BA Fashion Journalism (Print; Broadcast) is situated in the School of Media and Communication, and is a contemporary degree course that produces accurate, ethical young journalists who can and do operate effectively in any part of the media, covering any topic and delivering content via any platform, whether print, broadcast or online. Students on this course study Teeline Shorthand, Visual Communication and Media Law, as well as IT, journalistic research and writing techniques for all media. Students learn how to forecast trends, analyse markets and target their readers and viewers. Fashion is considered in its widest sense, through the great cultural paradigm shifts and the social and moral issues that concern the industry, as well as through the narrower lens of catwalk and street trends. The theory and practical skills of the profession are explored, together with the wider perspective provided by the Cultural and Historical Studies programme that all students undertake. Graduates from this course are competent, confident professionals who can move into the media workplace and make a significant contribution. Recent Print pathway graduates are currently working on a variety of magazines and newspapers, including Vogue, Grazia, Ten, Tank, the Guardian, The Daily Mail and the London Evening Standard, as well as on online sites such as Vogue.co.uk, Telegraph.co.uk, WGSN.com and Stylus.com. Broadcast pathway graduates can be found working within some of the most innovative content producing companies such as Hat Trick Productions, Mentorn and MDTV.

BA Fashion Journalism (Print; Broadcast) is based at Lime Grove in Shepherd’s Bush, just west of Holland Park and Notting Hill. The area, which is rich in cultural influences from across the world, is home to Shepherd’s Bush Market and the many fabric shops lining the Goldhawk Road. There are numerous restaurants, cafes, delis and food stores, as well as the market, which reflect the many cultures of the people living there. Nearby is the Shepherd’s Bush Empire, an excellent venue for live bands, and the Westfield Shopping Centre, one of the largest retail complexes in Europe that caters for the luxury market as well as the high street. Holland Park with its Orangery and Leighton House Museum are both worth visiting.

Course Units

Year One     Stage One     Level 4     120 credits 

Term One: Introduction to Study in Higher Education (20 credits); Introduction to the Essential Skills of Journalism (20 credits);

Term Two: Introduction to Cultural and Historical Studies (20 credits); Research for Journalism (20 credits);

Term Three: Collaborative Project (40 credits);

Year Two     Stage Two     Level 5     120 credits

Term One: Cultural and Historical Studies (20 credits); In-depth Research and Investigation (20 credits);

Term Two: Industry Project (40 credits);

Term Three: Research Methods for Media (20 credits); Innovation for the Media (20 credits); 

Third Year     Stage Three     Level 6     120 credits

Term One: Project Proposal: Fashion Journalism (20 credits);

Terms One and Two: Cultural and Historical Studies Dissertation (40 credits);

Term Two and Three: Final Major Project: Fashion Journalism (60 credits);

Course Outline

Year One

In the first term you will study two units.

Introduction to Study in Higher Education gives you an understanding of your personal and professional development at university, with three core purposes: to introduce you to the necessary learning skills for undergraduate study; to show you where you are situated within the College and the University; and to help you understand what you will learn on your course and how you will develop your skills.

The Introduction to the Essential Skills of Journalism unit introduces you to the context within which you will work as a journalist. You will create written content for all media platforms, and specifically for chosen markets that you will learn to identify and analyse. You will learn how to use a digital video camera and how to edit visual content for television and the internet. Learning Teeline Shorthand will facilitate your research and ensure its accuracy and originality. Using your research you will write professional copy for print, online and broadcast in several accepted formats. You will learn a number of software packages and, working in groups, you will produce a fanzine for a specific, well defined target market.

In the second term you will study two units.

Introduction to Cultural and Historical Studies introduces you to key concepts and ways of thinking about fashion and its context in society and culture. You will attend lectures, seminars and workshops, and do a significant amount of reading of academic texts in order to complete a formal academic essay for assessment.  Completion of this unit will allow you to make an informed choice of subject for study in the second year Cultural and Historical Studies unit.

Research Skills for Journalism allows you to add currency, creativity, structure and depth to your research. You will learn the skills of visual communication, styling, forecasting, trend-tracking and tribe-spotting, and will explore various techniques for the creative analysis and employment of results. Your primary and secondary research will be supported by techniques to extract the most from your research and create original content. This will be underpinned by your understanding of the history and social context of both fashion and trends in human behaviour. You will also study magazine concept and design, formats for television, camerawork, digital editing, InDesign software and the history of magazine design.  

In the third term you will undertake the Collaborative Project unit, which introduces you to the essential skills of creative collaboration. This mirrors the industry where producing a magazine, a website or a television programme is dependent on the joint efforts of a number of creative individuals. You will be placed in a group, and together you will produce a well illustrated, visually exciting, precisely targeted magazine, television film and website. The brief will emphasise topicality, currency and originality, and you will research your market and develop a rationale for your launch that you will present using IT. At the end of this project you will be guided towards your pathway choice of Print or Broadcast for the final two years of your degree.

Year Two                                            

In the first term you will be able to study a Cultural and Historical Studies unit of your choice that will broaden or deepen your learning of areas relating to your interests in your chosen field. You will have the opportunity to participate in lectures, seminars and workshops with students from other courses within your School, and will read relevant academic texts and complete a formal academic essay for assessment.

Also studied in the first term, the In-depth Research and Investigation (Print) unit gives you the opportunity to examine the journalist as an investigator and campaigner. This will develop your research skills and your ability to angle a story for maximum impact and target it for various delivery platforms. Your journalistic practice will become rooted in the principles of accuracy and balance, and you will gain a thorough understanding of media law and ethics. You will also develop your understanding of the role illustration and image-making play in print and online journalism.

Also studied in the first term, the In-depth Research and Investigation (Broadcast) unit gives you the opportunity to examine the broadcaster as an investigative journalist. You will be encouraged to extend your skills in researching and reporting a story in order to develop a more considered, ‘campaigning’ response. You will become more skilled at analysing the contemporary fashion and media landscape so that you can produce scripts with compelling editorial angles and art direction. You will develop your practical image making skills, as well as gaining an understanding of ethics and media law.

In the second term the Industry Project (Print) unit will give you the opportunity to answer a specific industry brief. This typically involves image enhancement, brand recognition, trend forecasting and consultancy. As well as research, analysis and writing skills, you will be required to be involved with conducting interviews and working with focus groups, working as part of an editorial team, developing styling and image making, doing the lay-out, making a film and doing a creative group presentation to the client. You will be collaborating with students from other pathways and courses in this exciting project. The client is P&G Beauty and has been working successfully with the course on a long term commitment.

In the second term the Industry Project (Broadcast) unit will give you the opportunity to answer a specific industry brief. This will demand imaginative research, focus and insight. It may include trend forecasting, image enhancement, brand experimentation, case study research, mock-up scripts and storyboards for cultural film shorts. You will work collaboratively with students from other disciplines, which will develop your group skills and help you to become more professional with your organisational skills. You will take inspiration from emerging aesthetics, track down innovative individuals for interview, and undertake focus group work, styling, image-making and lay-out. You will be required to take on a particular role in the group, and this group will present to the client. The client is P&G Beauty and has been working successfully with the course on a long term commitment.

 In the third term you will do two units.

Research Methods for Media provides you with an overview of a variety of different research methods that will underpin both your Cultural and Historical Studies dissertation and your Final Major Project in the third year. For the dissertation you will be introduced to the first two key stages, the literature review and the research, and how each relates to each other. You will also look at primary and secondary sources, ways of developing and originating research, and methods of appropriately realising the research for the dissertation. Parallel with this you will develop research ideas for the creative work that you will undertake in the third year. You will undertake the preliminary research, both primary and secondary, that will enable you to construct the proposal for your Final Major Project. This proposal will include a plan for future research into your chosen area.

The Innovation for the Media (Print) unit gives you the opportunity to test your originality and resourcefulness both as an independent researcher, writer and editor and as a member of the editorial team. Innovation is a governing principle in publishing, whether in print or online. In the first part of the unit you are required to secure and complete a four week industrial placement within the media. You will keep a diary of your activities and, when you have completed the placement, you will write an analytical report which will include original ideas by which your placement employer could improve its editorial content or market position. You will also work in groups to produce a new magazine and website for an identified gap in the market. This tests your skills in the multi-platform media world, with an emphasis on creativity and professionalism.

The Innovation for the Media (Broadcast) unit gives you the opportunity to test your originality and resourcefulness both as an independent researcher, programme maker and producer and as a member of the editorial team. Innovation is a governing principle in broadcast, whether offline, online, free, by subscription or pay-on-demand. In the first part of the unit you are required to secure and complete a four week industrial placement within the media industry. You will keep a diary of your activities and, when you have completed the placement, you will write an analytical report which will include original ideas by which your placement employer could improve its production, programming or market position. You will also work in groups to produce a new fashion or lifestyle programme for an identified gap in the market, supported by a website and podcast. This tests your skills in the multi-platform media world, with an emphasis on creativity and professionalism.

Year Three

In the first term you will do the Project Proposal: Fashion Journalism (Print) unit. This builds on the work done so far and encourages you to further develop your concept for the Final Major Project through extensive, in-depth primary and secondary research. You will design questionnaires, conduct focus groups and analyse your results in order to construct a sound case for proceeding with your chosen project. This may be, for example, a print magazine supported by a website, an online magazine, or a substantial portfolio of work utilising a variety of media and delivery platforms agreed with your tutors. The focus is the production of an original concept justified by thorough and well-analysed research, and you will construct a proposal document which includes a plan of future research and development for the Final Major Project: Fashion Journalism (Print).

In the first term you will do the Project Proposal: Fashion Journalism (Broadcast) unit. This builds on the work done so far and encourages you to further develop your concept for the Final Major Project through extensive, in-depth primary and secondary research. You will design questionnaires, conduct focus groups and analyse your results in order to construct a sound case for proceeding with your chosen project. This may be, for example, podcasts for a new internet channel, a television programme, original content for a website, commercials, or a substantial portfolio of work utilising a variety of media and delivery platforms agreed with your tutors. The focus is the production of an original concept justified by thorough and well-analysed research, and you will construct a proposal document which includes a plan of future research and development for the Final Major Project: Fashion Journalism (Broadcast).

In the first and second terms you will undertake a major piece of written work for the Cultural and Historical Studies Dissertation unit. This allows you to demonstrate your understanding of the critical and analytical perspectives developed within cultural and historical theory, and how you can apply these theoretical perspectives in a specific study, which you will have already identified in the third term of the second year. The dissertation gives you the opportunity to undertake primary and secondary research that examines in depth cultural issues relating to a particular aspect of fashion, lifestyle, the body, performance or the media, and to produce a written piece of work that reflects the critical debates around your chosen topic.

The Final Major Project: Fashion Journalism (Print), undertaken in the second and third terms, gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the production process, working to a self-managed schedule and programme of study. You will implement your plan of future research and development and identify your target audience. You will produce the outcome you have agreed to professional standards, and this will be supported by a well-argued rationale based on sound research.

The Final Major Project: Fashion Journalism (Broadcast), undertaken in the second and third terms, gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the production process, working to a self-managed schedule and programme of study. You will implement your plan of future research and development and identify your target audience. Experimental use of script, camera, lighting, voice, and art direction should be used when and where appropriate. You will produce the outcome you have agreed to professional standards, and this will be supported by a well-illustrated and well-argued rationale based on sound research. You will keep and submit a reflective log of your progress. 

Future Careers and Graduate Prospects

Graduates who wish to continue their education at postgraduate level are encouraged to progress to suitable courses within the College, the University or elsewhere.

Many graduates prefer to seek employment as soon as they have completed their undergraduate studies, Recent Print pathway graduates are currently working on a variety of magazines and newspapers, including Vogue, Grazia, Ten, Tank, the Guardian, The Daily Mail and the London Evening Standard, as well as on online sites such as Vogue.co.uk, Telegraph.co.uk, WGSN.com and Stylus.com. Broadcast pathway graduates can be found working within some of the most innovative content producing companies such as Hat Trick Productions, Mentorn and MDTV.

Developing your skills

All our undergraduate courses are concerned with the development of your personal and professional skills. On your course you will evolve from learning basic skills in your discipline through to a position where you are an independent creative thinker capable of making an effective contribution to the relevant sector of the fashion industry. PPD (Personal and Professional Development) skills are embedded in all units on every course. Speaker programmes with contributions from alumni, members of industry and others are a part of many courses, as are work placement opportunities in industry. Where relevant, students have the chance to attend trade fairs, enter industry competitions, visit exhibitions and go on field trips and visits. The central position of our John Prince’s Street site in the West End affords students easy access to all sectors of the fashion retail market. In addition, our position as a constituent College in the University of the Arts London means that our students have access to the wide range of activities and events that occur in all the Colleges and at the University’s centre. Last but not least, being in London gives every student opportunities to explore and be inspired by the cultural, intellectual and social life of one of the great capital cities of the world.

Resources

Our excellent resources for educating our students are two-fold: people and premises. People includes everyone at the College who contributes directly in some way to your education, whether as a subject tutor, a technician, an Open Access Officer, a librarian or a study support tutor. Premises include the buildings and the facilities contained in them, such as specialist machinery, design studios and workshops, lecture and seminar rooms, and the library.

The Lime Grove site is the centre for media studies at LCF and has extensive facilities, including Mac suites, photography studios, edit suites, sound studios and other specialist areas which can be utilised if required.

The new Course Leader will be appointed for September 2011.

Maggie Norden is the Subject Leader for the Broadcast pathway and is a well-known programme-maker. She directed the Channel 4 documentary on the Missoni fashion dynasty in 2009 and has made notable films, television and radio programmes on fashion and lifestyle.

Brenda Polan is the Programme Director for the Fashion Media courses and is a distinguished journalist, working for many national papers including the Guardian, The Independent on Sunday, the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday. She is the author of The Great Fashion Designers (Berg, 2009).

Tony Glenville is the Creative Director for the School of Media and Communication, and has done many jobs in fashion during his varied career. He has worked as a journalist on a number of publications, including Paris Vogue, the Financial Times, The Independent, the Evening Standard and Urban Junkies. He has styled Kate Winslet, is a familiar figure at the catwalk shows in the fashion capitals of the world, and has written Top to Toe: the Modern Man’s Guide to Grooming. His broadcast career has included the South Bank Show on John Galliano, and most recently was seen on television commenting on the fashions at the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton.

Showing your Work      

All final year students are given the opportunity to profile their work online using the Showtime section of the University and College websites. London College of Fashion can make no guarantee that your work (either in sum or in part) will be shown, exhibited or profiled in any way as part of your course. All student work appearing in College organised events, catwalk shows, exhibitions and other forms of showcase, is selected by a panel of senior staff and, in some instances, external industry judges.

Course Entry Requirements

This course requires selected applicants to complete a piece of writing under test conditions.

Opportunities for All

We are committed to making university education an achievable option for a wider range of people and seek to recruit students from diverse socio-economic, cultural and educational backgrounds. We are committed to supporting all our students in achieving their potential both during and after their courses.

Student Selection Criteria

Entry to this course is highly competitive: applicants are expected to achieve, or already have, the course entry requirements detailed below.

‘A’ level passes at grade C or above (this course requires 240 UCAS tariff points) PLUS passes in five other GCSE subjects at grade C or above to include English

OR

Equivalent awards. For International qualifications see the International Qualifications Guide [PDF - 1.9mb]

Preferred subjects include English, a foreign language and Media Studies.

This course requires a minimum 240 UCAS tariff points.

Exceptionally, applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered if the course team judges the application demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by: related academic or work experience; the quality of the personal statement; a strong academic or other professional reference; or a combination of these factors. 

English Language Requirements

All classes are conducted in English. The level required by the University for this course is IELTS 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in any one skill. 

For more information, read the University's English Language requirements page.

What We Look For

The course team seeks to recruit students who can demonstrate:

• A strong interest in fashion as it affects all parts of modern life
• An enthusiasm for research and for writing and potential to develop their writing to a professional level
• A familiarity with current events, trends and the media in all its forms from newspapers to television, from glossy magazines to radio, the internet and Twitter
• Evidence of curiosity and wide reading, a sense of topicality and the ability to form opinions based on good information
• An appreciation of how words and pictures work together to tell stories for television, online and in print

This might, for example, be demonstrated by: related academic or work experience; the quality of the personal statement, a strong academic or other professional reference; or a combination of these factors.

Advice for applicants selected to undertake the written test

You will be asked to complete a piece of writing under test conditions, so make sure that you have all that you need for the test, such as your favourite pen.

Advice for applicants selected for interview

Applicants will be expected to demonstrate the following at interview: what particular strengths you can bring to the course; an awareness of research for journalism; an awareness of different media and their capacity to influence public opinion; an awareness of key players in fashion media, an interest in the work of fashion designers; and your future ambitions in media.

Home/EU Applicants

You apply online through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

Go to ‘Apply’ from the UCAS home page, where you will be able to register and create a password that gives you unique access as you complete your application form.

The University code is U65.

The UCAS code for this course is P507.

The deadline for equal consideration of your application is 15 January.

If you have a question, you can contact our Enquiries Office by calling +44 (0)20 7514 7563 / 7344 or by completing our Online Enquiry Form.  

International Applicants

For specific details on how to apply as an international applicant please visit our international student pages 

The International Recruitment Office at the London College of Fashion will help to guide you through the application process and answer any specific questions that you may have regarding our courses. This may include portfolio advice, the application process and fee advice. We offer a ‘drop-in’ facility for applicants who may be in London and wish to obtain further course and admissions information. Please contact us for further information on this facility. We can also arrange a tour of our facilities if we are given prior notice.

Our contact details are: If you have a question, you can contact our International Recruitment Office by calling +44 (0)20 7514 7656 / 7678 / 7629 or completing our Online Enquiry Form.  

Deferred Entry

Deferred Entry is normally only allowed in exceptional circumstances. Please contact us before you submit your application if you are considering applying for deferred entry.

What Happens Next?

All application forms, personal statements and references are read and considered by the course team against the selection criteria listed under What We Look For. Depending on the quality of your application, you may be asked to attend the College to complete a written test, which will then be considered by the course team. If the course team wish to consider your application further, you will be invited to an interview with the course team. If you are successful at the interview stage you will be offered a place. Applicants are not guaranteed a written test or an interview.

Please note that if you are unable to attend the College may not be able to re-schedule.

If you applied through UCAS the result of your application will be communicated to you via UCAS through ucastrack. You will only receive further communication directly from the College if your application has been successful. This will be in the form of a full offer pack including details of accommodation, fees, and other important information.    

Additional Costs

Some courses charge a fee for the bulk purchase of materials and/or equipment used on the course. Further details will be supplied at a later date.