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Journalism Course

  • 07-11-2007 1:00pm
    #1
    babycookie777
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8 ✭


    hey,

    I'm hoping someone can help me. I'm currently a second year, majoring in english in another university but am considering transferring to the full journalism course at DCU. I was just wondering if anyone has any experience of this course, whether personally or through a friend. Basically just if it is enjoyable and is what they had anticipated. Any opinions would help!

    Many thanks!:p


Comments

  • #2
    cunniny3
    Closed Accounts Posts: 21 ✭cunniny3


    Bear in mind that you could finish your degree in the university you are in, then do a Masters in Journalism in DCU. Its a taught Masters and just a year long. If you transfer to the undergraduate journalism course you may "lose" a year (by having to go back and do second year rather that going straight into third year) so its an option.


  • #3
    Rosita
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,147 ✭✭✭Rosita


    This is a no brainer. You should finish the degree you are doing and if still interested in the journalism courses apply for an MA (there's a few of them around not just DCU).

    To go and do the course now (apart from losing time as someone mentioned) you are looking at labelling yourself "journalism" when you don't know how you'll feel twelve months down the road. It sounds clichéd but it would be more beneficial to you to start looking to write and become involved with your student newspaper and gain experience to set yourself up for an MA application as well as seeing if you like the day to day nitty gritty of writing.

    As someone who went the English degree route before doing post-grad journalism (as many in the average class every year will have done - BA English is not exactly a burden applying for a journalism MA) I would thoroughly recommend that route. Personally I would not like to have spent three years studying the type of stuff on the post-grad course.

    I am not sure that you would be able to swap from one degree course to the other and go to the same stage anyway. Journalism courses are quite technical (the amount of actual "writing" - in sense of really opening up and writing enjoyably - you would do is in fact quite limited) and they would I am sure need you to get up to speed on all that so you might not be ushered in the door to second or third year.

    While English is an advantage in that it shows that you are probably able to construct a sentence reasonably well and possibly have a flair for writing up an argument it should not be confused too much with journalism as you would learn a completely new set of skills. They are far from being interchangeable disciplines. In journalism you will have to learn interviewing technique, how to use equipment etc. and they would be obvious gaps in your skills set if you are looking to join at the same level as people who have a year or two done in journalism. So you may not have the option of joining the course half-way through.


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