Journalism, Media and Communication, University of Central Lancashire

School of Journalism, Media and Communication, University of Central Lancashire
Established1962
Academic staff
70+
Location
Preston, UK
Websiteuclan.ac.uk

The School of Journalism, Media and Communication at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) is one of the UK's longest established centres of journalism teaching, growing out of the Harris College, Preston.[1]

Undergraduate and postgraduate courses are accredited by the Broadcast Journalism Training Council, the National Council for the Training of Journalists and the Periodicals Training Council, the training arm of the Periodical Publishers Association.

The school is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious schools for journalists and media professionals in the UK,[2] with The Times describing the school "as one of the leading centres for the teaching of journalism in Britain".[3] In 2010, the University won the Broadcast Journalism Training Council's award for general excellence.[4] In 2022, The Guardian University Guide ranked UCLan's journalism courses as the best in England;[5] in the same year, the journalism degree was recognised as the top-performing undergraduate programme by the National Council for the Training of Journalists.[6]

History

The School of Journalism, Media and Communication grew out of the Harris College, Preston, which launched its first print journalism course in 1962. The college later became part of Preston Polytechnic. In 1982, the first postgraduate diploma in Broadcast Journalism was launched with support from the BBC and ITV, followed by a postgraduate diploma in Newspaper Journalism. The undergraduate degree in journalism was launched in 1991 before the polytechnic became the University of Central Lancashire.[1]

The School now includes six divisions. They are Journalism, Film and Media Studies, Media Technology, Language and Linguistics, Literature and Cultures, and Media Practice.

Faculty

The Head of the School is Mike Ward, a former BBC journalist and author of "Journalism Online".

Honorary Fellows include Mark Thompson, Richard Frediani (Head of News at Granada), Lucy Meacock, Kate Adie, Anna Ford and Fiona Armstrong.

A notable feature of the School is the Harris lecture series, which regularly brings senior media figures to Preston, including Jon Snow,[7] Janet Street-Porter,[8] Simon Kelner,[9] The Independent editor Chris Blackhurst,[10] Evening Standard editor Geordie Greig,[11] Kim Fletcher,[12] Stephen Mitchell (journalist) and Andrew Jennings.[13]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ a b "University of Central Lancashire". Archived from the original on 8 February 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  2. ^ "Journalism degree recognised by two bodies as being 'best in the country'". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  3. ^ "The Times University Guides". London. 22 February 2008. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  4. ^ "Laura Oliver, journalism.co.uk". Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  5. ^ "Best UK universities for journalism, publishing and PR – league table". the Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  6. ^ "UCLan's Journalism degree recognised as top-performing by NCTJ". Blog Preston. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  7. ^ "News Anchor Praises Preston, Lancashire Evening Post, 20 March 2009". Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  8. ^ "Janet Street-Porter Hits Preston, how-do.co.uk". Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  9. ^ "Lancashire Evening Post, 20 Feb, 2009". Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  10. ^ "University of Central Lancashire Archive". Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  11. ^ "University of Central Lancashire archive 2". Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  12. ^ "University of Central Lancashire archive 2". Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  13. ^ "University of Central Lancashire archive 3". Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  14. ^ "The Independent, Inside Story". London. 1 November 2004. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  15. ^ "The Guardian, Angelique Chrisafis profile". London. 26 September 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  16. ^ "Former UCLan student scoops top international film awards" University of Central Lancashire. 1 April 2022