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3 Years On Campus Bachelors Program
La Trobe University
The Bachelor of Media and Communication with a journalism major at La Trobe University equips you to tell stories across any medium, combining hands-on technical skills with critical journalism practice. This 3-year degree is designed for students who want to develop a professional portfolio, gain real industry experience, and graduate job-ready with the expertise today's media organisations demand.
Curriculum Structure
First Year: Foundation and Studio Immersion
Your journey begins with an exciting introduction to professional media practice. During your first semester, you'll step into La Trobe's digital television studio to create and record your own magazine-style news program, developing vital technical skills across multiple studio roles while getting your first experience in front of the camera. You'll also work in contemporary Mac Labs equipped with the latest digital software, learning the tools professionals use for podcasting, multimedia journalism, video editing, and breaking news coverage. This collaborative environment builds a strong community of practice that supports you throughout your entire degree.
Second Year: Specialized Journalism Skills and Storytelling
As you progress, your journalism major deepens your ability to tell compelling stories. You'll work with industry-standard equipment in dedicated digital audio and radio studios, creating broadcast-quality podcasts and current affairs packages while developing essential skills like presenting, producing, interviewing, and editing. Courses in this phase build on your foundation, allowing you to specialize further in journalism-specific techniques and explore different storytelling formats across digital and traditional platforms.
Third Year: Professional Practice and Industry Integration
In your final year, you'll transition into the professional world through La Trobe's *upstart* — a dedicated work-integrated learning environment designed to emulate real newsrooms. Here, you'll work from professional editorial spaces, participating in student-led meetings, news shifts, planning sessions, and pitch presentations alongside experienced editorial teams. This capstone experience gives you vital industry credentials before graduation, often leading directly to employment opportunities with media organizations, sports clubs, community groups, and businesses.
Focus Areas
Journalism, storytelling across multimedia platforms, breaking news coverage, podcast and audio production, digital media practice, investigative reporting, and professional broadcast standards.
Learning Outcomes
You'll develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and research methods to address contemporary media and social issues. You'll graduate with transferable skills in technical media production, editorial decision-making, and collaborative journalism practice, alongside a professional portfolio of published work.
Professional Alignment
La Trobe's journalism program prepares you for careers across media and communication sectors, with internship opportunities that frequently convert to full-time employment. The program emphasizes industry-relevant technical and journalistic skills developed through partnerships with real media organisations and professional newsroom environments.
Reputation
La Trobe University ranks in the top 1% of universities worldwide according to the QS World University Rankings 2026. The Department of Politics, Media and Philosophy delivers world-class media education through faculty expertise and state-of-the-art facilities that mirror professional industry standards.
In the Bachelor of Media and Communication (Journalism) at La Trobe University, you'll dive straight into hands-on experiential learning from your first semester, building real-world skills with professional-grade tools and facilities in the Department of Politics, Media and Philosophy. Imagine producing your own magazine-style news program in the digital television studio, mastering studio directing, vision switching, graphics, and high-end camera operation while collaborating in team roles just like in a real newsroom. You'll also use the latest digital software in Mac Labs for podcasting, video editing, multimedia journalism, and breaking news coverage, all in spaces designed for group projects and feedback.
This practical focus continues through dedicated industry-emulating setups like the upstart newsroom—where you'll join student-led shifts, pitches, and planning as part of Work Integrated Learning—and prepares you to showcase your work on La Trobe's live media platform, upstart. Here's what you'll get hands-on with:
- Digital television studio: Create current affairs, magazine, and sports programs, gaining skills in directing, camera ops, and on-camera experience from day one.
- Audio and radio studios: Produce broadcast-standard podcasts and packages, honing presenting, producing, interviewing, and editing.
- Mac Labs: Work with cutting-edge digital software for creative projects like video editing, podcasting, and multimedia journalism, supporting both solo and group work.
- Media Hub: A pro studio for broadcasting your own TV program, taking on front-of-camera and technical roles.
- Upstart newsroom: Dedicated editorial spaces mimicking professional news environments for group meetings, planning, pitches, and real publishing experience.
- Forty state-of-the-art mobile journalism kits: Equipped with pro radio mics for cross-platform, user-generated stories on the go.
At La Trobe University, our Bachelor of Media and Communication - Journalism dives right into experiential learning, where you'll build real-world skills from your first semester by creating and recording your own magazine-style news program in our digital television studio. You'll master technical roles like studio directing, vision switching, graphics, and high-end camera operation, while collaborating just like in professional media teams. In our Mac Labs, you'll use the latest digital software for podcasting, multimedia journalism, video editing, and breaking news coverage, with spaces designed for both group projects and individual work. Then, in the Work Integrated Learning subject called *upstart*, you'll jump into a student-run newsroom and Media Hub that mimic pro environments, producing live broadcasts and honing journalistic skills before you graduate.
This hands-on approach equips you with industry-ready expertise—here's what you'll access specifically for journalism:
- Digital television studio for producing current affairs, magazine, and sports programs, including on-camera experience and collaborative production from day one.
- Audio and radio studios to create broadcast-standard podcasts and current affairs packages, building skills in presenting, producing, interviewing, and editing.
- Mac Labs equipped with the latest digital software for creative projects like video editing, podcasting, and multimedia journalism, supporting group collaboration and feedback.
- Media Hub, a dedicated studio for broadcasting regular TV programs, where you'll take on front-of-camera and behind-the-scenes roles.
- Upstart newsroom for student-led meetings, news shifts, planning, pitch presentations, and real published work on La Trobe's media platform.
- Forty state-of-the-art mobile journalism kits with professional radio microphones for cross-platform, user-generated stories on the go.
Personal statement detailing their ambitions in the field of journalism and how the scholarship will assist with their studiesFor domestic students, evidence of having resided in a remote or regional location such as a letter from the school or demonstration of residential address (utilities bills, bank statements etc)Australia: must be an Australian citizen, New Zealand Citizen, Permanent Resident or holder of a permanent humanitarian visaAustralia: have resided in a regional or remote area for a total of at least 3 out of the last 5 years and completed your final two years of schooling in a high school or college in a regional or remote area (regional or remote are defined as all categories other than RA1 on the Australian Standard Geographic Remoteness Areas system map)broadcaster or presentercontent producer or managerdigital communications strategistjournalistmedia and communications managermedia educatormedia analystconsultant or researcherpublisher social media manager
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