Graduates of this degree (the only one of its kind in South Australia) are qualified to work as a journalist and writer in mainstream media and communication fields. An emphasis on professional writing also opens doors to a wide variety of allied professions, such as technical writing, tender presentations, and marketing and communication.

Our on-campus facilities, which include a TV studio, radio studio and editing suites, will ensure you graduate career-ready and offer you the opportunity to practice recording news broadcasts, producing, and filming with state-of-the-art technology. You will then get the chance to practice these skills in a real-world environment when you complete an internship or industry project during your final year. This is a great opportunity for you to develop your skills and build important industry networks.

Students who obtain a credit level or higher grade point average (GPA) may be accepted into the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree and, depending on results, may be eligible to proceed to postgraduate research degree study.

What you'll learn

This degree will provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to work as a journalist and writer in mainstream media and communication fields. An emphasis on professional writing also opens doors to a wide variety of allied professions, such as technical writing, tender presentations, marketing and communication. You will:

• learn how to author and edit written and visual texts within news and non-news environments
• develop the production skills required by news and online media, including filming and editing, problem solving and decision-making
• learn how to use industry-standard hardware and software
• develop research skills

A final year internship at a news or production organisation will further extend your knowledge and training.

This degree prepares you to work as a journalist in print, broadcast, online or for multimedia organisations. Social media is enabling more people to say what they think and share what they see every day, so the role of informed, knowledgeable, well-trained reporters and writers in presenting objective, factual information is more important than ever. The job prospects for journalists and writers in Australia is expected to experience strong growth through until November 20201. Careers to consider:

• communication specialist: create and deliver internal and external communications
• copywriter: develop advertising concepts; often work alongside an art director
• editor: prepare, write and edit copy; editors also plan and coordinate the selection of material for publication, and may be required to supervise other staff
• journalist: research, write, edit, proofread and file news stories for use on television, radio or for publication in newspapers, magazines or journals
• reporter: deliver updates on news stories; reporters often cover breaking stories
• scriptwriter: create characters and storylines for movie or television scripts
• tv presenter: the public face or voice of programs broadcast on television, radio and the internet

1Australian Government Department of Employment, Occupational Employment Projections 2015

Professional accreditation and recognition

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) is the only national journalists' professional association in Australia. While journalists are not required to be formally accredited to practise, many Australian journalists are members of the MEAA. UniSA Journalism graduating students are eligible for a year's free membership of the Alliance, and the Alliance promotes links between the industry and Journalism students at a state and national level.