Certificate in Foundation Journalism by distance learning

This level 3 qualification is ideal for those looking for an introduction to journalism, or those wishing to use journalistic skills for a specific purpose, such as blogging.

The Certificate in Foundation Journalism provides an introduction to journalism for beginners.

The course teaches the foundation skills to pursue a career in journalism and is also ideal for those who wish to hone their basic publishing and writing skills.

The course is available to study via distance learning, which means you can enrol at any time, study in your own time and at your own pace, and it fits in around other commitments.

This course is suitable for:

  • School leavers with aspirations to be a journalist and looking for an introduction to journalism training
  • Those with no experience of the industry and need to gain foundation skills to succeed as a journalist
  • People working in other sectors who wish to improve their basic writing skills
  • Content creators working in other sectors who wish to improve their publishing skills, including bloggers and influencers

Course outcomes

  • Learners will gain the foundation skills and knowledge to pursue a career in journalism
  • Learners will be best placed to move on to study the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism, the industry standard
  • Learners will have improved basic skills while developing knowledge of media law and other specialist topics

The distance learning package includes the following:

  • Access to multimedia learning materials on the Journalism Skills Academy e-learning platform
  • Eligibility for one-to-one tutor support session for each module studied
  • Access to learner forums, receive distance learner newsletters and notifications on other training opportunities

Essential information

  • The course offers a range of modules which cover many different aspects of the media including video, audio, sport, feature writing and data, alongside core skills such as writing and media law
  • To gain the qualification, you must achieve a minimum of 25 credits, including the five mandatory units (see the units below). Click here to view our handy qualification chart
  • You can enrol and purchase the modules that make up the full course in one transaction, or you can purchase the modules individually as you work through the course
  • The mandatory modules are available as a discounted package and can be purchased here
  • This qualification is unlikely to lead directly to a job with a news organisation, unless by way of apprenticeship, as many media organisations will insist on entrants obtaining the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism

Assessment

The NCTJ Certificate in Foundation Journalism is assessed through coursework submitted through the Journalism Skills Academy e-learning platform. Assessments can take a variety of forms and may depend on the unit being studied. There are opportunities to submit work six times a year. The dates can be found here

Tutor support

Each Certificate in Foundation Journalism distance learning unit you have purchased includes 30 minutes of tutor support time. Tutor support is flexible and you can choose when to use your support time.

Please note: tutor support can only be booked in blocks of 30 minutes in this qualification.

Book your tutor support via this link: Tutor support booking form

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Mandatory units

These units (totalling 14 credits) must be passed in order to achieve the qualification.

Gathering information

2 credits

Gathering information

2 credits

All good journalism begins with gathering information to inform the story. This unit looks at the sources of information and how to ensure what you are told and what you read is valid and accurate. You will learn where to look for information and to spot the dangers.

Interviewing is a key way of gathering information. This unit helps you find the right people to interview, the questions to ask and techniques to use.

Tutor support: 30 minutes

Learning hours: 20

Credits: 2

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How to tell a news story

1 credit

How to tell a news story

1 credit

How can you ensure that people will read your stories and be interested in what you have to say? A good starting point is to write an introduction to grab attention and then follow a logical structure. This unit explains some of the “tricks of the trade” for telling stories and helps guide you through the potential minefield of legal regulation and any codes of conduct.

Tutor support: 30 mins

Learning hours: 10

Credits: 1

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Recording information

1 credit

Recording information

1 credit

Many journalists will use shorthand to record information in their notebooks. Shorthand is time consuming to learn and can take months and months to become proficient. This unit looks at the alternatives and advises on techniques which can be quickly learned and mastered. You will need a good, accurate record of what people say and this unit will help.

Tutor support: 30 minutes

Learning hours: 10

Credits: 1

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Legal and ethical considerations for journalists

6 credits

Legal and ethical considerations for journalists

6 credits

Journalists must operate within the law of the land and within laws designed especially to cover publication of material, whether that be by broadcasters, in newspapers or by individuals on social media. What is libel? How can I be affected by contempt of court?

These are two of the issues covered by this unit. It is an introduction to media law – designed to set alarm bells ringing in your head before publication.

The unit also considers the role of regulators in the media landscape.

Tutor support: 30 minutes

Learning hours: 60

Credits: 6

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Writing for digital media

4 credits

Writing for digital media

4 credits

Writing for digital media needs special techniques and devices to help promote your words to a wider public in what is a blizzard of information online. This unit shows you how to improve your writing with a digital audience in mind and trying to give your work visibility. Digital is a key skill for journalists. Make sure you know what to do.

Tutor support: 30 minutes

Learning hours: 40

Credits: 4

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Optional units

In addition to the mandatory units, you must make up the remaining 11 credits with a selection of these optional units.

How to use the English language

1 credit

How to use the English language

1 credit

This unit is at level 2 and is designed for those who wish to improve their English skills to ensure they have the word power to be able to communicate clearly in writing and speech. If you are uncertain as to your skills at this level (effectively GCSE), this unit is for you. It is also good for those wishing to brush up on their skills if time in the classroom is something of a distant memory.

Tutor support: 30 minutes

Learning hours: 10

Credits: 1

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Using the English language for maximum effect

1 credit

Using the English language for maximum effect

1 credit

Getting the right words for the right story is a key part of journalism. This unit is at level 2 (effectively GCSE). It will help give your writing the maximum impact. Powerful writing attracts attention and can achieve results. Words are the tools of the job for a journalist. This unit will help you get them right.

Tutor support: 30 minutes

Learning hours: 10

Credits: 1

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Writing for a specific purpose

1 credit

Writing for a specific purpose

1 credit

Are you the press officer for a club, group or society? Do you know how to communicate with your members and the wider public? This unit looks specifically at how to write newsletters for internal communication and press releases for a wider audience.

This unit gives you the ideas of what to look for and what to do to get your message across. Knowledge from this unit will be of huge benefit to anyone taking a voluntary PR role or as a subsidiary duty for an organisation.

Tutor support: 30 minutes

Learning hours: 10

Credits: 1

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Magazines

Feature writing

2 credits

Feature writing

2 credits

Long-form journalism is still in fashion in the digital age but just how do you unlock the secrets of what works and what doesn’t? This unit guides you with developing ideas and thoughts so you can write compelling features that will attract an audience.

Tutor support: 30 minutes

Learning hours: 20

Credits: 2

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How society works

4 credits

How society works

4 credits

The government. The council. They are phrases you hear bandied around in everyday conversations. But what do we mean when we say the government; the council? This unit helps you unravel the mysteries of how the country is run and which council does what. It is important knowledge for many journalists as the “the government and the council” are important sources of stories and information.

Tutor support: 30 minutes

Learning hours: 40

Credits: 4

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Using video to tell a story

2 credits

Using video to tell a story

2 credits

The smartphone can easily be your video camera but just pointing the lens at a subject doesn’t give you a story which will attract viewers. This foundation level unit takes you through the first steps of making a video that will tell a story. We are not making a Hollywood blockbuster but you should be able to shoot a straight-forward film for online use. We tell you what to do and what to watch out for.

Tutor support: 30 minutes

Learning hours: 20

Credits: 2

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Using audio to tell a story

3 credits

Using audio to tell a story

3 credits

Audio can still be a powerful tool for a journalist when telling a story. It still has a place in the digital age; even more so because at foundation level satisfactory recordings can be made on a smartphone. This unit introduces you to the techniques and has pointers about how you can make audio recordings that will have impact and resonate with an audience.

Tutor support: 30 minutes

Learning hours: 30

Credits: 3

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Taking images suitable for publication

1 credit

Taking images suitable for publication

1 credit

Some will argue that a photograph is worth 1,000 words. We could debate that for a long time but what is certain is that most news websites are driven by photographs. They are also important in print and in social media.

This unit will point the way for you to obtain successful photographs from a number of settings and give you confidence when out and about.

Tutor support: 30 minutes

Learning hours: 10

Credits: 1

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Finding and using data

2 credits

Finding and using data

2 credits

Never has so much data been put into the public realm by central government and local authorities. This unit introduces you to data journalism, where to find the information, how to deal with it once you have found it and, most importantly, points the way to using data to tell eye-catching stories.

This unit works for those thinking of a career in journalism but also is suitable for a PR in a campaign group who wants to unravel some of the data in the public domain to further the group’s case.

Tutor support: 30 minutes

Learning hours: 20

Credits: 2

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People running

Sports reporting

4 credits

Sports reporting

4 credits

Are you the person who sends in the match reports to the local newspaper? Are you the club’s website reporter? Do you link with local radio on match days?  If so, this unit is for you. It deals with the fundamentals of some major sports through to the tips and techniques of reporting from the touchline, the grandstand or the pits.

We will guide you on taking up the club scarf and becoming more of an objective reporter so that people will want to read and listen to what you have to say.

Tutor support: 30 minutes

Learning hours: 40

Credits: 4

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Writing reviews and comment articles

1 credit

Writing reviews and comment articles

1 credit

Reviews and comment pieces are two staples of journalism: whether it is an opinion column on local issues, a book review, a blog or a critique of the local amateur dramatic society.  This unit will give you the building blocks needed to structure reviews and comment articles so they are relevant, readable and legally safe.

It is very easy to go off “all guns blasting” but that can lead to all sorts of problems. If you follow the advice in this unit, you can go off “all guns blasting” safe from legal action – but perhaps not complaints over injured feelings.

Tutor support: 30 minutes

Learning hours: 10

Credits: 1

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The history of news

1 credit

The history of news

1 credit

Journalists chronicle history as it unfolds but how have changing times and changing lives affected newspapers, broadcasting and now the web? This is the remarkable story of how newspapers gained enormous power, the birth of broadcasting and the BBC, the television era and what how digital publishing is re-shaping the media scene. The history of news is part of the social history of our country.

Tutor support: 30 minutes

Learning hours: 10

Credits: 1

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Community radio newsgathering

2 credits

Community radio newsgathering

2 credits

Around the country there are many radio stations serving tiny populations. They are generally run by volunteers. Most have a licence condition of providing news coverage. This unit will help the volunteer fill those regular news bulletins with original and interesting news from the community.

The unit covers the sources of news, contacts and interviewing. It will be an invaluable unit to study for those who love broadcasting and want to give their coverage a more professional air.

Tutor support: 30 minutes

Learning hours: 20

Credits: 2

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For those wishing to go on to a career in journalism, study at foundation level is unlikely to lead directly to a job with a news organisation. However, successful study at foundation level is likely to give candidates a “head start” when it comes to studying for an apprenticeship and/or the Diploma in Journalism. 

Entry requirements

Learners must be 16 or older. A level 4 or A-C grade in GCSE English is recommended.

Tutor support

Thirty minutes of tutor support is included in each module. Distance learning tutors are experts in their subject and can advise you on areas you are struggling with or have questions about. You will receive contact details for tutors in the e-learning site.

Assessments

Assessments are submitted via the e-learning site, and results will be issued within 6 weeks of the submission deadlines, which can also be found on the e-learning site.

Duration

You can begin your studies at any time and can work at your own pace. The qualification will require a minimum of 250 study hours to complete.

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