TWO under-graduate and post-graduate multimedia journalism programmes at Scots university, Glasgow Caledonian, have been re-accredited by the industry’s two leading training bodies.
The Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC) and the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) have both re-accredited GCU’s four-year BA and one-year MA Multimedia Journalism courses. The BJTC accreditation is for three years, the NCTJ for two.
Says GCU, in a media release: “It means that GCU’s widely-celebrated programmes – which have trained students for careers at BBC Scotland, Channel 4, Sky News online and STV Local, among others – continue to be the only double-accredited programmes in central Scotland.”
Claire Dean, programme leader of the MA Multimedia Journalism, is quoted, as saying: “We are delighted to have achieved this great seal of approval by the BJTC for the Multimedia Journalism programmes. It shows the high standards of teaching provided at GCU by experienced journalists who have very close working relationships with the media industry in Scotland and further afield.
“Following re-accreditation of both programmes by the NCTJ in November, the twin accreditation continues to set GCU apart as the leading centre for industry-focused journalism training in Scotland, and illustrates one of the reasons why our graduates have such a strong track record of securing jobs in journalism.”
The release adds: “The BJTC is the largest independent journalism accreditation body in the UK, which currently encompasses 72 courses at 43 different institutions, including BBC, ITN, BSkyB, Channel 4, Associated Press, and Thompson Reuters.
“The NCTJ was established in 1951, is recognised by examinations regulatory body Ofqual, and accredits world-class journalism programmes that equip students with the skills needed to pursue a successful career in the industry, such as shorthand, media law, writing and news gathering, with additional new options such as video journalism for online – which both GCU programmes offer.”
GCU says that more than 90 per cent of graduates from its 2011/2012 MA Multimedia Journalism programme had found employment by the time of their graduation ceremony.
And that not less than two-thirds of graduates from the BA Multimedia Journalism course each year are in journalistic or media employment within six months of graduation.
