Sport Business Management MSc

Course in brief

This exciting course analyses and evaluates the commercial and management forces that have contributed to the success of sport business. It offers flexibility with an innovative combination of block and online delivery, making it suitable for those working in the sports sector and recent graduates who are looking to develop their knowledge and understanding of this fast growing and important industry.

Spectator and participatory sport is a global phenomenon and has recently become one of the fastest growing economic sectors for both developed and developing countries. Through engaging with and analysing the commercial, media and political drivers of change, you are able to identify the factors that have created such growth and critically discuss the implications for business, society, nation branding and identity.

Sport is a sophisticated and complex international business with billions of consumers watching and engaging with sporting events on a weekly or even daily basis. This course aims to develop professionals in the provision, promotion and marketing of sport who are able to fully capitalise on the opportunities that the sector presents.

Through studying marketing, sponsorship, media and law – and after spending time in a sports organisation on a professional work placement – you gain academic understanding and practical knowledge of the issues involved in successful sport business management. This will help you to engage, manage and shape the sport businesses of the future.

This course can only be studied with our partner in The Netherlands, the Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences. The course is taught in English and delivered by academics from both the University of Brighton and the Wittenborg University of Applied sciences.

Key facts

Location Partner university, Wittenborg

Full-time 1 year

This course can only be studied with our partner in The Netherlands, the Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences. The course is taught in English.

Entry requirements

The entry requirements listed here are our typical offer for this course if you wish to begin studying with us in 2017. They should be used as a general guide.

We operate a flexible admissions policy – this means that you could receive a lower conditional offer than the typical offer, informed by our assessment of your complementary non-academic achievements and experiences. For courses that require interview or portfolio review, this may also be considered in the level of any conditional offer that follows if your application is successful.

Degree and experience

First degree in related or partially related subject, normally minimum 2:2 classification; or
First degree in non-related subject and a minimum of two years work experience in industry of intended study; or
HND, foundation degree or equivalent in a related subject and a minimum of five years relevant work experience; or
Professional qualification in an appropriate discipline and a minimum of five years relevant work experience; or
Substantial work, professional or managerial experience in a relevant industry.

For non-native speakers of English
IELTS 6.5 overall, with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements; or equivalent qualification.

International equivalencies

International equivalencies by country

Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language institute

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For academic preparation courses.

Course in detail

Course structure

You will experience a dynamic blend of academic study, research and – through the placement module – hands-on learning. The combination of academic study and practical analysis has been designed to provide greater depth of knowledge and future career success.

Course delivery

The emphasis of the course is on using a theoretical approach to analyse and evaluate the Sport Business sector. If you are already working in the sector you’ll be able to use your existing knowledge to underpin your studies, whilst if you are a recent graduate there is the opportunity for more supported learning.

All core modules are taught in intensive blocks of two to three days. Depending on the module this could include a combination of university-based teaching, online seminars, tutorial support and webinars. The Professional Enquiry module is a combination of teaching and online tutorials which will support you during an organisational experience or project. Some optional modules will be delivered entirely online and others will be all classroom based.

The flexibility of the teaching method for the Sport Business Management MSc facilitates combining studying for a masters with a professional career. It also means that your commitment to attending the university’s campus may be different from others studying the same course.

Syllabus

A distinctive feature of the course is the flexibility and choice of your final project. Guided and supported by your personal supervisor, you have several options available to you. Whether an academic dissertation or an applied piece of research, such as a business or enterprise project, the final project allows you to pursue an area of particular interest and helps you to build knowledge and skills for your future career.

The course will address contemporary issues recognised as the major challenges and opportunities for sport business management. This includes researching the complex relationships between sports business and governing bodies, pressure groups and government agencies, and analysing the mechanisms by which sport generates revenue through TV and media rights, gate receipts, sponsorship and merchandise.

Core management studies involving strategy, marketing, sponsorship, operations management, finance, law and human resources are integrated within various compulsory modules that make up the core of the course. You can study areas of personal interest through two optional modules.

Modules

Strategic Sport Business Management
Marketing and Sponsorship for Sports and Events
Sports in the Global Marketplace
Professional Enquiry
Final project

Two from:

The Law and Regulation of Sport
Contemporary Issues in Global Sport
Globalisation, Society and Culture
Sport for International Development and Peace
Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development
Sport Tourism
Ethical and Social Responsibility: Theory and Application
Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development
Digital Marketing Strategies
Risk and Crisis Management
Ethnography
Tourism and International Cooperation
Human Resource Strategy in Multi-Unit Service Organisations

Please note that the above is an indication of the optional modules available; changes may be made to reflect the latest developments in the international sport business industry.

Modules in focus

Strategic Sport Business Management
This module looks at the major challenges facing sport business management. You learn about the complex relationships between stakeholders and explore how sports businesses generate revenue through television rights, gate receipts, sponsorship and merchandise.

Marketing and Sponsorship for Sports and Events
The aim of this module is to provide an international perspective on strategic marketing and sport sponsorship. You gain a theoretical understanding of the sponsorship management process and learn how to use various marketing and promotion methods.

Ethical and Social Responsibility: Theory and Application
This module introduces you to the moral complexities associated with the sports sector. It also addresses various consumer, business and societal responses to these issues, and considers the ethical challenges faced by sport business managers.

Professional Enquiry
In the first semester of this module, you plan your future career as you reflect on your personal, academic and professional skills and consider opportunities for development. In the second semester, you take a professional work placement with a sport-related organisation such as the Sussex County Cricket Club, Albion in the Community, Neilson Active Holidays or SwimTrek.

Sports in the Global Marketplace
This module explores the global forces that affect sports businesses, particularly in relation to international corporate relationships.

Professional experience

Professional-Based Learning Module

All credit-based postgraduate courses at the School of Sport and Service Management offer the Professional-Based Learning module.

The module offers you an opportunity to undertake practical experience in a work environment and gain invaluable first-hand knowledge. It is designed to help you engage with the process of planning and delivering expertise in practice, and to reflect upon and take steps to improve your academic, personal and professional skills.

In Semester 1 (September–January) you will have classes on CV development, interview skills, target setting, reflective practice and experiential learning, leading to 100 hours of professional experience in Semester 2 (February–June). This experience could take the form of a part-time job, an unpaid internship, a volunteering opportunity in the university or time as a mentee in your chosen industry. You can also take this module as part of a live consultancy in connection with one of your tourism, sport, hospitality or event modules, either in the UK or a School of Sport and Service Management project overseas.

Our school-based Employability Hub will be on hand to assist you in securing an experience that best meets your career goals and aspirations. Professional experience will enhance your practice and academic knowledge, and many of our students have started their careers with their placement organisation.

Staff profiles

Adam Jones Course leader

Adam combines a wealth of knowledge and experience of working in a senior strategic position in a FTSE 250 company with research and knowledge of sports mega events and NGO sport development. He has used his experience working in a highly competitive business environment to build commercial awareness into the programme.

Careers and employability

This course is aimed at a broad spectrum of students and practitioners. It is suitable for those who want to pursue senior management positions within the sports industry or to prepare for doctoral study.

Professional experience

The Professional Enquiry module requires students to engage in the professional world. Personal and professional growth take place through implementation of change in professional practice and concomitant reflective practice. Students also perform some goal settings exercises and assess weaknesses and strengths with regard to employability skills to allow for adequate self-development and vision beyond the MSc. Some students may identify a need for them to develop their knowledge of innovation, entrepreneurship and small business management, which forms the basis of one of our optional modules.

Consultancy project

If you elect to undertake a consultancy project you'll work with a commercial or not-for-profit sport organisation both independently and with the support of tutors, to fulfil the objective set by the client. This is invaluable experience of designing and agreeing a project with commercial aims and objectives.

Employment prospects

Management positions exist within marketing, sales, planning, sports events, sport administration and facility management. Organisations that offer these positions include professional sport clubs, sport governing bodies, sport public agencies, sport community recreation departments, sporting goods companies, sport marketing agencies, sport event organisers, health and leisure clubs and athletic service organisations.

The course will enable you to enhance your skills, sector-specific knowledge, expertise and employability attributes, making the transition from study to a meaningful career a more seamless process.

Skills for your CV

On successful completion of the course, you will have:

1. A detailed understanding of international sport, particularly in relation to: the scope, principles, strategies and activities of the sector; relevant management approaches and theories; its relationship to wider processes of global change; and ethical and cultural issues.

2. A knowledge of core debates, theoretical challenges, developments, tensions and contradictions within international sport business.

3. The ability to define, explain and appropriately use key terms, models and concepts in the context of sport business management.

4. The capacity to assess the wider implications of a rapidly changing socio-economic, cultural and political environment on various actors and stakeholders in international sport business.

5. The ability to examine your own norms, values and belief systems in the context of socio-economic, cultural and ideological discourses.

6. A set of vocationally relevant management, problem solving and communication skills, enabling you to succeed in a global working environment and to contribute critically and creatively to the further development of international sport business.

Fees and funding

Your fees

UK/EU (full-time)9,600 Euros

International (full-time)12,600 Euros

Students studying this course are not able to apply for the UK government student finance package, which includes tuition fee loans, maintenance loans and grants. They are also not eligible for any University of Brighton financial support packages or bursaries.