Gain a degree in sports journalism, with an initial foundation year to prepare for the course.
Prepare for the degree with an extra foundation year at the start.
Learn how to gather, organise, write and present sports news, features and commentary to a professional standard across a variety of platforms.
Gain a critical understanding of the historical, cultural and global context of sport.
Equip yourself with the skills necessary to enter a competitive industry as a freelance sports journalist.

You will examine the ethical, legal and regulatory context in which sports journalists work and learn about the historical and cultural significance of sport. You will learn how to produce content for print, web, social media, radio and TV audiences.

On the course you learn how the sports department of media organisations operate, how to produce news stories, match reports, commentary, preview features, opinion pieces and personality profiles and how to research and plan sports coverage for radio and television broadcasts. You will gain an understanding of public relations and media liaison techniques, such as how to devise and organise media opportunities and how to write web pages, press releases, news items and promotional material.

All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive.

The course is suitable if you don't meet the entry requirements for our BA (Hons) Sports Journalism course, or you want extra preparation before starting degree-level study. You share the first year with other media arts and communication foundation year students, then move on to the degree.

You learn through

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Practical sessions
• Work Placements

You will have opportunity to study abroad in Europe, Australia or America and the option to take a placement year to work in industry.

In the foundation year, you will study wide-ranging media arts and communication topics, while also focussing on your particular subject area and completing assignments in that field. You will grow as a creative, and begin developing a professional portfolio. You will also become familiar with our exceptional facilities and staff, so you're fully prepared for undergraduate study.

This course prepares you for a career in

• newspaper sports journalism
• broadcast sports journalism
• sports public relations
• online sports journalism
• magazine sports journalism

Previous graduates of BA (Honours) Sports Journalism have gone on to work for

• Talk Sport
• Liverpool FC TV
• Charlton Athletic FC
• Everton Football Club
• Leeds Rhinos
• Perform
• National Golf Magazine
• Sheffield Star
• William Hill TV
• Chesterfield Football Club
• Wolverhampton Wanderers FC.

 

UCAS points

• 80

With at least 32 points from one A level or equivalent BTEC National qualifications. For example:

• CDD at A Level.
• MMP in BTEC Extended Diploma.
• A combination of qualifications which must include an A level grade C or BTEC grade M.

GCSE

• English Language or Literature at grade C or 4 or equivalents*
• Maths at grade C or 4 or equivalents*

You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.p>

• An Access to HE Diploma with at least 45 credits at level 3 and 15 credits at level 2. At least 15 level 3 credits must be at merit grade or above from a QAA-recognised Access to HE course, or an equivalent Access to HE certificate.

We may also accept you, if you have limited qualifications but can show evidence of ability and a genuine commitment to studying Media Arts and Communication.

We treat the foundation year as part of the Media Arts and Communication degree programme. Offers made to students will be for four years of study (or five years of study including a placement). This is made up of the foundation year plus one of our Media Arts and Communication degrees.

Some applicants may be invited to attend an informal interview with the course leader to ensure that the programme is suitable for themselves and their aspirations.

If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills, or equivalent. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.0 we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score.

Please note the University will only admit students who are aged 18 or over at the point of enrolment.

Important notice:

The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.

You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.

 

Year 1 Compulsory modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
Creative Synergies In Media Production	40	Coursework
Media In Context	20	Coursework
Media Project	40	Coursework
Preparing For Independent Practice And Study	20	Coursework

 

Year 2 Compulsory modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
Audio Visual Journalism	20	Coursework
Media Law And Democracy	20	Coursework
Multimedia Storytelling	20	Coursework
Social Media And Web Journalism	20	Coursework
Sport History And Society	20	Coursework
Sports Reporting And Commentary	20	Coursework

 

 

Year 3 Compulsory modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
Ethics And Responsibility	20	Coursework
Media Management And Public Relations In Sport	20	Coursework
Radio And Sound Production	20	Coursework
Sports News And Features	20	Coursework
Tv And Video News Skills	20	Coursework

 

Elective modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
Football And Popular Culture	20	Coursework
Podcasting	20	Coursework

 

Year 4 Optional modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
Placement Year

 

Final Year Compulsory modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
Applied Project / Dissertation For Journalism	40	Coursework
Multiplatform Sports Journalism	20	Coursework

 

Elective modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
Digital Journalism And Data Visualisation	20	Coursework
Gender, Disability And Sport	20	Coursework
Moral Panics	20	Coursework
Pr And Power	20	Coursework
Radio Broadcasting	20	Coursework
Tv Journalism And Production	20	Coursework