Sports Journalism BA (Hons)

Launch your career as a sports journalist for top-end multimedia sports platforms such as Sky Sports News, BBC Sport or national newspapers, or join the media teams of Premier League clubs, Formula One teams or golf's European Tour. Gain the skills to work with, and for, the best in the business on this NCTJ-accredited course.

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Overview

Sky Sports News, BBC Sport, Everton FC, West Ham United FC, golf’s European Tour, the Williams F1 team, national newspapers… just a few examples of careers that all started with this course. Report from the press box at Wembley Stadium, interview Premier League chief executives, visit some of Europe’s finest football stadia, report on professional county cricket and rugby union, produce your own website or series of investigative sports articles - all while learning the latest techniques in digital, video and broadcast sports journalism and studying for UK journalism’s gold standard qualification, the NCTJ Diploma.

Our students gain thorough training for life at sports media’s cutting edge while studying Sports Journalism at Sunderland. Build both your practical experience and portfolio of published work on SportsByte, our student-run website covering sport across the North East, in our innovative mediaHUB - BBC Newcastle’s home in Sunderland and host to visiting journalists from across the North East.

Why us?

Benefit from our exclusive link-ups with Sunderland AFC, Durham County Cricket Club and Newcastle Falcons rugby club to gain invaluable match day reporting experience of big sporting stages
Sky Sports News, BBC Sport, Everton FC, West Ham United, Rangers FC, Derby County FC, Sunderland AFC, Durham CCC, Formula 1, European Golf Tour, The Racing Post, The Daily Express and The Daily Mirror have all been destinations of our graduates
Accredited by the National Council for Training of Journalists (NCTJ). The NCTJ diploma is required by key journalism employers, such as Sky Sports News

Guaranteed placements. Students have previously gained experience at FourFourTwo, national newspapers, the BBC, Sky Sports News and many more big names in sport
Go on inspirational sports trips. Student have visited the Camp Nou in Barcelona, attended Europa League matches in Germany and covered Wembley cup finals in the press box

Join our creative community: @SunderlandCreative #WeAreCreative

Get to know Spark, Fashion North, Northern Lights, SR News, and Sportsbyte, our students' award-winning websites for local news, local sport, fashion and arts and entertainment.

Our partners, accreditations and networks

Course structure

During the first year, we’ll set you up with the core skills of sports journalism, including training in writing styles, research and Media Law. You’ll look at both traditional sports reporting techniques and the contemporary skills of digital sports journalism. In the second and third years, you’ll study topics in more depth, sampling our state-of-the-art facilities and tackling Multimedia Sports Journalism, Advanced Sports Reporting, and Media Ethics, while training in shorthand – a skill hugely valued by employers such as Sky Sports News - free of charge.

Throughout your course, you can build both your practical experience and portfolio of published work by taking on reporting and/or editing roles on SportsByte, our student-run website covering sport across the North East, in our innovative mediaHUB - BBC Newcastle’s home in Sunderland and host to visiting journalists from organisations such as Reach PLC and JPI Media. You can also benefit from our exclusive link-ups with Durham County Cricket Club, Newcastle Falcons rugby club and Sunderland AFC – where a part-time internship is available each year to one third-year student - to gain invaluable match day and behind-the-scenes reporting experience of big sporting stages.

In your final year, you can have your sports content published by JPI Media each week for an entire semester, and go on work placement – putting what you’ve learnt into practice and also building crucial workplace relationships. You’ll undertake a practical project, which will add significantly to the portfolio of work you can present to prospective employers.

Teaching methods include lectures, demonstrations, seminars, workshops, group projects and practical skills work. All our teaching staff have worked as journalists and have strong links with regional employers and industry organisations. We also invite experienced industry professionals to carry out regular guest lectures and classes.

Assessment is split between portfolios of practical work, essays, examinations, reports and presentations.

Year 1 (national level 4):

Essential Sports Journalism (20 credits)

Develop the essential skills be a sports journalist such as finding a story, doing an interview and producing content that will get people talking.

Online Sports Reporting (20 credits)

Learn what it takes to make a story work online and develop the skills to be a club journalist.

Essential Journalism (20 credits)

Essential journalism toolkit – learn what a journalist does and how you can get started. Learn how to interview, structure stories and write.

Media Histories (20 credits)

Understand the development of newspapers and magazines through the decades.

Essential Media Law and Regulation (20 credits)

Learn laws such as copyright, privacy and libel along with the ethical regulations which are essential for every professional journalist.

Digital Storytelling (20 credits)

Develop digital skills for an online audience such as infomaps, graphics and other non-traditional storytelling techniques.

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Year 2 (national level 5):

Core modules:

Advanced Sports Reporting (20 credits)

Learn how to thrive and survive in the pressured world of live match reporting.

Multimedia Sports Journalism (20 credits)

Develop skills in filming and editing sports video, producing audio and infographics.

Journalism and PR Studies (20 credits)

What influences how sports journalists work? And how does journalism shape our world? Do some original research on a sports subject of your choice.

Video Journalism (20 credits)

Develop skills in shooting and editing video content to create compelling sports content for online audiences.

Newsroom (20 credits)

Get published and build your portfolio by finding, researching, interviewing and writing news stories in our state-of-the-art mediaHUB.

Designated optional module (choose one):

Reporting Public Affairs (20 credits)

Learn some of the crucial knowledge and skills that help journalists scrutinize those in power and hold them to account.

Magazine Design and Production (20 credits)

Come up with a concept and look for a new sports magazine and design its pages.

Optional module:

Shorthand (0 credits)

Learn Teeline, the system of rapid handwriting, used by journalists to quickly write down the spoken word. Aim for 100 words per minute, the industry standard.

Final year (national level 6):

Core modules:

Sports Portfolio (20 credits)

Produce content from a sports news-list provided by JPI Media and get published in the Sunderland Echo.

Journalism Practice, including placement (20 credits)

Create an interactive CV, learn how to win jobs through interview techniques, and gain valuable experience during a two-week work placement. Develop your own sports feature for publication with words, photos and video under real word pressure.

Media Ethics (20 credits)

Discuss the daily dilemmas and global challenges facing journalists today.

Journalism Practical Project (40 credits)

Work with a tutor to plan and produce your own sports magazine, website or series of investigative articles.

Optional modules (choose one):

Broadcast Sports Reporting (20 credits)

Create a broadcast sports package, learn how to present a bulletin or commentate on the action.

Other optional modules from across the suite of Journalism courses are available.

More about BA (Hons) Sports Journalism at Sunderland

Discover more articles

The library is your gateway to information resources and services both on and off campus, all through a single search box. We have resources and support tailored for your course including: Newstream online full-text access to UK regionals, national, broadsheet and some international newspapers; Box of Broadcasts (BoB) an on-demand TV and radio streaming service; and The World Global Style Network - ideal for Fashion Journalists. See the journalism key resources for more information.

Access 1400 study places, including quiet and silent zones, 300+ PCs, group work hubs, online module reading lists and study skills support, all in our quality learning environments. You’ll have full use of two libraries, both with extensive opening hours. And ‘Live Chat’ enables you to access library support and help, from anywhere, 24/7.

We’re much more than a library, the University Library and Study Skills team are on hand to guide you throughout your studies on and off campus from embedded skills sessions, digital skills support to one-to-one and drop-in advice on research and academic skills.
Library support for Journalism
The mediaHUB is a bustling multimedia newsroom on the top floor of our David Puttnam Media Centre where you will get a real taste of life as a working journalist or social media manager.

BBC Newcastle have a team of journalists based here, and they are joined by visiting journalists from organisations such as Trinity Mirror (Newcastle Chronicle, Journal) and Johnston Press (Sunderland Echo).

The mediaHUB runs websites and social media channels covering sport, news, entertainments and fashion, provides the content for news bulletins on our award-winning radio station¿Spark, and is responsible for writing and editing Spark magazine.

The ground-breaking workspace is designed to be a professional environment and even has a cloud filled sky line, funky colour scheme and a shed for a meeting room. It includes plenty of workstations each with industry-standard software including NewsCutter, Burli and ENPS, and a Sky feed with two 40” plasma screens. The whole space is managed by an ex-Sky Journalist, who is on hand with her team to point you in the right direction.
mediaHUB
Map and directions

Facilities

Our David Puttnam Media Centre is a buzzing place to study sports journalism. As well as working in our mediaHUB on sports content, you can volunteer with our award-winning Spark Sunderland radio station, write for one of our suite of websites or edit Spark Magazine in our mediaHUB. Get hands-on in Journalism and Digital editing suites. Learn from experts in this centre of excellence for training.

Entry requirements

Our typical offer is

GPA 3.0 or above from High School Diploma along with one of the following at the required grade - SAT I and SAT II, ACT or Advanced Placement

If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at admissions@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.

We also require three passes at GCSE grade C or above, which must include Mathematics and English Language, or an equivalent qualification, for example; a minimum of Level 2 Key Skills in Communication and Application of Number. If you have studied for a new GCSE for which you will be awarded a numerical grade then you will need to achieve a grade 4 or above.

If English is not your first language we will require an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with an overall score of 6.0 and at least 5.5 or higher in each component: reading, writing, listening and speaking. An alternative approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) can also be considered if the applicant's element scores are equivalent to those required for IELTS.

If successful you will be required to attend an applicant day where you will have a short informal interview with an academic member of staff.

Fees and finance

The annual, full-time fee for this course is:

£9,250 if you are from the UK / EU
£12,000 if you are an international student

The tuition fee includes the NCTJ exam fees. It covers the cost of one attempt at all seven exams required for the NCTJ Diploma, including each shorthand speed.

Tuition fees for part-time students are £6,935 per 120 credits. Please note that part-time courses are not available to international students who require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK.

If you are not sure whether you qualify as a UK, EU or international student, find out more in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

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This information was correct at the time of publication.

Student in the Sunderland Futures department

Career ready

This degree prepares you for writing and talking about sports in newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and online media, as well as for clubs or brands. It's also highly relevant to many positions in industry, commerce and the Civil Service, as well as to jobs in the arts and voluntary sectors.

Recent journalism graduates from Sunderland have gained experiences with employers such as Sky, Sky Sports, NFL, 4ThePlayer, The Racing Post, MTV, The Guardian, ITV, regional newspapers and PR companies.

Real-world experience – right on campus

Rub shoulders with BBC Newcastle Journalists, get advice from former Sky News Journalists and see a Newsroom in action in our innovative mediaHUB.

You’ll be actively involved in the Sportsbyte website and have the opportunity to get involved in Spark Sunderland, the 24/7 community radio station based in the Media Centre. Spark has won many awards and holds the Nations and Regions Award for Best Radio Station in the North East. Students are responsible for all news-gathering, programme production and advertising.

You’ll be taught in some of your classes by visiting lecturers who are current sports writers, editors and football club media managers. Other opportunities for real-world experience include Spark online magazine, SR-News website, Northern Lights website and Fashion North, which are all linked to our Journalism and Media courses.

Superb industry links

Our academics are industry experts and have excellent relationships across sports including PFA (Professional Footballers Association) magazine, 4ThePlayer, Sky Sports, ITV and BBC.

Broaden your horizons with inspiring trips – recently students have enjoyed trips to Barcelona, press access to Wembley finals and Europa league games at FC Schalke 04 in Germany.

Our students have attended Premier League matches in the press box to see sportswriters at work and have interviewed sports celebrities themselves. Two of our students even had a FIFA tournament on the pitch at SAFC with Jordan Pickford and Duncan Watmore.

In addition, our students have also covered tennis, golf, boxing, American Football, F1, hockey, gymnastics and many other sports.

Work placements

You will undertake a work placement module in your final year, though many of our students arrange placements across three years. The placement can be at a sports newsdesk, sports magazine or sports club of your choice.

All students studying this course can take up a CV-enhancing work placement, a University-led industry initiative, or a professional and business development boot camp. A placement offers you a taste of the industry and can last anything from two days to four weeks, on a part-time basis.

Join award winners

Our students and graduates have been making a splash, winning awards and prizes across the board.

Jason Button, shortlisted for the NCTJ Sports Journalism Student of the Year 2019
Joe Nicholson, won the NCTJ Trainee Sports Journalist of the Year Award 2018
Alice Winney, won the Royal Television Society North East Student Award for News 2017 for her story about flooding in Corbridge
Sophie Dishman, highly commended for Best Reporter in the National Student Publication Association (SPA) Awards 2017

Meet the students

Choose modules and a final project that excites and interests you.

Jamie Orrell
I came to Sunderland, 300 miles away, and found another place to call home

Jason Button
Thanks to my tutor, I secured a two-week placement with the BBC.

Nadia Haif

Meet the team

Related courses

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

View Programme Specifications for the Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries.

Page last updated: 11 June 2020

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Sports Journalism BA (Hons)

Overview

Why us?

Join our creative community: @SunderlandCreative #WeAreCreative

Our partners, accreditations and networks

Course structure

Year 1 (national level 4):

Year 2 (national level 5):

Core modules:

Designated optional module (choose one):

Optional module:

Final year (national level 6):

Core modules:

Optional modules (choose one):

More about BA (Hons) Sports Journalism at Sunderland

3 ways Sunderland gives you the experience needed to be a journalist

Alastair Stewart: What it takes to become a journalist

Carole Watson: An insight into Journalism at Sunderland

Facilities

Entry requirements

Fees and finance

Career ready

Meet the students

Jamie Orrell

Jason Button

Nadia Haif

Meet the team

Related courses

Contact

Sign up to receive more information