Uni course was so bad students are getting compensation

Sussex University is paying students up to £500 because their course was not up to scratch and ‘failed to meet industry standards’.

The journalism course at the university will not be properly accredited, so students are being given compensation but no qualification.

Sussex is alleged to have described the course as ‘seeking accreditation’, and faculty members frequently told students accreditation would be achieved.

Students have been left without an NCTJ and BTCJ qualification, which are considered essential for a career in journalism.

One recent graduate told The Sussex Tab: ‘A journalism degree doesn’t cut it.’

‘The editor of a local newspaper that I’d done work experience for told me he would never hire someone who didn’t have a NTCJ or BJTC qualification.’

A University of Sussex spokesperson told The Sussex Tab: ‘Journalism students at the University of Sussex have been told that the university will pay for the students to take the NCTJ correspondence course at any time.’

Emily Hume, who recently graduated from the university’s journalism course said: ‘I was just really annoyed that I had put all the work in for nothing.

‘News days didn’t count towards our degree and the module that was made up of them in third year was awful.

‘I felt like I couldn’t develop my skills because the module just consisted of creating pieces independently, with very little feedback and no guidance from tutors.’