Our students

Shauna Madden

Shauna is studying a Journalism BA(Hons) degree - take a look at her video. She talks about our facilities such as the TV studio, which gives a feel for what it's really like to make a news broadcast programme. She also talks about writing for the University student magazine. She says her tutors still work in Journalism and are up to date with what's happening in the industry. She incorporates a placement one day a week as part of her degree and explains how there are plenty of work opportunities available. 

Jessica McDonnell

"Within two months of leaving University I was offered a job at one of the largest digital agencies in the North as a junior PR executive and promoted within 6 months to Digital Media executive. My degree has helped me achieve a job within my dream career and has given me many writing opportunities as a freelancer. Early last year I was selected out of many applicants to go to Thailand on an expenses paid press trip and meet the Minister of Tourism, something I doubt I would have been able to do if I hadn’t developed my writing skills at University.

"My degree has helped me tremendously in my chosen career path because my job relies heavily on writing. I usually write daily press releases and campaign plans for my clients. The PR module on my course helped me think creatively and taught me the basic skills on how to run a PR campaign and a lot of my job includes people skills which I picked up from presenting in class, interviewing people for my course and working as a team on class assignments.

"I thoroughly enjoyed the content on my course and although I did find some of my modules more challenging than others - such as media law - I now realise how each module has helped me in my career today. My favourite modules were journalistic writing, writing for magazines and the PR module as they were the most creative and the topics which I excelled at.

"I have many fond memories of University and always speak highly of my experiences. My highlights were being the fashion editor for the University newspaper, the vice president of HUPDA and getting a first class degree at the end of my course.

"If I was to give a potential Journalism student advice, I would advise that they practice their writing, get work experience early on and make sure you ask as many questions as possible while you’re at University to make the most of your education."

Nathan Clarke

University of Huddersfield sports journalism graduates have a deserved reputation for getting some of the best jobs in the industry at the likes of the BBC, Sky Sports and big name clubs and sports organisations. Experienced sports journalism industry tutors and great workplace opportunities while studying at Huddersfield are two of the keys to the success of graduates now making names for themselves as sports journalists in their own right, from football to rugby league, cricket to darts and bowls to squash.

Nathan Clarke – from the RFL to the World Professional Squash Tour
When Nathan Clarke graduated from the course in 2010, he immediately joined the Rugby Football League as communications executive, working at the likes of Wembley, Old Trafford and touring with the England academy side to Australia. He was recently appointed PR and Communications Manager for the World Professional Squash Tour, working in the United States, the Middle East and Asia.

Nathan, a regular back at the University to talk about his experiences and pass on workplace opportunities for students, says: "Studying a sports journalism degree at Huddersfield offered me an opportunity to combine my passion for sport with an education in written, broadcast and online media industries - an education which has been invaluable in my professional career so far. The fundamental basics which were covered at Huddersfield, from understanding of media laws to training on audio and video editing software, have played a major role in developing me and taking me to the position where I am now. They're all skills I use in my job.

Michelle Sammet

Michelle Sammet must already be the best-travelled graduate of the University of Huddersfield, even though she only left the Sports Journalism course in 2014.

In her job as editor of the IAAF athletics magazine Spikes, she’s covered meetings from China and the US to Monaco and the Bahamas, where she spent a day working with the legendary Usain Bolt.

She says: "It's really quite exciting having all the travel and getting to meet the athletes, working with them and actually getting to know them not just on the track but off the track as well."

Anthony Bowyer

Anthony has recently been promoted to ‘Client Services Manager’. His role will be to ensure Northern Media continues to provide outstanding service to their clients, ensuring they deliver their marketing campaigns on time and on budget. Anthony will lead Northern Media's account management and account support team, whilst also managing his existing client base. Congratulations, Anthony!

"I spend a lot of my time writing online content for small medium enterprises (SMEs) to help them improve their ranking on Google and ultimately to increase sales for their company. This is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) centric and it is a different type of writing from journalism. Less news based and immediate, more information based and planned over time. I also have a few accounts I look after myself, go out to visit clients, work on Social Media and public relations material as well as being in charge of client monthly reports. 

"One of the main things I learned on my degree course was the ability to write for an audience, but also writing in a simple tone, with authority.  This has become very useful, especially when most of our clients are perceived as local industry leaders. Journalism degrees at Huddersfield have always been more about the transferable skills and this has been an essential part of how I have grown in the role. 

Anthony was the first graduate to be taken on by Northern Light Media, and this year, they have employed a second graduate as Graphic Designer. The company are planning to extend their work to help Journalism students to develop their craft whilst still studying.

"It is important we have links to great universities as our plan is to become the biggest agency in the local area. By using passionate graduates who are looking to develop their careers, bringing in their up to date knowledge and flair, we believe we can achieve that goal.

Alina McAuley

Marketing Executive - Northern Media

Responsible for all the media coverage and promotional content for the team, including several press release being printed in the Wakefield Express and the Yorkshire Evening Post; as well as arranging radio coverage from BBC Radio Leeds. 

Conor Chriscoli

I volunteered as part of a student team to cover the 2015 General Election count in the Chesterfield constituency. Role involved travelling to the count and sending clips via FTP connection to assist ITV with their coverage across the country. We also interviewed the winner of the seat, Toby Perkins, after the count was finished.

Chun Kit Lam

Chun Kit Lam is a final year Media and Popular Culture student from Hong Kong. Here he talks about why he chose Huddersfield, about the facilities, staff and more!

“The reason I chose to study at the University of Huddersfield was for the benefit of my career after graduation. I was drawn to the library system and impressed with the wide range of academic sources, including journal articles and books as well as the equipment for the students to use.”

“I chose my course because media plays an important role in our lives and is now very dominant and I wanted to understand the world of media and popular culture. The film studies module inspired me to further my ambition in the film industry as I want to produce a film that will inspire people about the meaning of life within the Hong Kong film industry.”

“In regards to the facilities at the University, the Student’s' Union provides everything you may need, for example, accommodation, visa information, academic resources, gym facilities and of course the shop. These facilities are very ideal in my case, as I am an international student and these services helped me feel more comfortable.”

“The staff provide the best care to the students and they make themselves available and try their best to keep you on track. The staff also ask about our lives in University and our career after graduation, showing an overall interest in each student.”

“If I was to give prospective students planning on studying Media and Popular Culture any advice, it would be that they make sure they are well prepared for independent and group study and to know what it is they are responsible for.”

“The University of Huddersfield is the best place to continue with your studies and explore your social life. I would definitely recommend it as the right place to study.”

Charlotte Strickland

What are your favourite facilities on campus?

The radio suites in the teaching rooms and the RadioHudd broadcasting area in the SU are great.
They give us chance to have a go at running a live radio show and get to grips with all the equipment that professionals use without the pressure of broadcasting to hundreds of people.
They are a really good mix. There’s only one exam at the end of the first and second year, which means more researched coursework. The second year was brilliant as we did a lot of ‘hands on’ work and had the opportunity to work in teams.All the tutors I’ve encountered have been really supportive, replied to emails and had no qualms with me bugging them for a tutorial.

Have you opted for a work placement?
I write for the local newspaper, The Examiner, so I’ve had loads of opportunities to meet new people and interview artists such as Ellie Goulding, whilst having my work published. I did an internship at a new company called Croon, writing and managing the online magazine and getting a lot of insight into promotion, advertising, PR and business.

Would you recommend your course to someone interested in your subject area?
Definitely! I’ve learnt radio and run my own show on RadioHudd; I’ve learnt about the history of newspaper, media laws and tackled probably every music genre possible. It has a really friendly vibe to it and there’s always loads of support from tutors and careers advice if you need it.

What are your career ambitions – did these influence your decision to come and study at Huddersfield? 
I knew I wanted a career in something music related. I loved studying Media and English at college and Huddersfield was the only university offering Music Journalism and Media together.