Employability support
Our employability team offers support with CV advice, interview prep and placement opportunities, so our students graduate ready for the jobs they want!
Meet Trish, our employability guru. Based in our professional services office, she works year-round to ensure our practical journalism students have all the support they need. She will meet with you one-to-one or answer any email enquiries you have, helping you make the most of all the work experience opportunities you have whilst at Sheffield.
Trish works primarily with our MA Journalism and MA Broadcast students, and second and third years on our BA course. We want to make sure first years get the basics under their belt before they go out on placement!
For other students, there are several options on where you can get help with your CV or work experience. You can visit the social sciences employability hub - the Cornerstone - on the ground floor of the Wave, or access support from our central university careers service. Our departmental team will also circulate relevant work experience opportunities to you when they come up.
The support
- Newsletters
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The employability team produces a weekly newsletter, highlighting all current placement opportunities available - whether short or long term, in Sheffield or further afield. These newsletters often include opportunities that are only available for Sheffield Journalism students, as a result of our excellent industry links. Keep an eye on your inbox, so you don’t miss out!
The team also produces a monthly employability newsletter for our academic MA programmes, MA Global Journalism and MA International Public and Political Communication.
- 1-1s
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Students can book a 1-1 meeting with a member of our employability team to go through a CV, cover letter or any interview preparation you need help with, so you feel ready to apply for placement opportunities as they arise. These meetings are a great opportunity to receive personal support tailored to you and your career plans. We would really recommend you make the most of them!
- Bursaries
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We also offer bursaries to help with the costs of work placements. Each student can claim up to £300 to cover travel, accommodation and food.
Please note that bursaries may not be available for all students, and priority will be given to students who meet widening participation criteria. You must apply for a bursary as soon as your placement has been confirmed.
- Career sessions
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We hold weekly masterclasses for all journalism students. These are an opportunity for students to hear from industry experts about their experiences of working in journalism and PR. Students can ask questions and hear top tips for how to succeed in the industry. Recent speakers have included Miriam Walker-Khan, reporter for Sky Sports, Jane Bradley, reporter at the New York Times, and Lizzie Deardon, the Independent Home Affairs editor.
- E-mentoring
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E-mentoring is organised by the central careers service. The scheme connects you with alumni who are working in journalism, PR, comms or media-related roles. Your mentor can help you with CV support or job applications, help you network and or even offer work experience. Find out more information here.
Our placements
Our students have excellent placement opportunities during their time with us - like Bijin, who completed her work placement at Radio News Hub.
Want to hear from more students working at the Telegraph, Bauer Media, digital agencies and more? Check out our Youtube channel to find out where our students have been this year!
The outcome
Our students go on to have varied, successful careers across the journalism and communications sector. Our rigorous teaching programme, paired with employability support and placement opportunities, gives our students the competitive edge they need to get noticed in the media industry after they graduate.
Don't just take our word for it - many of our students walk straight into their dream jobs.
Have a look at our alumni profiles to see what those students are up to now, or check out the latest results of our graduate outcomes survey.
Our outstanding reputation for journalism
We're ranked as one of the top 5 universities to study journalism in the Guardian and the Complete University Guide - we're also 1st in the Russell Group for learning resources, student voice and learning opportunities according to the National Student Survey.
International scholarships
We offer a generous package of financial support for international students, including undergraduate and postgraduate taught scholarships worth £10,000 towards the annual tuition fee.
Applications are open for existing offer holders for programmes starting in autumn 2025.