Program summary
Program overview
Admission requirements
Program objectives
Program structure
Program requirements and notes
Enquiries

Program summary

Award abbreviation: GDJourn
Degree type: postgraduate coursework program
Mode of study: on campus
Duration: the Graduate Diploma in Journalism can be completed in the minimum time of two semesters, full-time or four semesters, part-time.
Fee type: domestic fee-paying places, international fee-paying places 
Total courses: 8
Total units: 96
Commence: Semester 1 or Semester 2
Program code: AR643
CRICOS code: 058566E

Program overview

The Graduate Diploma in Journalism offers students an opportunity to further develop skills and conceptual understandings in contemporary journalism. This includes research, writing, editing, production and general communications required of journalists as well as the different media, print, broadcast and the internet. It will provide an attractive opportunity to gain a qualification that has relevance, currency and credibility. The Diploma will be attractive to professionals within the corporate and government sectors who wish to upgrade their qualifications and expertise within a short time frame. In many of these job markets the ability to write and communicate well is becoming increasingly important. Employers are looking for people with the ability to write and communicate in an effective, efficient and lucid fashion. The program does not just impart knowledge and skills pertinent to professional and business writing, but also ones pertinent to written communication more generally.

Admission requirements

Candidates for this award are normally required to hold a Bachelor's degree or a relevant Graduate Certificate. To be eligible to undertake this award, students must not have undertaken a previous undergraduate degree or a major or minor in journalism. Students cannot undertake any course in this degree that they have completed previously at an undergraduate level. Entry by non-graduates who have extensive relevant industry experience may be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Program objectives

On completion of this program students should be able to:

• demonstrate proficiency in areas of journalism and professional writing
• identify and evaluate a particular audience, and develop the styles of written communication and modes of delivery accordingly
• identify the generic conventions of different forms of written communication
• discuss contemporary culture and social outcomes/reactions of trends in popular fiction
• analyse written and oral communications in order to identify and implement proper drafting, revising, and editing techniques
• graduate and pursue further vocational studies and apply theoretically advanced approaches to journalism

Program structure

4 required courses:
CMN513 Editing for the Communications Professional
CMN535 News Writing: Print and Broadcast
CMN528 The Writer and the Law
CMN537 Writing for the Web
Plus select 4 of the following:
CMN510 Australian Media Industries: Introduction to Communication Studies
CMN514 Computer-Assisted Reporting
CMN527 News Rounds
CMN533 Non-Fiction Writing for the Small Screen
CMN556 Research into Australian Journalism
CMN540 Digital Photojournalism and Feature Writing
CMN542 Production Workshop (Journalism)
CMN572 Industry Research project (Journalism)
CMN574 Research Design: Methodology and Literature Review *
INT570 Politics and the Media

Program requirements and notes

1. The Graduate Diploma in Journalism is a 96 unit program.
2. The courses that constitute the Graduate Diploma in Journalism will be existing undergraduate courses but will be assessed at a postgraduate level.
3. The Graduate Diploma articulates into the Master of Communication. Students who undertake courses in the Graduate Diploma may apply for up to 8 courses advanced standing into the coursework components only of the Master of Communication.
   Please note: To gain the maximum of 8 courses advanced standing, students must complete CMN510 and CMN574 in the list above.
4. Refer to the Academic Rules.

Enquiries

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Tel: +61 7 5430 1259

* Subject to final approval.