Journalism Major - Bachelor of Communication Studies

Study journalism in AUT’s state-of-the-art newsroom and production facilities, get practical reporting experience in major news organisations and make industry connections.

Kickstart your journalism career in an exciting and fast-changing media landscape that remains essential to an informed society. Study at a journalism department known nationally and internationally for its research, programmes and the industry experience of its lecturing team.

Technological change has transformed the world of journalism. But behind the digital wizardry of today, the principles at the heart of all good reporting – accuracy, fairness and ethical truth-telling – are as fundamental and important as they ever were. Professional journalism skills, including high-quality writing, the ability to verify information and a talent for interviewing, are needed to cut through the noise. And that’s why AUT graduates are in strong demand.

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This is part of the Bachelor of Communication Studies.

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At AUT, you’ll gain experience in news reporting across multiple platforms and the sub-genres of journalism, including daily news work and investigative feature writing.

Learn on the job in our celebrated Te Waha Nui newsroom, doing live reporting and publishing your stories. You’ll develop your reporting talents further during an internship at leading news organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand. Editors know our students produce publishable work and strongly support our programme. During your studies, you'll also have opportunities for paid shifts at a variety of newsrooms.

Year 1

This year you take eight core courses that give you an overview of the media world and communication theories:

Year 2

This year you take three courses related to journalism, helping you develop the knowledge for a career in journalism or a number of other pathways that use these transferable skills. You gain experience in news reporting, longform journalism, cross-platform storytelling, bicultural and cross-cultural journalism, as well as media law and ethics.

You study the following courses:

You also take courses from your second major, minor(s) or elective courses.

Year 3

You’ll be regularly taking part in live reporting assignments and pitching stories to editors in the industry as well as to our own student-edited news site Te Waha Nui.

Te Waha Nui website

You study the following courses:

You also continue to take courses from your second major, minor(s) or elective courses.

Build your degree

Use our online tool to build your own degree and see what your three years of study could look like.

Build your degreeBuild your degreehttps://www.aut.ac.nz/study/study-options/communication-studies/courses/bachelor-of-communication-studies/journalism-major

Majoring in journalism will prepare you for a wide range of roles, including:

  • News reporter for newspapers, magazines, television, radio or online media
  • Freelance journalist/specialist writer
  • Production journalist, web editor or producer
  • Researcher/communication specialist
Journalism-A4.JPG

Find out more about industry trends, job descriptions and what employers may be looking for.

Journalism Careers

Key features
  • AUT-educated journalists now play leading roles in news outlets around the world
  • Practical newsroom experience as you publish text, audio and video to our award-winning news site
  • Workplace experience in local or national news outlets
  • Experience running a news team
  • Option to include subjects from across AUT in your degree
See yourself as
  • An inquisitive truth seeker
  • A hunter and gatherer of news
  • Investigative and curious
Lauren Bartlett
Maryke Penman
Leena Tailor
Bella Tearoha Lewis Ireland

The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.