Journalism and English
Journalism and English is a combination that reflects the genuine relationship between the craft of writing and the practice of reporting: both disciplines require close attention to language, a capacity to think clearly under pressure, and the ability to communicate with purpose and precision. English brings the critical and analytical tools developed through literary study, including the ability to read texts for their meanings, contexts, and construction, and to write with range and sophistication. Journalism adds the professional skills of newsgathering, verification, storytelling across multiple platforms, and an understanding of the media landscape in which those stories are told.
At the University of Leicester, this three-year full-time programme is built around both the cornerstones of English literature and the evolving realities of the contemporary media ecosystem. In your English studies, you will engage with literary texts across historical periods and genres, developing skills of close reading, contextual analysis, and critical argument. Your journalism studies will introduce you to the principles and practice of reporting across print, broadcast, and digital formats, covering news writing and editing, feature journalism, media law and ethics, investigative techniques, and the role of digital and social media in shaping how information is produced and consumed today.
The combination of these two bodies of study asks you to think reflectively about what journalism is for and how literary and critical perspectives illuminate the practice of public communication.
The programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and a work placement, providing an unusual depth of professional and international experience. The placement gives you direct exposure to working newsrooms or media organisations, while the year abroad offers the opportunity to study journalism and English in a different educational and cultural context, broadening your perspective on how media operates across societies.
Journalism and English graduates pursue careers across the media and creative industries, including broadcast and print journalism, online editorial, content strategy, public relations, communications, and publishing. The critical writing and analytical skills developed through literary study are transferable to education, research, policy, and a wide range of professional roles. Postgraduate study in journalism, media studies, or creative writing is a natural next step for those who wish to specialise further.