Sports Media and Communications (Accelerated)

UCAS code: P955

Here's what University Academy 92 (UA92) says about its Sports Media and Communications (Accelerated) course.

This 2 year, accelerated BA (Hons) Sports Media and Communications is an exciting and engaging programme of study which will allow you to create engaging media content for a variety of purposes.

Do you aspire to work within the promotion, marketing and communication fields within the sports sector and associated industries (apparel, lifestyle and fitness brands)? If so, this course is dedicated to the study of the professional communication industries and how you can analyse and produce engaging content to fulfil a specific purpose.

We live in an ever-changing, media-saturated world. From advertisements to political messages, marketing schemes to cultural critiques and scholarship, every day, we produce and consume hundreds – sometimes thousands – of messages.

Together these messages shape our understanding of ourselves, manipulate our understanding and relationships with others, and make sense of everyday events and experiences. In a world dominated by filter bubbles and echo chambers, it is now more important than ever to understand how the media works and how it can influence us and others.

The world’s leading sports brands and teams need communications professionals to help communicate their key messages through digital media - and this course will prepare you to analyse and respond to a professional brief. This course will give you the key creative skills and practical expertise to plan, create and reflect on the digital communications that are the lifeblood of contemporary society.

Your UA92 degree goes far beyond the traditional academic experience.

Each academic year, in addition to your four subject modules, you’ll study an extra credit-bearing module, which focuses entirely on character and personal development. You’ll get to take on a real-life project, based on a live scenario, set by one of our industry partners.

You’ll experience first-hand the current issues facing the industry, get the opportunity to apply your subject knowledge, challenge your perspectives, step outside your comfort zone and build key employability skills to prepare you for your future career.

These experiences are instrumental in developing transferable skills and key competencies such as leadership, resilience and well-being, communication, problem-solving and team-working. To help you track your progress and further refine your developing skill-set, you’ll meet regularly with your own personal development coach throughout years 1 & 2.

Our industry-led approach means our leading partner organisations are integral to the UA92 experience; co-developing course curriculums and providing unique experiences for our students. The accelerated programme will consist of 12 modules studied across the 2 years. You will study 6 modules each year, studying modules at level 4 and 5 in year one, and levels 5 and 6 in year two. The specific level 5 modules will change according to your year of entry.

Level 4 Modules

Media, Technology and Culture You’ll reflect on your own everyday media usage, explore how rapid changes in information and communication technologies shape other social, economic and cultural transformations and consider issues of media production, dissemination and reception.

Communication Techniques and Creating Content You’ll explore a range of different approaches to media products, produce a magazine, podcast or documentary; working together in a group to present your work.

Media Production You’ll develop your practical media skills; working individually and collectively using different digital tools (including cameras, audio equipment, editing software), and learn to display your work online in a professional context.

Sports Media and Public Relations You’ll explore how different sports organisations use media and communications tools to create forms of individual and collective persuasion. You’ll be introduced to the different communication techniques and how they are used professionally and create media artefacts that respond to a specific brief.

Level 5 Modules

Politics, Power and Communication You’ll critically interrogate how media communications are bound up with forms of political, economic, social and cultural power. You’ll explore how transnational corporations use new technologies to exert influence and understand how political power is reinforced and challenged through different media forms.

Media Narratives You’ll explore how to communicate stories in an online non-linear environment, examine digital narratives and learn how to create stories using different narrative structures and understand how digital technologies, immersive media and interactivity, have reconfigured media experiences and the news.

Audio and Video Production You’ll further develop your video and audio production skills; working in a small group to create sophisticated media artefacts.

Integrated Sports Marketing Communication You’ll explore the importance of market research, product design, promotion, corporate identity and customer feedback loops in professional sports and media industries. You’ll develop an understanding of the key role digital media plays and further enhance your creative skills in order to respond to professional situations.

Level 6 Modules

Project You'll complete a project, on a relevant subject area that demonstrates your research, problem-solving and practical skills.

Media Law and Ethics You’ll gain an in-depth knowledge of the legal, ethical and regulatory constraints that exist within the media industries. Focusing on a UK context, you’ll explore some of the key tensions that determine the media coverage of events and get to grips with relevant laws, regulations and professional codes of conduct.

Advanced Marketing and Communication Techniques You’ll further refine your creative skills by responding to a professional marketing brief. You’ll advance your research, communication and presentation techniques by creating a well-designed and appropriate response to the brief.

Sports Media and Communications: Professional Practice You’ll look at case studies of different media and communication roles; developing a personal career plan and identifying the key skills and experience required. You’ll engage in practical media work, to showcase your skills, and present your work in a professional context.

No traditional end-of-year exams* You are assessed within each subject module – so you learn it, then you prove it.

Assessment methods include individual and group work which is undertaken in a range of formats related to your subject. This may include writing an essay or producing a report, presenting findings or creating audio/visual projects. Practical assessment is favoured where possible, for example, Media and Communication students producing a Podcast, or Sports Coaching students running a coaching session. You’ll have the opportunity to learn, develop and demonstrate a wide range of practical and applied skills and competencies.

*For Accounting and Finance students you will sit some exams within your modules to obtain the necessary exemptions from the ACCA.