BA (Hons) Sports Business & Sports Broadcasting

UCFB degrees fall under three subject benchmark statements – Business and Management (2015); Events, Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism (2016); and Psychology (2016). Visit the QAA website to access each of these benchmark statements.

Please click here to download the BA (Hons) Sports Business & Sports Broadcasting programme specification documentation.

This module enables students to begin developing the Bucks Graduate Attributes associated with knowledge and its applications and creativity, which are essential for success in higher education and in the world of work. It encourages students to see the significant overlap between study skills and employability skills and provides the opportunity for students to reflect on and develop their existing abilities in both areas. The module will prepare students for successful progression to Level 4 academic study while allowing them to learn about and prepare themselves for employment in the twenty-first century through inquiry based learning, problem solving and critical and creative thinking.

This module complements Preparing for Success: Self Development and Responsibility which develops the Bucks Graduate Attributes associated with leadership and self-development and social and ethical awareness and responsibility. Both Preparing for Success: Knowledge and Creativity and Preparing for Success: Self Development and Responsibility are designed so that students can take them in any order

This module enables students to begin developing the Bucks Graduate Attributes associated with leadership and self-development and social and ethical awareness and responsibility, which are essential for success in higher education and in the world of work. It encourages students to see the significant overlap between study skills and employability skills and provides the opportunity for students to reflect on and develop their existing abilities in both areas. The module will prepare students for successful progression to Level 4 academic study while allowing them to learn about and prepare themselves for employment in the twenty-first century through inquiry based learning, problem solving and critical and creative thinking.

This module complements Preparing for Success: Knowledge and Creativity, which develops the Bucks Graduate Attributes associated with knowledge and its applications and creativity. Both Preparing for Success: Knowledge and Creativity and Preparing for Success: Self Development and Responsibility are designed so that students can take them in any order.

Delivery of this module is based on ‘confirmation inquiry’ – a foundational level of inquiry geared for developing students’ understanding of key concepts and themes as well as basic methodologies and approaches to academic work, relevant to the discipline of the individual student. Students will then have the opportunity to analyse a problem or question that relates to their subject area, making use of information gathered from various sources using different methods and strategies.

This module is one of the two subject modules studied during the Foundation Year. It can be taken in either semester one or semester two and does not assume or require and prior knowledge of the subject area.

The module provides students with the foundations of a range of concepts, models and practical skills related to the sports media industry. This module will introduce students to the basic skills, roles and responsibilities of the media.

The contemporary sport industry has embraced a number of dynamic innovations used in other sectors, helping to transform both its management and administration, steering it in a more professional manner in some aspects of sport, yet not others. Growing revenue has taken on increasing importance yet some sports still have issues with the media monopoly of others. Resistance to change, amateur practices and poor treatment of some players remain within the industry. You will explore these and other key issues through examining how the core parts of the business (marketing, finance, the media, sponsorship, event management, leadership and HR) operate. You will analyse the development of sport and governance of both elite and grassroots organisations.

This module introduces students to sport broadcasting in terms of both a business and a practical profession. The main focus of this module will be to introduce students to the practical skills of broadcast production, reflecting current advances within the broadcast profession. With the growth of 24-hour sport channels, the opportunities in sport broadcasting have expanded and students need to be prepared for the challenges of a fascinating and exciting future. In order to succeed in this competitive field, it is vital to be multi-skilled as broadcast professionals are often expected to be able to research, write, shoot and edit their own content.

This module will teach students how to operate industry standard television cameras, audio recorders and editing software. Students will learn to structure their work in a logical and coherent manner and produce TV and radio news assignments for clearly defined sport audiences. Students will also examine prices paid for broadcasting rights – especially football – as the concept of mediated sport is explored and students understand how the media’s relationship with sport is one of the primary business relationships within global sport today. They will understand the impact of broadcasting rights on sport and the media itself. By the end of this module, students will have received a comprehensive introduction to sport broadcasting from two perspectives: the administrator and the programme-maker.

This module introduces students to sport broadcasting in terms of both a business and a practical profession. The main focus of this module will be to introduce students to the practical skills of broadcast production, reflecting current advances within the broadcast profession. With the growth of 24-hour sport channels, the opportunities in sport broadcasting have expanded and students need to be prepared for the challenges of a fascinating and exciting future. In order to succeed in this competitive field, it is vital to be multi-skilled as broadcast professionals are often expected to be able to research, write, shoot and edit their own content. This module will teach students how to operate industry-standard television cameras, audio recorders and editing software. Students will learn to structure their work in a logical and coherent manner and produce TV and radio news assignments for clearly defined sport audiences.

Students will also examine prices paid for broadcasting rights – especially football – as the concept of mediated sport is explored and students understand how the media’s relationship with sport is one of the primary business relationships within global sport today. They will understand the impact of broadcasting rights on sport and the media itself. By the end of this module, students will have received a comprehensive introduction to sport broadcasting from two perspectives: the administrator and the programme-maker.

This module covers the topics of media law and ethics, and how they control and influence the work of journalists and the media, with specific reference to the sports media and football. As digital technology increasingly affects both the speed of news delivery across a range of platforms, so too does the scrutiny of media behaviour. You will learn how diverse coverage of sport activity is used to entice audiences, entertain, promote, market and sell, and how it is used in launching and creating specialist media sectors. You will learn about the legal and ethical framework within which a sports journalist must operate, taking into account OFCOM regulation and the Editors Code of Practice.

This module will help you to understand what is needed to be an entrepreneur in the sports industry. You will undertake a range of exercises to evaluate your entrepreneurial attributes, and will work to identify ways in which to enhance these attributes. You will have the opportunity to write a professional-quality business plan.

This module provides students with a working understanding of modern broadcasting technology and an appreciation of how it can be deployed, along with an awareness of the rapid developments taking place within the industry. Students will build on the theories and practices of broadcast production learnt in Year 1 to create more challenging sports broadcast features. They will explore these aspects at both a practitioner and academic level, gaining practical and theoretical knowledge of relevant skills and techniques.

Students will develop the existing knowledge they have acquired on the degree to produce more sophisticated and engaging television and radio packages; with a strong emphasis on storytelling with pictures and sound, and writing for broadcast, emphasizing the differences to writing for print. There will be a clear and defined progression from Year 1 into Year 2, with raised expectancy and more difficult assignments. Students will also be expected to demonstrate a practical understanding of broadcast regulation and how ethical considerations apply to a broadcast journalist. At the end of the module, News Days will take place that will challenge the students within an active learning environment to display evidence of the key skills they have learnt on the module.

The aim of this module is to provide the student with an understanding of research principles, a range of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and appropriate analysis for these. This will enable the student to develop the research skills and knowledge necessary to undertake an independent research project. Students will be provided with support in developing their writing style to incorporate citations and make use of referencing.

They will be introduced to Academic Journals and will use these to inform their understanding of the research approaches used in the sector. This will also serve to familiarise the learners with the role of Journals in their wider study. The final aspect of this module will introduce hypothesis testing, with learners making use of a computer package to undertake simple statistical tests commonly used within their subject area.

This module is a natural progression in the students’ knowledge of sports broadcast production. It is a combination of practical assignments based around the creation of TV and radio studio productions, and theoretical analysis of how advances in technology are impacting upon the roles of content producers in a modern, multi-platform media environment. Students will have practical experience of producing television and radio shows within industry-standard studio environments. They will also explore how mobile technology (i.e. smartphones and social media platforms) can be used to create broadcast content that engages a target audience. Students will analyse the impact of these advances on the future of the broadcast industry.

This module completes a pathway through the degree that has allowed students to develop skills in different fields of sports broadcasting, including sports journalism and studio production. Now they have the opportunity to produce a sports documentary on a topic that has enough journalistic quality to generate interest from a specific target audience. Students will be taught the core skills required to make a powerful documentary film: the narrative techniques in non-fiction visual storytelling; the importance of access to the subject to enable the filmmaker to get ‘inside’ the story being told; and the necessity for decision-making based on ethical considerations such as privacy, balance and accuracy.

This module is based around a work placement. Under the supervision of a lecturer, you are encouraged to demonstrate initiative by acquiring your own work placement and establishing
contacts within the media industry; but the lecturer, who will already have extensive industry experience, will help and guide you through the process.

You will also have the opportunity to gain work experience on a sports news website designed specifically for UCFB students where you will have an active role within the editorial team and create original content. You are asked to write a reflective journal that critically relates your work experience to your study on your chosen degree and training. You will accompany this with the production of a portfolio which will include: a literature review on your chosen field within the media; a consideration of relevant professional and ethical concerns and samples of your work. This will enable you to showcase your skills and knowledge as well as your ability to extract information from a variety of primary and secondary sources. The aim of all this is to help in your search for employment in your chosen profession.

This module aims to provide students with the opportunity for independent learning through the completion of an individual, extended research project. The project requires a high level of individual application and commitment to research and enquiry. It provides students with the opportunity to identify, reflect upon and explore a topic that has implications for their own professional development.

This module is intended to facilitate independent creative and critical work in a specified area of broadcast production. It requires students to initiate, discuss and negotiate a body of work for the year, and then to take responsibility for the successful completion of that work to deadline.

This module introduces you to many of the challenging and complex contemporary issues that face journalists working in the rapidly-changing, and demanding, world of sport and the media. It will allow you to build and consolidate knowledge and understanding of these issues within the broad arena of sport, media and culture in a discursive manner that will underpin your work in sports media. You will be encouraged to research events, themes and issues that have affected the work of the sports media and, in some cases, changed the structure and administration of sport and the behaviour of journalists.

• UCFB Wembley or UCFB Etihad Campus course code: SBBF
• Institution: U10
• Campus: W or E

The minimum academic requirement for the degree course with Integrated Foundation Year is a 64 UCAS point score under the new UCAS tariff system.

Applicants will normally have achieved one of the following:

• A Levels with DDE or higher
• A BTEC Extended diploma grade MPP
• A BTEC Diploma grade MM
• A combination of BTEC and A-Level qualifications

Applicants are also expected to hold a GCSE grade C in Maths or English.

To be considered eligible for the programme, applicants must have completed at least two years of post-secondary education or work experience.

Applicants applying without the minimum required UCAS points can still be considered on a case by case basis and may be requested to attend an interview and assessment prior to receiving an offer.

International applicants will be asked to achieve IELTS for UKVI at grade 6.0 overall or above.

Enquiries are encouraged from anybody who does not meet the above criteria but would like to be considered for the programme. Please email admissions@ucfb.com for further advice.

International students

UCFB cannot currently sponsor non-EU students’ visas.

You will not need a visa to study in the UK if:

• You are a British citizen
• You are a citizen of a European Economic Area (EEA) member state or Switzerland
• You have a visa to stay in the UK for another purpose that allows you to study

If you are still unsure whether you would need a visa to study in the UK, or for more information, please contact admissions@ucfb.com.

• UCFB Wembley or UCFB Etihad Campus course code: SBB1
• Institution: U10
• Campus: W or E

The minimum academic requirement for this degree course is a 96 UCAS point score under the UCAS tariff system.

Applicants will normally have achieved one of the following:

• A minimum of 2 A Levels including two C grades
• A BTEC Extended diploma grade MMM
• A BTEC Diploma grade DD
• A combination of BTEC and A-Level qualifications with at least two C graded A levels or Merit graded BTEC equivalents.
• International Baccalaureate (minimum of 28 points)
• An Advanced GNVQ in an appropriate subject at Distinction level
• An Access Course: minimum of 60 credits, including at least 45 at Level 3
• An equivalent level 3 qualification

Applicants should have a strong GCSE profile, including English at Grade 4 or Grade C, or equivalent and Maths at Grade 4 or Grade C (specifically for Football Business & Finance, Sports Business & Sports Law and Sport Psychology).

Other equivalent qualifications, including those from your own country, will be considered for entry.

Applicants for whom English is a second language will need a valid Academic IELTS certificate with an overall score of 6.0 with no lower than 5.5 in each component for entry on to a degree programme (Level 4). For applicants who require a TIER 4 Student Visa you will need an ‘IELTS for UKVI’ certificate.

All qualifications are subject to approval by the UCFB Admissions team, based on UKVI requirements.

We also welcome applications from mature students who may not possess the above qualifications but may have relevant experience.

All applicants will be expected to demonstrate a specific interest in their preferred area of study and should have a commitment to engaging with the subject through the academic programme and our complementary curriculum involving high profile guest speakers, master classes and short course opportunities.

International students

UCFB cannot currently sponsor non-EU students’ visas.

You will not need a visa to study in the UK if:

• You are a British citizen
• You are a citizen of a European Economic Area (EEA) member state or Switzerland
• You have a visa to stay in the UK for another purpose that allows you to study

If you are still unsure whether you would need a visa to study in the UK, or for more information, please contact admissions@ucfb.com.

Students are normally expected to start at Level 4, but can be admitted to any level of the course which is considered suitable, after portfolio review and interview, using the Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS). Under this arrangement, a student may apply to have previous academic credits or other learning or experience taken into consideration. Such applications are considered by the Faculty CATS committee and must be supported by the Academic Department.

The provision of a facility or service including accommodation may be subject to an additional charge (i.e. separate from tuition fees). Where this is the case, we will make this clear in advance and payment for such service shall be made in accordance with any additional contract made between you and the University.

In some instances, optional Employability & Enrichment activities provided by UCFB may carry an additional cost for participants (e.g. qualifications with external certification such as FA Coaching Badges). Any additional costs will be provided to students in advance of any such sessions running.

Students may need to buy a storage device, such as an SD card, to host their material. Costs for a SD or similar depend on the memory size. A typical 32GB card will cost around £10.

Students may also have to pay occasional travel costs towards attending ‘live brief’ events at football stadiums in the London area. London travel costs between £1.50 and £7 per journey depending on the number of zones and the time of day. Travel cards are also available.

UCFB has a range of scholarship and bursary options to help with the cost of studying and to encourage students to embrace their time at UCFB and graduate with more than just their university degree. Click here to learn more.