BM-IN-SPORT

Sport Management MSc

This programme will equip you with an expert understanding of sport and the practical experience needed to pursue a variety of exciting roles in the sports industry.

Overview

Hear from Sport Management MSc students and recent graduates, and the academic staff, about the opportunities to gain experience in the sport industry during the course.

The Sport Management MSc programme explores the multi-faceted area of sport management, combining specialist sport modules with practical experience in the industry. You will develop the skills to excel in a broad range of roles that make sport organisations run and events happen, including within governing bodies, federations, clubs, sponsors, marketing, the media, government, or heritage organisations.

This course is ideal for individuals with a degree in sport (management, coaching or science), event management, marketing, media, business management or humanities who wish to have a career in the sports industry. 

You will explore a range of different sports and develop a critical perspective on contemporary themes such as ethical considerations, heritage and sport’s political, social, economic and cultural contexts. Areas of management that you will examine include marketing, leadership, governance and event organisation.

Practical experience working within a sport organisation is embedded into the programme and you will also be encouraged to volunteer at local, national, and international sporting events. We have excellent industry links and previous students have worked with Leicester Tigers, Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club, Leicester Riders’ Basketball Club and USA Bobsled and Skeleton and at the IAAF Indoor World Championships, British Rowing Indoor Championships, British Triathlon events and British Swimming Championships. Your learning will be enriched by DMU Global, where students have previously visited the Munich Olympic Park, Garmisch-Partenkirchen ski jump, and Allianz Arena.

Key features

  • Study a range of sports to give you knowledge across the industry and develop the expertise that will enable you to work at a local, national and international level.
  • Gain the skills and experience to be well-positioned for this competitive sector. You can get hands-on experience and have the opportunity to investigate a real-world problem for a sporting organisation with a business or heritage focused project.
  • Take part in volunteering opportunities to kickstart your career. We have links to high-profile sporting organisations including the Commonwealth Games, the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association, Leicester City Football Club, Leicester Tigers Rugby Football Club, the British Basketball League, Leicestershire County Cricket Club and the Nottingham Open.
  • Develop a critical perspective on key issues impacting global sport by exploring ethics, governance and sport’s contemporary cultural contexts.
  • Through DMU Global you will contextualise your learning, with opportunities to visit sport heritage sites and major sport venues in Germany and Austria. 
  • You can benefit from mentorship by sport industry professionals and insight from guest speakers who have recently included 2018 Olympian Jackie Narracott, a member of Under Armour’s global events team, Matthew Hochberg, the founder of Hochberg Sports Marketing in the USA and Lisa Allan, Competition Manager for the International Judo Federation.
  • Learn in small groups and be part of a strong community in which students from across the globe bring their different perspectives, enhancing your international outlook.
  • Enjoy opportunities with DMUsport which offers over 30 sports clubs and activities, as well as a comprehensive package of support for successful DMU Sports Scholars.

Talk to our course team

If you would like to ask any questions about how this course can help you achieve your career ambitions, you are welcome to email Dr Heather L. Dichter on heather.dichter@dmu.ac.uk. Alternatively, you can register for our next postgraduate event or call our course enquirers team on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70  / WhatsApp: 0797 0655 800.


Meet professional short track speed skater and DMU student Farrell Treacy who is training for a coveted spot on Team GB for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

 

TwitterFollow us on our Sport Management MSc Twitter account.

Scholarships:

DMU offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships and bursaries to help you realise your academic ambitions.

International Scholarships

Find out about available scholarships and country specific fee discounts for international students. 

 

More courses like this

Management, Law and Humanities of Sport MA
Sports History and Culture MA

 

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  • UK
  • EU/International

Institution code: D26

Programme code(s): N88071

Duration: 

September: One year full-time, two-years part-time.

January: One year full-time.

Start date: September 2023 and January 2024

Fees and funding: 2023/24 full-time tuition fees for UK students: £8,986

Find out more about course fees and available funding.

Find out more about additional costs and optional extras associated with this course.

Institution code: D26

Programme code(s): N88071

Duration: 

September: One year full-time.

January: One year full-time.

Start date: September 2023 and January 2024

Fees and funding: 2023/24 tuition fees for EU and international students: £15,800

Find out more about course fees and available funding.

Find out more about additional costs and optional extras associated with this course.

Entry criteria

Entry criteria

You should have the equivalent or above of a 2.2 UK Bachelor’s Honours degree in a relevant subject such as business management, marketing, media, event management, sport (any discipline: management, coaching, science) or humanities.

If you have other professional qualifications and industry experience we will consider your application on an individual basis.

Interview

Non-standard applicants will be invited to attend an interview.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

Structure and assessment

 

Course modules

Teaching and assessment

 

Course modules

Mega-Events: Global Sport in Perspective

Examines the contemporary landscape in global sport, focusing on mega-events. It explores their history, structures, governance, management, and commercial aspects, as well as bidding and hosting processes, infrastructure, management and control of events, security, marketing and media rights, and legacies.

Global Sport and Cultural Event Marketing

Examines sport and cultural event marketing opportunities within global settings. It explores key marketing concepts including the marketing environment, segmentation, targeting, and positioning (STP), the marketing mix, branding, and consumer and audience behaviour within international and global contexts.

Sport Ethics and Governance

Examines the ethical, legal, and organisational frameworks for sport. It explores a range of thematic case studies of problematic areas in sport, such as doping, violence, discrimination, child protection, the environment, and human rights.

Sport Heritage

Examines the growing phenomenon of sport heritage, whereby sport organisations and clubs showcase their history and heritage through such avenues as halls of fame, museums, stadium tours, and heritage-based merchandise. The module will include, when travel is permitted, visits to key sport sites and museums so that students can experience hands-on the ways in which heritage is presented and promoted.

Events Leadership 

Addresses the needs of individuals leading cultural, commercial, and sport events and events management organisations. It explores the advantages and weaknesses of public versus private ownership, and the skills needed to motivate, manage and organise staff and other stakeholders to create excellent events.

Optional modules (you will study one):

Fieldwork Experience

Provides you with hands-on experience working with a sport organisation or business. You will gain application and interview skills in the process of securing your fieldwork, and reflect at the end on the experience you have gained within the industry. The Fieldwork Experience is subject to permission from the programme team.

Conference Organisation and Presentation

The module is designed to train you in the skills involved in event organisation and presentation. It will involve collaborative as well as individual research skills. You will be guided through the necessary training in organising a conference, choosing a topic and delivering a relevant paper. You will be assigned a role (treasurer, programme developer, marketing manager, website designer) and will also present a paper at the conference. You will be assessed on a reflective essay, outlining your contribution to the management of the conference and a written version of your presentation (including slides). Please visit the Conference Twitter handle @DMUHumsConf to sample previous years’ conferences.

 

Final project options (you will study one):

Consultancy Project

Offers an opportunity for you to complete a project related to a sport organisation or business, allowing you to apply knowledge gained on the course. You will write a business-focused report and make recommendations for the organisation.

Heritage Project

Offers an opportunity for you to complete a heritage-based project related to sport. This can include major projects such as exhibitions, cataloguing or digitising collections, or creating databases, completed in conjunction with an existing organisation. You will also submit a final report analysing the project and experience.

 


Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

Overview

Teaching is through a mix of seminars, tutorials, library sessions, and site visits and the breakdown of these activities is shown in each module description.

Various assessments are used on the course: projects, essays, reflective journals and blogs, and presentations. There are no exams on the course.

The final project options include a Consultancy Project or a Heritage Project, both of which provide an opportunity to produce real-world sport industry research.

Contact hours

You will normally attend around 12 hours of timetabled taught sessions including lectures, tutorials, workshop and studio sessions each week. You are also expected to undertake around 23 hours of independent study each week. Your precise timetable will depend on the modules timetabled each week. 

During semester 2 you will also undertake a fieldwork experience module with a sport organisation or business. The programme’s established connections within the sport industry provide these opportunities, although you are welcome to develop your own sport connections into a fieldwork.  Your exact schedule will be negotiated with the host organisation.

In addition, each module provides a 2 hour surgery each week for individual consultation with the lecturer. You may also have some scheduled meetings with your programme leader and personal tutor throughout the year to discuss your academic progress and personal development.

Self-directed study: In order to prepare for, and assimilate, the work in lectures and seminars you will be expected to source and read relevant journal articles, book chapters and industry publications, available through our online learning resources, and to actively participate in class discussions. The time allocated for independent study, revision and reflection is approximately 23 hours per week.

During the summer session you will undertake independent research for your final project and you are expected to allow around 35 hours per week for this. You will be allocated a dedicated academic supervisor to support you and you will be able to contact them on a regular basis.

 

 

Facilities and features

Library and learning zones

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available. 

As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our Library website, e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose. 

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including the Virtual Learning Environment, Collaborate Ultra, DMU Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub. 

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live LibChat, online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our Learning Services, and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

Campus centre

The home of  De Montfort Students' Union, (DSU) our Campus Centre offers a welcoming and lively hub for student life. Conveniently located at the heart of campus, it includes a convenience store, a Subway and a Starbucks. Here you can find the DSU-owned charitable accommodation service Sulets and DSU’s shop, SUpplies, selling art supplies, stationery and clothing, and printing and binding services. The building is also home to the DSU officer team. 

Opportunities and careers

Find the people who will open doors for you

DMU's award-winning careers service provides guaranteed work experience opportunities DMU Careers Team
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DMU Global


This is our innovative international experience programme which aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons – helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world.

Through DMU Global, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.

Previous students have been to Germany to see the Munich Olympic Park, Garmisch-Partenkirchen ski jump, and Allianz Arena and to Toronto to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame, the National Hockey League and watch a Toronto Blue Jays baseball game. Graduate Shray Upadhyay said: "I came to understand that sports business is more than just organising an event or competition.The highlight of the European trip was the bobsled ride at Innsbruck. We not only visited an Olympic venue but were able to experience how an Olympic event feels.”

 

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Graduate careers

The sport industry is dynamic and fast-moving, with a variety of exciting career opportunities. Through guest speakers, site visits and industry experience, you will discover the broad range of roles that are available and position yourself to pursue your chosen path. The course has employability skills specific to the sport industry embedded in the curriculum, alongside opportunities to gain hands-on experience with sport organisations and businesses.

Graduates will be ideally placed to work within governing bodies, federations, clubs, sponsors, marketing organisations, the media, public relations, local and central government, or legacy and heritage organisations. 

Jake Wells secured a role as a partnership delivery executive at Leicester Tigers after impressing the club during his fieldwork there. He said: “Throughout the Master’s we have group activities working with real-life companies and pitching a marketing strategy to a business owner. Experiences like that really helped me prepare for the fieldwork and built my confidence. Read Jake's story here

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