Program Overview

Foundation Studies prepares you for a successful transition to degree-level study, providing a pathway to the first year of study of a bachelor’s degree at Murdoch University.

This course is suited to you if you:

• Need an entrance qualification for Murdoch University
• Want to accelerate your university preparation after Year 11, or equivalent
• Want to change your degree stream after Year 11, or equivalent

Course Structure
For Foundation Studies you will complete eight units over two study periods, studying a combination of core and elective units. The units you will undertake will be determined by your chosen degree. All students must complete the two English units and at least one unit from each Discipline Group.

Each unit of study builds concepts from an introductory level through to university entrance level. The units are designed to develop your learning techniques as well as bridging gaps in your unit knowledge.

• English
  • Essential Australian Studies
  • Introduction to Academic Communication
• Mathematics
  • Introductory Mathematics
  • Mathematics for Science
• Science and Technology
  • Information Technology for Academic Studies
  • Computer Science
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Biology
• The Arts
  • Introduction to Media
  • Media Production
• Business and Legal Studies
  • Accounting
  • Management
  • Economics

Leading to:  Bachelor of Laws / Bachelor of Communication
At Murdoch University you can combine a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) with a Bachelor of Communication.

Adding a communication degree to your law qualification will help you hone your communication and problem-solving skills to give you a competitive edge in your career. Whether you’re presenting evidence in a court of law or meeting with your clients, you’ll learn the skills to make you a great communicator. You can choose to specialise in Journalism, Strategic Communication or Global Media and Communication.

The combination of a Law and Communication degree means you will gain valuable, additional skills to use in your future career, including presentation skills, media liaison, broadcasting, writing, news media, public affairs, advocacy and more.

Major: Journalism
In our Journalism course, you’ll develop the skills you need to thrive in the digital era of news. Learn everything you need to know to work within a professional news organisation, gathering information and producing editorial content in text, audio and video and multimedia formats.

You’ll learn the skills you need to get a job in today’s evolving media landscape, from practical reporting and writing, through to using social media and video journalism, and learning how to manage the back end of a website.

You will learn how to use Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro and Audition, as well as drones to capture stories from a completely different angle. You will investigate the ethical, legal and cultural contexts of the media, analyse the influence journalism has on society as well as the rapidly changing world of news delivery.

You have the choice to focus on broadcasting or digital journalism. If you are interested in radio broadcasting, we recommend you also take the minor in Radio, which gives you live, on-air experience through Radio Fremantle and other radio productions.

With the help of our industry-experienced lecturers, you’ll conduct interviews, shoot photos and videos and create multimedia content to tell amazing stories. In your final unit, your stories will be written and uploaded to our student news website, as you work in an online newsroom and find out how the industry really works.

3 reasons to study Journalism at Murdoch

• You’ll get the chance to follow in the footsteps of some of our students who have interned at the ABC, the West, Channel Seven, The Fremantle Herald and other Perth newsrooms.
• Have the chance to get some real-world experience in our on-campus student creative consultancy MESH and work on real projects.
• Join professional networks and build valuable connections through our academics and their close relationships with industry.

What you’ll learn
Build the knowledge and skills you need to meet your career or study goals. Here are some of the things you’ll learn:

• Digital newsgathering and reporting
• Online and mobile journalism
• Digital media skills
• TV news reporting
• How to work in a digital newsroom