Undergraduate Course

Course details

Study options

Full-time: 3 Years, Part-time: 4-6 Years

UK fee

£9,250 per year (2024/25)

International fee

£14,900 per year (2024/25)

UCAS points

104-112 (September 2024 entry)

UCAS code

P503

Course level

Undergraduate

Qualification

BA (Hons)

Start date

September

Location

Kedleston Road and Markeaton Street, Derby Campus

If you do not achieve the typical entry points required, you may want to consider studying this course with foundation year.

View with foundation year optionView with foundation year option

Course description

Three Journalism students undertaking a media activity.
Students formed part of the media team at the 2023 European Para Table Tennis Championships
Top30for Journalism**The Guardian University Guide 2023

A sports journalism degree for 2024

We’ve made changes to our curriculum to ensure that we’re fit for the industry as it is. New modules on e-sports, videography, commentary and punditry, data analysis and visualisation, and the societal impact of journalism complement those delivered with focus on more established aspects of the profession.

This is in response to changes in the industry, such as the proliferation of specialist sport websites and the shift in power away from traditional media. Sports clubs and organisations are now taking control of their own narrative and looking for well-qualified media professionals who can help them build their audiences and communicate directly with fans. Our aim is to help you build those skills alongside the essential aspects of traditional journalism, such as interviewing, newswriting and media law.

Throughout your studies, you will gain significant hands-on experience of news gathering, reporting, and producing content for your chosen sport — including sports reports, social media content, stories and profiles of athletes, podcasts, feature articles, and blogs. You’ll cover all aspects of the news cycle from previewing events to live reporting and post-event analysis. To see what our students get up to and view the content they produce, take a look at our StoryHub website and X feed.  

As well as producing content, you’ll also be asked to analyse the work of current journalists to understand what best practice looks like. You will also learn more generally about communication, media, and societal issues in journalism.

Get professional experience

Our tutors are well-connected in the industry. They will put you in touch with sports and media organisations, so you can start to gain valuable work experience while you are studying.

You will not only have the opportunity to make the most of attending major international, national and domestic events, but also take advantage of our strong links with numerous clubs and organisations across a variety of sports. Our current group of students regularly work in basketball, netball, tennis, cricket, cycling, horse racing and motorsport, turning our contacts into their own, and setting themselves up for a successful future in the industry. 

By the end of the course – provided you’ve made the most of these opportunities – you should have an impressive editorial portfolio to show prospective employers.

Follow your passion

Unlike other sports journalism courses, you have the option to specialise in a sport of your choice — from the more obvious ones like cricket, rugby and football, to minority sports. You are expected to gain an in-depth knowledge of your sport, covering every level — from grassroots to the biggest names in international sport. You will learn about the business, finance and use of data in sport, and critically explore other current issues.

This specialist sports journalism degree is also extremely varied, with optional modules in years two and three, so you can tailor your degree to your own talents and interests. 

A group of Journalism students taking part in a guest lecture.
Fresh from hosting ITV’s coverage of the Rugby World Cup, broadcaster Mark Pougatch visited us to give students the benefits of his advice and experience

Be inspired by guest speakers

You’ll gain fascinating insights into the profession thanks to our programme of guest lectures by sports journalists, broadcasters and industry insiders. In recent years these have included:

Outstanding facilities

You'll be based at our Markeaton Street and Kedleston Road sites, which have everything a journalist needs. Our facilities include three radio studios, a fully equipped television studio, video editing suites, Mac suites and a newsroom featuring the latest software, including Adobe Creative Suite.

Our radio studios have recently been refurbished and fitted with Calrec technology — a leading range of broadcast audio mixing consoles and equipment. All large media companies are now migrating to this technology, so we're ahead of the game.

All of this means you’ll be confident using industry-standard technology, giving you an advantage when you're looking for a job.

Study abroad

We can offer opportunities for you to spend time in another country, including studying at our partner universities or working on a placement or internship.

What you will study

The key to becoming a journalist is to learn the essential skills so, at the start of your degree, you will learn the basics of finding and telling stories. As you progress you will develop more advanced skills in multimedia content production.

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

Kedleston Road, Derby Campus entrance

Undergraduate Open Days

The best way to find out if studying at Derby is right for you is to experience an Open Day. Get a feel for the city and campus, tour our first-class facilities and see where you could be living.

Book your Undergraduate Open DayBook your Undergraduate Open Day

How you will learn

You will learn in a variety of ways – for example through:

Assessment

Our assessments are focused on teaching you how to be a journalist. There are no exams and you’ll be assessed mainly on the content you produce, which might be blogs, podcasts, videos, features, and news articles. For some modules, you will need to complete more academic assessments, including essays, case study reports and presentations. 

Who you'll meet

You will benefit from the experience of all of our staff within the Journalism department, however in the main your course will be delivered by:

Niall Hickman: Programme Leader for Sports Journalism

Niall Hickman is the Programme Leader for Specialist Sports Journalism. He worked in the industry for three decades, covering a variety of sports including football, cricket, rugby, golf, boxing, athletics and even the World Pooh Stick Championships! He’s worked for media outlets such as the South London Press, ITV, Sky Sports, the Daily Mail and the Daily Express. Niall has also ghost-written two autobiographies for boxing world champions Ricky Hatton and Carl Froch. His career highlights were interviewing the likes of Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Lennox Lewis and German footballing legend Lothar Mattheus.

Carly Baldwin: Lecturer in Sports Journalism

Carly Baldwin is a lecturer and sports journalism graduate herself. Since graduating, she has spent the last 15 years working predominantly in PR and communications roles across the sector, including with football clubs, national governing bodies and at major multi-sport events. Her career highlight was working at the London Olympics 2012. 

Personal academic tutoring

Your personal academic tutor will work with you to help you get the most out of your time at university. Having someone to talk to about your academic progress, your university experience and your professional aspirations is hugely valuable. We want you to feel challenged in your studies, stretched but confident to achieve your academic and professional goals.

Find out more about personal academic tutoring

Who will teach you

Niall Hickman
Programme leader

Niall is a Lecturer in Journalism.

View full staff profileView full staff profile

Entry requirements

2024 entry

These are the typical qualification requirements for September 2024 entry. Contextual offers may apply to students who meet certain criteria.

RequirementWhat we're looking for
UCAS points104-112
A LevelBBC-BCC
T LevelMerit
BTECDMM
GCSEGCSE Maths and English Grade 4/Grade C (or above) or equivalent qualification
Access to HEPass Access to HE Diploma with 60 credits: 45 at Level 3 with a minimum of Distinction: 15, Merit: 24, Pass: 6

Offers will be made initially based on your application, including predicted grades and/or grades you have already achieved. You may be given the opportunity, within your offer letter, to submit a portfolio. If you submit a strong portfolio we will make you an unconditional offer, to reflect the quality of your work and your potential.

Additional entry requirements

English language requirements

IELTS: 7.0 (with at least 6.5 in each skills area)

Fees and funding

2024/25

 Full-timePart-time
UK

£9,250 per year

£1,155 per 20 credit module

International

£14,900 per year

N/A

Further information about our fees and support you may be entitled to.

Additional costs and optional extras

How to apply

Please look at our application deadlines before you apply.


UK students

If you are in Year 13 and applying for a full-time undergraduate course (including our joint honours courses), we recommend that you apply through UCAS.

Apply through UCAS

If you are applying to study part-time, or already have your qualifications, or wish to join at Year 2 or 3, you should apply directly to the University.

Apply directly to the University

Careers

By the end of this specialist sports journalism degree, you should have plenty of professional experience and contacts to get your career off to a flying start.

The course develops the broad range of knowledge and skills you need to become a sports journalist today, but it also prepares you for broader careers in journalism, PR and marketing, advertising, corporate communications, law and public administration or politics.

Our specialist sports journalism graduates are now working for clubs and organisations like Leicester Tigers Rugby Club, Leicester City FC, Channel 5 Boxing, British Swimming, the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association), England Netball, World Snooker, Bet 365, BBC Radio Derby, Derbyshire County Cricket Club and many more.

Ensuring you’re ‘work-ready’

Our Careers and Employment Service will provide you with support from day one of your course to ensure you leave Derby as a ‘work-ready’ graduate - industry aware, motivated and enterprising. Throughout your studies, you’ll also benefit from our Personal Development Planning (PDP) scheme which enables you to reflect on your learning and develop your career ambitions. The support continues once you’ve completed your course too: you are entitled to further help and guidance from the Careers and Employment Service for up to three years after leaving the University.

Contact us

If you need any more information from us, eg on courses, accommodation, applying, car parking, fees or funding, please contact us and we will do everything we can to help you.

Contact us Contact us

Additional information about your studies

Teaching hours

Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.

Additional costs and optional extras

We’re committed to providing you with an outstanding learning experience. Our expert teaching, excellent facilities and great employability prepare you for your future career. As part of our commitment to you we aim to keep any additional study costs to a minimum. However, there are occasions where students may incur some additional costs.

The information provided on this page is correct at the time of publication but course content, costs and other individual course details do change from time to time and are updated as often as possible, so please do check these pages again when making your final decision to apply for a course. Any updated course details will also be confirmed to you at application, enrolment and in your offer letter.

Included in your fees
Mandatory costs not included in your fees
Optional costs not included in your fees

Please note: Our courses are refreshed and updated on a regular basis. If you are thinking about transferring onto this course (into the second year for example), you should contact the programme leader for the relevant course information as modules may vary from those shown on this page.

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