Program Overview

Introduction to the Graduate Diploma in Journalism

The Graduate Diploma in Journalism is a 120-point, one-year full-time program aimed at preparing graduates for a career in print, broadcast, and online journalism. Students receive intensive training in media ethics and law, digital newsgathering and writing, research and analysis, and multimedia reporting, including basic storytelling methods in photography, audio, and video, and for online media.

Program Structure

The Graduate Diploma in Journalism is made up of six courses, designed to produce graduates who are:

• High-quality critical thinkers
• Expert researchers across a range of sources
• Strong writers and editors who can meet deadlines with speed and accuracy
• Skilled in multi-media reporting
• Able to work ethically and to a professional standard

Course Details

The program has a strong emphasis on practical work, and maintains a close relationship with the profession through many guest lecturers. Throughout the year, students will report for local newsrooms and contribute to a range of media, including radio station RDU 98.5 and the university's own digital news outlet, The Record. Mid-year, students will be sent on a newspaper internship, and later in the year, they will be sent further afield for a capstone internship in a radio, online, or print newsroom.

Career Outcomes and Professional Focus

Each year, most, if not all, of the program's graduates win jobs, many of them before the program has even finished. Recent graduates have walked into jobs at Newshub, Stuff.co.nz, Radio NZ, RadioLIVE, NewstalkZB, NZME, The Press, TVNZ, and various regional and community papers, and landed social and online media roles with various government and corporate organisations.

Award-Winning Journalism

University of Canterbury journalism graduates regularly feature among the winners and finalists in New Zealand's national media awards, the Voyager Media Awards and NZ Radio Awards. Graduates have been nominated for and/or won awards such as best student journalist, best junior feature writer, best junior reporter, feature writer of the year, best podcast, best investigation, reporter of the year, editorial leader of the year, and Wolfson Fellow.