Professional development and training in media and publishing

Postgraduate study and professional development can help you advance in your chosen career

Do I need to do postgraduate study?

You don't need to pursue postgraduate study to be successful in media and publishing, but it will strengthen your knowledge in the subject and prove you are serious about a long-term career.

There are many postgraduate opportunities related to media and publishing careers, for example, a Masters degrees in publishing can enhance your skills and knowledge in that area.

The Sector Skills Council for the creative industries, Creative Skillset, has a directory of national occupational standards which define exactly what you need to secure a role. These standards are useful to help you find exactly what skills, experience and knowledge are required for a specific job.

For more information on entry requirements and career development in the media and publishing sector, see types of jobs.

To find postgraduate media and publishing courses in the UK, search media and publishing courses and research opportunities.

Should I join a professional body?

This answer really depends on the type of job you want. For example, entry qualifications for some jobs are provided (or accredited) by professional bodies. For other roles, being a member of a professional body is voluntary and can be valuable for networking, continued professional development and keeping up to date with latest news.

Which professional qualifications are recognised in the sector?

• BBC Academy - offers courses through its College of Journalism, College of Production, Centre of Leadership and Centre of Technology. Courses range from Facebook for journalists to running a production team. The training is usually for BBC employees only but due to the BBC’s Charter Agreement they also teach the wider industry.
• Catch 22 Academy - is a social enterprise, working alongside media organisations in the UK to provide support and training for young people looking to work in journalism.
• Creative Skillset - is the Sector Skills Council for the creative industries which includes media and publishing. It offers funding for those looking for qualifications in film, television and radio.
• The National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) - provides industry professional qualifications for working journalists. Trainee journalists with a minimum of 18 months' experience can take the National Certificate Examination (NCE) which is available in four disciplines: reporters; press photographers and photojournalists; sub-editors; and sports reporters.
• The Publishing Training Centre - the international training provider for book and journal publishers. Offers courses in: editing; proofreading; copywriting; rights and law; marketing and publicity; writing for digital and web format.
• Society for Editors and Proofreaders - this is a professional organisation for editors and proofreaders, offering both membership and courses to both freelancers and in-house staff.
• Society of Indexers - is the professional body for indexing in the UK and Ireland. The society provides a training course which teaches the principles and practices of indexing.