Journalist employers will be as aware of the concept of CV inflation as anyone else - after all, there have been enough stories written about it!
It should go without saying therefore that application forms, qualifications and CVs should be carefully checked. A regular subject at BJTC forums is understanding the value of a pass mark of 50% in Media Law - cynics suggesting that this probably means the applicant is only getting half the facts right. However, there are some fairly esoteric academic criteria which employers should perhaps be aware of. Outlined below are some facts about what BJTC accreditation includes.
Journalism course accreditation
Some colleges and universities may offer a range of broad journalism training courses, many with similar sounding names that cover a range of disciplines. It may well be the case that the course title is simply "journalism" rather than "broadcast journalism"; "radio journalism"; "TV journalism"; "online" or "multi-media journalism".
In such cases, the BJTC accreditation award is only applicable to elements or pathways, mapped out with agreement from the BJTC, relevant to broadcasting. Print related pathways would not be accredited by the BJTC.
It's also the case that some Masters degrees are constructed with a long academic dissertation as the final section of study. Again the BJTRC will not accredit any course which contains this as a compulsory component.
Accredited courses require either an extended duration tv or radio programme from the student or an online project, together with an extended critical analysis of the piece of work- equally as demanding as a dissertation.
Partial degrees
General criteria for both Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses in UK colleges and universities permit students to be awarded partial degrees. There are many valid reasons for this beyond simple academic failure, e.g., death of a close relation at exam time, though there are also established retake arrangements.
However, it could mean that a student could leave a course without having studied what employers might regard as vital elements. For instance a student on a PG Diploma course could leave with a lower credit score and PG Certificate, or an MA student could leave with a PG Certificate or Diploma.
Therefore, when the BJTC accredits a course, it accredits the WHOLE course and does NOT accredit partial courses that could mean the student leaving without having qualified in essential skills or knowledge.
Compensation and Condonement
This is a similar criterion which allows a student to be awarded a degree with less than the normally accepted pass marks.
The BJTC will NOT accredit a course which permits Compensation and Condonement - course-specific regulations should be available to avoid this.
* Full lists of accredited courses are displayed on this site but if any employer or HR department has any doubts, please contact the BJTC Secretary, Jim Latham.
