London School of Journalism | Distance Learning FAQs

FAQs - Distance Learning

We hope you will find the answers to your questions in the list below. If there is something you can't find, have a look at our additional information pages, try one of our standard websites (see below) or email us with your query - and we will do our best to help.

Please click on the relevant FAQs below:

Are the enrolment dates fixed?
How does it work?
Journalism or Freelance courses?
How long does a course last?
Are there exams at the end?
What are the fees?
What sort of people are students?
Am I qualified for this course?
What guarantees do you offer?
Do I have to pay in £ Sterling?
By post or online?
How does online enrolment work?
Where do I send my enrolment?
To whom do I pay my cheque?
Can I get printed details?

Are the enrolment dates for distance learning courses fixed?

The correspondence courses, which are not term-based, can be started at any time.

Postal enrolments are dispatched by the Friday following receipt. Online enrolments are handled automatically by the website and confirmed by the end of the next working day. (Public holidays are excluded from working days.)

How does distance learning work?

Distance learning courses work like this:

You are allocated to a personal tutor, who will be working in the field you are studying, and who is responsible for marking and assessing all your submitted work, and answering your queries. You may submit your written work by email, fax or by post.

On enrolment you are sent the first two modules of the course. Then, as we return each module you have submitted to the School, we include the next module in the sequence. In this way you always have one module to work on while waiting for the return of your previous submission. If you prefer, you may access your personal student page on our website and download your next module whenever you are ready to start it.

Each module requires you to do written exercises and assignments and submit them to your tutor.

We have a lecture-room on the website where students can join in live tutorial sessions at which they can ask questions and receive answers in real time. We also have a student-only bulletin board where you can post questions and be in contact with other students like yourself - moral support and guidance are usually available from another student who will have had the same questions and experiences as yourself.

More than half our students live and work in the UK, and our experience shows that our methods of teaching and providing student support function well - making sure that students get the maximum benefit from every course they take.

What is the difference between the Journalism and Freelance courses?

Although in some areas the Journalism and Newswriting course and the Freelance and Feature Writing course are similar, there are major differences.

The Journalism and Newswriting course is designed for those who plan to work as employees of their chosen publication - specifically those who will be employed in the area of news and current affairs reporting, either for print or broadcast media. People taking this course will probably want to be employed by the company for which they work.

The Freelance and Feature Writing course is aimed at those who want to write individual pieces, often specialising in a specific area of interest or knowledge, which will be marketed to more than one publication. People taking this course may well become self-employed writers, with no single publication taking all of their work.

Many freelance writers are employed in another capacity, and do their writing as a hobby or for a second income.

How long does a course last?

You may take two years to complete any of the distance learning courses but the actual pace is entirely up to you as there are no further deadlines set by the School. But - we know from experience that students who set themselves a regular pattern of study find it easier to get the most out of their learning experience.

Many students find that they can complete their course within a 9-15 month period.

One advantage of distance learning is that you can vary your study program to fit around those parts of your life - family, work, or even illness - which can easily interrupt a well-planned schedule.

If circumstances beyond your control mean that you need to extend your course beyond the two year period, a small update fee may be payable at that time.

Are there exams at the end?

There are no exams at the end of any course except for the Media Law course. Your work is continually assessed as you progress, and your tutor will give you a final grade on completion. Every lesson module has specific tasks and assignments which must be completed and sent to your tutor to be evaluated and returned to you.

Students of Journalism and Newswriting have one module in exam format, which is designed to help identify any gaps and weaknesses in their knowledge as they come towards the end of the course.

What are the fees?

The cost of each course varies - distance learning courses range from £210 to £420, short and evening courses range from £225 to £345, and our postgraduate courses range from £950 (for a single online module) to £3360 for the 9 month evening course.

When you have found the course that suits you, you will be able to check out the fees option in each case.

What sort of people are distance learning students

There is no one type of person who studies by distance learning.

Iindividuals from every walk of life, and every working background, take our courses.

Some take our courses for career-enhancement, some because they have a desire to write and turn their ideas into something more permanent, some take them to discover if they have the ability to write, and others do it for the pleasure they get from learning something new.

Am I qualified for the course I want to take?

These courses are not restricted to people with particular qualifications or experience. The only pre-requisite is a sound working knowledge of written English. Upon enrolment you will be allocated a tutor (all of our tutors are working in the field they teach) who will mark and critique your work on an individual basis.

The aim of your tutor is to ensure that you reach the highest standard of which you are capable - this may mean regular publication in a national newspaper, a published short story, a novel - or perhaps that you finish the course having become a more competent and confident communicator in written English, which is, in itself, a very worthwhile achievement.

What guarantees do you offer?

We can only promise that we will provide you with the best possible support, and your tutor will help you to make the very most of the ability and talent you have.

It isn't possible to promise that every student will be a successful journalist or writer by the time the course has been completed - some will be, and some will never be.

Because of that, you won't find us making promises that imply fame and fortune is just around the corner - promises like that are designed to mislead - but we do know, for example, that nearly 80% of those Freelance and Feature Writing students, who are prepared to do the work required to complete their course, have articles published before they have finished.

If you keep trying, and work within your tutor's guidance, it is more likely that you will succeed than you will not. But in the end, the result is up to you, just as much as it is up to us.

Do I have to pay in £ Sterling?

The preferred payment options are shown below:

Payment by credit dard. Your credit card is charged the GB£ cost of the course fee. If you are using a non-UK credit card your credit card company will convert that amount into the local currency of your card, and charge you that amount. Conversion rates may vary from day to day, and approximate conversion rates for most major currencies are published in newsparers or online.

If you wish to pay by direct bank transfer, you may pay either in GB£ or EU€. Please ask the office for the correct bank details.

If you wish to pay by draft or counter cheque, all amounts must be in GB£, with the cheque drawn and payable against a UK resident bank or representative office.

If you are paying by personal cheque, please pay in GB£ - for any other currency there is an additional clearing cost of £20.00 per cheque and it can take up to 6 weeks before the funds are available which will delay your enrolment. Any additional clearing costs will be charged to your learning account and will therefore increase the cost of your course.

Should I do my course by post or online?

The course content is the same for both postal and online courses. The differences lie in the way it is sent to you, and the way in which you return your assignments to the School.

With a postal course you are sent the first two modules of the course when you enrol, and a subsequent module each time you submit an assignment for correction and review. These modules are printed on double-sided A4 paper, and we supply you with a ring-binder in which to keep the modules.

When you are ready to send an assignment to your tutor, you will send your written or printed work by ordinary post or by airmail to the LSJ office. Your tutor will correct your work by a combination of correction to your copy and a separate written commentary with advice. This is then returned to you by post.

Students in the UK need to supply stamped addressed envelopes for the return of their work - students outside the UK pay a slightly higher fee to cover the cost of return postage, which is then paid by the school.

With an Internet version of a course, you are sent the first two modules on enrolment - by email. These are dispatched within minutes of your enrolment being processed and are sent as .pdf files.

When you wish to submit your work, you can email it direct to the School, either as a text (.txt) file, an .rtf file or as an MSWord document (Word6 or above) attached to your email, or pasted directly into the body of your email.

When your work is returned by your tutor it will either be as an MSWord file with tutor corrections in colour, or as an Adobe .pdf file, which will show the handwritten corrections to your work, accompanied by any additional comments or material that your tutor feels necessary.

Before the end of their course all students receive a printed bound copy of their course notes to keep as as a permanent reference book.

How does online enrolment work? Our web-based enrolment forms allow you to either enrol online. You can enrol using our secure sever, with the safest form of encryption to ensure thatt your credit or debit card details are absolutely safe, or print a copy of the enrolment form and post it to us. To access online enrolment, please click here

Choose the course you wish to join, select your payment method and then choose the enrolment method. If you select 'Via secure server' you will be offered our electronic enrolment form, if you choose 'by post - printable form' you will be able to print out a copy of the information which can be sent by post rather than sent electronically.

If you enrol online you can still choose to have the course delivered to you by post. In the same manner, if you enrol by using a postal form, you can choose to take an online course - the method you use to enrol does not affect the type of course you can take.

Where do I send my enrolment?

The address for sending enrolments is:

The LSJ
126 Shirland Road
Maida Vale
London
W9 2BT
UK

Telephone number : +44 (0) 207 432 8140
Fax: +44 (0) 207 432 8141

To whom do I pay my cheque?

All cheques payments should be made out to:

'The London School of Journalism'

and posted to:

The LSJ
126 Shirland Road
Maida Vale
London
W9 2BT
UK

Can I get printed details?

You can get printed details about our courses in two ways. You can contact the School by telephone (+44 (0) 207 289 7777) or by email (info@Lsjournalism.com) or by post (The LSJ, 126 Shirland Road, London W9 2BT) and ask for a prospectus to be sent to you.

Alternatively, visit here for more information on all our distance learning courses

You can print out any of the pages that interest you.