Should you go to TAFE, you will do a very vocational Diploma that will involve the study of communications and journalism and
nothing else. You will gain alot of work experience (short internships if you will) throughout your course. All up, a Diploma would go for about two years and would cost you about $2,000 in total, which is less than what a university course will cost in one year.
The following TAFE/CIT diplomas would allow you to study Journalism:
University however is quite different - even the most vocational degrees will permit you to study a certain amount of electives in another field - ones that can cater to your personal interests or possibly develop the foundation for another area of employment(teaching, writing etc.). Your studies will also continue for longer, and in greater depth, which will also allow you to decide whether this industry is what you really want and can allow you to develop other areas of expertise. In many universities, you will however recieve a more theory based education than if you went to TAFE and not all degrees will offer internships.
Using
rough estimates, a CSP degree would cost anywhere between $3,000 and $5,000 per year and a FEE place would be $16,000+ per year. Both of which can be deferred through government loans. A university degree will also go for 3-4 years if it is a single, and 4 - 6 years if it is a double degree.
The undergraduate university degrees in which you may specialise in journalism are:
The graduate employment rates for TAFE graduates in the communications industries are also higher than uni graduates, however this does not neccesarily mean that the job opportunities themselves are better as it is likely the jobs acquired by TAFE graduates will be of a more rudimentary level than a university graduate and in the journalism industry only.
Personally, I would opt for university if only because it opens up a different range of opportunities for you, and if you desire the more practical sides of TAFE you'd gain that by working after your degree anyway.
Of the universities listed, I'd probably opt for UTS or CSU as they are highly practical, have strong reputations for being among the best communications schools around and both offer internships. They're also flexible enough that alternative specialisations are still more than possible.
Regarding internships, they will not be guaranteed after your degree - you have to find them yourself. However some degrees will have the option to undertake an internship as a subject during the degree. Of the combined law/journalism degrees listed, only the UTS one has the option of an internship subject (to my knowledge).
