The Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma in Journalism offer an opportunity to develop your skills in contemporary journalism, and gain a qualification that has relevance, currency and credibility. The programs are ideal for professionals in corporate or government sectors who wish to upgrade their qualifications and expertise in a short time.

In today’s job market, the ability to write and communicate well has become increasingly important. USC’s journalism programs impart both knowledge and skills relevant for professional and business writing, and written communication in general. You develop competencies in research, writing, editing, and production; and examine the general communications required of journalists and the different media—print, broadcast and the internet.

Courses in the Graduate Certificate provide you with a solid introduction to journalism. Learn editing techniques across different media, participate in the online publishing process, build a portfolio of published articles, and learn basic photojournalism skills. You also examine the foundations of journalism, including its history and social and political relevance.

The Graduate Diploma in Journalism builds on the 4-course Graduate Certificate and you can apply the units completed to the higher award. Using your electives, you can choose to extend your expertise into areas such as computer-assisted reporting, online journalism, politics and the media, feature writing or even research.

To further your studies, the 8-course Graduate Diploma articulates into the Master of Communication. If you complete the Graduate Diploma in Journalism, you may apply for up to 8 courses (96 units) credit towards the coursework component of the Master of Communication.

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 Executive Dean, Faculty of Arts and Business.

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