With security for international journalists brought into sharp focus as a result of the recent disappearance of the BBC's Alan Johnston, University College Falmouth is doing everything it can to help protect the international journalists of the future. UCF is offering a unique MA in International Journalism that prepares students for whatever hostile environments they might face during their careers.

Students who are currently undertaking this intensive, one-year MA are about to be put through their paces by former military personnel from EBO Protect Ltd who are based on the Penhale Military Training Camp near Newquay during a three-day residential course.

This hard-hitting training course will provide a wide range of life-saving skills and includes modules on personal safety, first aid, and kidnap and ambush avoidance. There will also be scenario-based exercises.

Falmouth's MA in International Journalism is the only course in the country to offer hostile environment training to its students.

"Hostile Environment Training for staff members is now common practice for many international news providers, but freelancers are much less likely to be included," said MA International Journalism Course Leader, George Matheson, himself an award-winning international journalist who has reported on some of the world's greatest disasters and experienced some of its worst dangers.

"The 21st century world is an increasingly dangerous place and our philosophy at University College Falmouth is to impress upon young journalists just how vital it is to consider their personal safety right from the start."

"We teach our students how to think and assess situations first, rather than simply follow their journalistic instincts," George adds. "It's really difficult when you're passionate about chasing down that story but you have to realise what's more important - the story, or your life."

International Editor of ITN/ITV News, Bill Neely, said: "Journalists can't do their jobs unless they can both observe and safely retreat from front line situations such as riots or wars. As the world becomes a more hostile environment for journalists, courses like this one at Falmouth are becoming more and more vital. This one fits the bill, with its mixture of training and common sense preparation for the dangerous assignments that will test a journalist's skills to the limit. From a football riot in London, through a natural disaster in the USA to the frontline firefight of Iraq, this course will prove of lasting benefit to any journalist - especially those who think they have little left to learn."