Dr Paul Lashmar (second left) and Paula O’Shea receive the NCTJ’s 2015 Award for Excellence for the University of Sussex MA in Journalism, the “best performing HE postgraduate course”.

The national organisation that oversees the training of UK journalists has declared the University of Sussex’s MA in Journalism to be the “best performing HE postgraduate course for 2014-15”.

Dr Paul Lashmar, who leads the University’s growing journalism team, was at the Library of Birmingham on Thursday (26 November) to receive a 2015 Award for Excellence from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ), which accredits the Sussex degree.

He was joined by Paula O’Shea, managing director of the University’s partner institution, Brighton Journalist Works (BJW), whose experienced journalists teach elements of the postgraduate MA course.

This hands-on training is framed within the academic and intellectual agenda delivered at Sussex – the highest-ranking university in the UK to offer an NCTJ-accredited qualification in journalism.

Dr Lashmar said: “This prestigious award shows we not only meet the rigorous standards that are required by the news industry but we are up there with the best. It is all about our students getting the jobs they want in journalism.

“This is a tribute to the University of Sussex relationship with Brighton Journalism Works.”

Sussex has a BA and four MAs in Journalism and the number of journalism students is increasing year on year, with 100 now on campus.

“There is a real demand for the best minds to be recruited into the media,” added Dr Lashmar. “Journalism is a developing subject at Sussex and we are committed to high-quality and radically questioning journalism.”