through practical work and professional placements.”

The programme will focus on practical skills, the context of journalism and developing the employability of its students over their three years of study and work placements.

The degree will be run by lecturers from the university’s School of Media, Communication and Sociology.

Tor said: “I’ve tried to put everything I’ve learned throughout my career about what makes a good Journalism degree for students into this new degree, so it has a blend of what they want, what they don’t yet know they want and what they need.

“The aim is for every student to think like a journalist and core news skills will be at the heart of the degree. Students will be constantly challenged to push the boundaries, to probe, question and to uncover the news. They will develop the attributes and skills to sniff out a story and to tell it in a compelling way.

“And Leicester, with all its fantastic culture and sporting opportunities, is the perfect place for students to start to explore the exciting world of journalism.”