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Swansea University

UCAS Code: P36F | Bachelor of Arts - BA

Entry requirements

A level

C,D,D-D,D,D

Swansea University accepts the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales as fully equivalent to x1 A-Level.

UCAS Tariff

72-80

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course

Course option

4years

Full-time including foundation year | 2025

Subjects

Media and communication studies

Sports studies

Multimedia journalism

The Foundation Year gives you an exciting introduction to Higher Education, setting you up with the skills, confidence, and knowledge that you’ll need to be successful on your undergraduate degree. It’s ideal if you need a little more support after Further Education or are returning to education after a gap.

After progression from the foundation year, you will have the chance to explore the degree programme that equips you with the skills for a future career as a professional sports content creator and communicator across the contemporary sports mediascape.

The course has been developed to ensure you will graduate as a skilled and competent sports content creator, equipped with journalistic skills, and adept at creating and promoting multi-media sports-focused content, from podcasts to match reports and from sports commentary to promotional sports communication strategies.

**Why Sport, Media and Culture with a Foundation Year at Swansea?**
You will be taught by academics who have a wide range of industry experience and will benefit from access to industry-standard filming, editing and design facilities. In addition, our close links with sports organisations such as Swansea City FC, the Ospreys, and our partnership with Sport Swansea means that you will gain a sports communications industry perspective across your degree programme.

This programme is based within our Media, Communication, Journalism and PR department.

Media and Communication at Swansea is ranked:
- 8th in the UK for Student Satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2025)

- 8th in the UK for Student Experience (Times Good University Guide 2025)

- 10th in the UK for Teaching Quality (Times Good University Guide 2025)

The course is based at out Singleton Campus on the stunning Swansea Bay on the edge of the Gower Peninsula. You will also be within close proximity to Swansea city, a vibrant, multi-cultural, safe and cost-effective city.

**Your Sport, Media and Culture with a Foundation Year Experience**
Our BA (Hons) Sport, Media and Culture with Foundation Year degree will give you an exciting introduction to higher education and is part of a four-year undergraduate integrated degree.

During your Foundation Year, you will learn the key skills you’ll need to make your degree a success while developing knowledge of your subject area and how it relates to the humanities and social sciences.

You will learn how to improve your oral and writing skills, investigate and obtain information, present your ideas in a range of formats, solve problems and make informed decisions.

You will start the degree course in your second year. On our Sport, Media and Culture programme you’ll develop practical skills in multimedia journalism, including writing text reports for newspapers, magazines, and websites; conducting interviews and crafting feature stories; capturing and editing still images; filming, editing, and publishing video reports; and creating engaging audio content, including podcasts.

Outside of your studies you will be part of a supportive student community and will be able to get involved in many different sports clubs and societies including the Media society.

Modules

In your Foundation Year, you will typically study areas including: Academic Writing and Skills Development; Introduction to Being Human; Introduction to Research; Critical Reflection and Problem Solving; Place, Memory & Identity in Literature, Film, Visual Art & Media; and a Research Essay.

In Year 1, you will typically study areas including: Research Methods & Ethics; Introduction to Sports Biomechanics; Human Anatomy; Sports Performance Science; Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology; and Metabolism for Physical Activity, Sport and Health.

In Year 2, you will typically study areas including: Developing Research Methods for Sports Science; Employability, Innovation & Engagement; Exercise Physiology; Sport Performance Science 2; Exercise Science: Interventions and Applications; Biomechanical Technology, Measurement & Analysis; Contemporary themes in sport psychology; Critical Issues in Sport Integrity and Athlete Welfare; Philosophy of Sports Ethics; The Ethics of Doping: Health, Sport and Society; Kinanthropometry; and Human Nutrition.

In Year 3, you will typically study areas including: a Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Dissertation; Sport, Diet and Disease; Paediatric Exercise Science; Sport Integrity, Ethics and Policy; Sports Biomechanics; Health Related Exercise; Applied Sport Psychology; and Sport and Exercise Physiology.

Assessment methods

We are proud to provide an outstanding educational experience, using the most effective learning and teaching approaches, carefully tailored to suit the specific needs of your course. Apart from a small number of online-only courses, most of our courses consist of in-person, on-campus teaching, enabling full engagement with your lecturers and fellow students. Practical skills sessions, lab work seminars, and workshops predominantly take place in person, allowing for group working and demonstrations. We also operate virtual labs and Simulated Learning Environments which will facilitate greater access to training opportunities in the future. However, our approach also includes the use of some online learning to support and enhance traditional face-to-face teaching. Online learning may take place ‘live’ using software such as Zoom, allowing you to interact with the lecturer and other students and to ask questions. Lecture recordings also allow for more flexibility to revisit material, to revise for assessments and to enhance learning outside of the classroom. Some modules have extra resources in Canvas, such as videos, slides and quizzes enabling further flexible study. This course may offer some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh speakers. For more details on the provision available see the Welsh Provision expander below.

The Uni

Course location:

Singleton Park Campus

Department:

College of Arts and Humanities

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

87%
Media and communication studies
90%
Sports studies

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Media studies

Teaching and learning

91%
Staff make the subject interesting
99%
Staff are good at explaining things
93%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
93%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

78%
Library resources
72%
IT resources
87%
Course specific equipment and facilities
91%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

81%
UK students
19%
International students
38%
Male students
62%
Female students
85%
2:1 or above
13%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
C

Sport and exercise sciences

Teaching and learning

84%
Staff make the subject interesting
92%
Staff are good at explaining things
80%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
79%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

78%
Library resources
79%
IT resources
84%
Course specific equipment and facilities
71%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

95%
UK students
5%
International students
68%
Male students
32%
Female students
74%
2:1 or above
5%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
B

Journalism

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

81%
UK students
19%
International students
38%
Male students
62%
Female students
85%
2:1 or above
13%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
C

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Media studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£24,000
med
Average annual salary
95%
high
Employed or in further education
55%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

50%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
10%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
7%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

Only a small number of students study courses within this catch-all subject area, so there isn't a lot of information available on what graduates do when they finish - bear that in mind when you look at any stats. Marketing and PR were the most likely jobs for graduates from these courses, but it's sensible to go on open days and talk to tutors about what you might expect from the course, and what previous graduates did.

Sport and exercise sciences

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£25,000
high
Average annual salary
90%
med
Employed or in further education
60%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

32%
Sports and fitness occupations
13%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
11%
Childcare and related personal services

One of the fastest growing subjects in the country, the number of sports science graduates went from under 3,000 in 2003 to over 10,000 in 2013. Numbers have fallen slightly since 2015, but we still have over 9,000 graduates in the subject. However, the good news is the country's appetite for good health and fitness - and the adaptability of graduates in the subject - means that sports science grads are less likely than average to be out of work. Sports science graduates, not surprisingly, tend to get jobs in sport, fitness and health - coaching and teaching especially - but they're found all over the economy. Management and business are also popular options for graduates from this subject — and sports science graduates are particularly found where drive, determination and physical fitness are an advantage.

Journalism

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£24,000
high
Average annual salary
95%
high
Employed or in further education
55%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

50%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
10%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
7%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Media studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£18k

£18k

£22k

£22k

£24k

£24k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Sport and exercise sciences

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£19k

£19k

£25k

£25k

£28k

£28k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Journalism

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£18k

£18k

£22k

£22k

£24k

£24k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here