Specialist Sports Journalism with Foundation Year

• Study our brand-new curriculum, which has been updated to keep pace with the industry and develop skills which you can utilise in the world of journalism and communications. 
• Build your experience by working in the sport you’re most passionate about while you’re studying. We’ll use our extensive contacts to help you get your foot in the door at sports clubs and media organisations, and we’ll provide access to international, national and domestic sporting events. 
• Learn from tutors that are experienced and well connected, having worked for organisations such as the BBC, ITV, the Premier League, The Guardian and The Times.

Foundation Year - helping you to achieve more

Including a foundation year as part of your four-year study programme will give you a head start in your academic and professional life. The foundation year offers the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence – with extensive support from our expert staff – before you advance to stage one of your honours degree. It could also be beneficial if you are planning a career change and want to get to grips with aspects of subjects which are new to you.

Our degrees with a foundation year are continuous, meaning that you won’t need to apply again once you have successfully completed the first year.

Explore Journalism courses at Derby with alumnus Baasit Siddiqui

Join TV personality, Educator and Alumnus Baasit Siddiqui for an in-depth look at the Journalism courses we offer. Baasit is joined by Professor Katharine Cox, Head of School of Humanities and Journalism and Interim Head of School of Arts, to gain an insight into the choice of courses and joint honours options available. Baasit also catches up with Max, BA (Hons) Football Journalism student, to hear about the real-world experience and transferable skills Max has already gained on the course.

Explore a range of videos showcasing our Journalism degrees on this YouTube playlist.

A future-proofed sports journalism degree

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. 

Boost your employability with a placement year

Take an optional placement year to put your skills into practice in a real-world setting. We’ll support you in finding a placement and throughout your time in industry. It’s a great way to gain valuable experience for your CV, build contacts, and explore career options before you graduate.

The key to becoming a great sports journalist is to learn the essential skills required by all journalists.

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.

We believe that you learn by doing.  In most of your degree, you will learn by doing Journalism.  Your foundation year is more theory based and you will study a wide range of subjects.

In the rest of your degree, as often as possible, you’ll be creating content for print, online, audio and video platforms. You’ll have opportunities to work on real-world projects and complete stories on location as a matter of course. You’ll gather sports news, interview people and write reports and features with accuracy.

Wherever possible, you’ll work with professional publishers and, if your work is good enough, you will see your articles published.

You’ll be taught by a team which has vast experience in journalism and you’ll gain fascinating insights into the profession thanks to our programme of guest lectures by sports journalists, broadcasters, historians and commentators. You’ll also go on visits to professional media companies.

Practical experience

Our great contacts with local and national radio and TV, newspapers and online outlets open the doors to a variety of work experience opportunities for you. We work closely with media organisations to enable you to have your work published.

In addition, you can hone your skills by contributing to our student-run media, helping with the radio or TV stations or writing for the Phantom newspaper. We’ll also encourage you to produce content for the online news and sports websites run by the Students’ Union.

This course develops the broad range of knowledge and skills you need to become a multimedia professional, adept in the production of journalistic content for print, online and broadcast outlets. While it equips you to work in sports journalism specifically, it also prepares you for careers in broader areas of journalism.

The research and communication skills of a journalist are highly transferable to a huge variety of graduate level careers. Our graduates secure jobs not only in newspapers, magazines and broadcasting but also with online businesses and social media agencies. While many go on to work in traditional journalist roles, others find careers in PR, marketing, advertising and corporate communications.

2026 entry

These are the typical qualification requirements for September 2026 entry.

Contextual offers may apply to students who meet certain criteria.

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

• Portfolio: Recommended - view portfolio details

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

Additional costs and optional extras

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

Additional costs and optional extras

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.

Course updates

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.

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.