Sports Communication and Journalism, MA

Develop media and PR skills through theoretical and practical subjects

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Course Overview

The MA in Sports Communication and Journalism offers you a rigorous curriculum that brings together the practical and theoretical approaches to contemporary professional communication, journalism, and public relations within the world of sport.

This programme is designed to equip you with the skills necessary to pursue a career as a sports communications professional. Throughout the programme, you will have the opportunity to develop the ability to identify compelling stories, construct engaging narratives, and enhance these with multimedia elements such as videography and still imagery, before acquiring the skills to drive traffic to the content.

Through hands-on experience in filming, editing and producing content, and an advanced appreciation of promotional techniques, you will be able to gain a comprehensive understanding of how you can effectively distribute content to both existing and potential sporting fanbases.

The course further enables you to cultivate a diverse set of highly sought-after skills in professional communication, journalism, and digital media. These competencies will prepare you for careers in a range of sectors, including sports management, journalism, public relations, broadcasting, advertising, and marketing. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to build a robust portfolio of work, showcasing your abilities to prospective employers in these dynamic industries.

If you are already an industry professional, this course offers dynamic new media skills and qualifications to boost your continuing professional development.

Why Sports Communication and Journalism at Swansea?

Swansea University benefits from having a leading Media and Communications Department that consistently ranks within the top ten in the UK across national league tables. You will be taught by experts that have a rich understanding of the media and associated industries.

With more than 60 sports teams and excellent facilities on both of our campuses, we can offer you everything you need for a healthy, active lifestyle; allowing you to immerse yourself in the world of sport. The Swansea Bay Sports Park, next to the Singleton Park Campus, includes a 50m national pool, athletics track, pitches, gym, and much more, while our Bay Campus has several sports courts, a sports hall and gym. There are regular fitness classes on both campuses, with dedicated staff to help with your training needs.

In 2018, Swansea University was awarded Accredited Status with Sport England’s Talented Athletes Scholarship Scheme (TASS), making us the first Welsh University to gain Accreditation. In addition we offer a more general sports scholarship programme available to postgraduate as well as undergraduate students, highlighting our commitment to, and connections with, high-level sport. 

Your Sports Communication and Journalism Experience

The programme is located on our stunning Singleton Park Campus, overlooking Swansea Bay, on the edge of the Gower Peninsula.

You will begin your course by studying three 20-credit modules in each academic semester (a total of six modules in part one), that cover key elements of sporting journalism and communications, in depth, refining your skills and knowledge in these areas.

As in any master’s level programme, the key element of this course is the final major project or dissertation that is worth 60 credits, which enables you to develop your expertise in a specific area of interest.

Part two of the course allows you to either:

  • Research and write a 16,000-word dissertation on a specialist topic that will be jointly decided on by you and your supervisor,
  • Independently research and prepare a promotional campaign, writing a full campaign document, and also undertaking a short work placement, or
  • Prepare a Sports Journalism Portfolio, compiling several journalistic pieces around a central sporting theme, including multi-media items, and again undertaking a short work placement.

It is important that you give this some thought before beginning your course. It would also be beneficial for you to have a general idea of what part of communications, media, PR or creative practice that interests you most. This will ensure that you have a good starting point from where to refine your dissertation or project, with the help of your supervisor, so the course best serves you in working towards achieving your aspirations.

We pride ourselves in preparing you for life beyond university, and we are able to do this by using our connections to industry, and through the emphasis we put on providing you with the particular interpersonal skills that our industry panel identify as key within their recruitment processes.

Sports Communication and Journalism Employment Opportunities

The Department's close links to a variety of media and communications organisations mean that we are in the position to offer a range of work experience opportunities and internships to you. We regularly get requests from local organisations offering paid and voluntary work placements, where employers need well-equipped students in a short-term communications role.

Additionally, internships can provide you with the opportunity to apply theory studied in lectures to real-world situations, while also providing valuable opportunities to network with professionals, mentors, and potential future colleagues; connections which have led to full-time job offers or recommendations for our graduates. This proactive approach to employability helps to ensure that our graduates can develop an impressive CV, ready for life after university.

Our graduates have gone on to develop successful careers in:

  • Journalism
  • Media
  • Business
  • Public Relations and Marketing
  • Digital Marketing
  • TV and Radio
  • Publishing

In addition to developing excellent oral and professional writing skills, improving your ability to work with digital media, and learning to present ideas in a range of formats, you will have opportunities to undertake work experience opportunities with major sporting organisations including Swansea City FC, The Ospreys and The Scarlets.

Modules

We're currently reviewing our curriculum to enhance your learning experience and embed skills that will benefit your future career. This means that some modules may be subject to change.

Entry Requirements

The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications.

Typical Offer

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