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LOCATION
Docklands Campus
Location Fees and Funding
Here's the fees and funding information for each year of this course
Overview
This inter-disciplinary, course will provide you with the tools and skills you need to thrive in the competitive world of sports management.
You will gain insights into what has become a multi-billion pound industry and which offers growing opportunities for a multi-faceted career.
This master's degree is well respected and will give you a big advantage when it comes to finding work in this highly competitive field.
You will join students from diverse backgrounds and nationalities whose previous undergraduate study includes sports science, business, management and journalism.
You should be open-minded and willing to study and learn from a wide range of different sports and be prepared to debate the pros and cons of recent developments in the industry as you progress intellectually through research and scholarly activity in the study of the international sports environment.
What makes this course different
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
This inter-disciplinary course will teach you all of the major components you will need to forge a career in sports management.
The key elements of the course include sports marketing, which is crucial to the success of any sporting enterprise, and sponsorship, which today plays such a massive role in all professional sports.
You will learn about event management and how to plan, run and manage all of the resources needed to make a set-piece sporting event a success.
You will study the finance and economics of sports management. A good grasp of the numbers is essential in the business of sport, which like any other business takes a close look at the bottom line.
In addition, you'll learn how to take a strategic approach to sports management and will learn how the sports-related policies of governments and sports governing bodies have an impact on the role. You'll also undertake a sports management consultancy project, which will hone your research skills.
As a result of taking part in an internship or work-based development setting in the sports industry you will evidence an ambitious, creative and reflective approach to continued
professional development In doing so learning to take responsibility for fuelling your potential something future employers will look for.
DOWNLOAD COURSE SPECIFICATIONS
MSc Sports Management course specification
pdf, 193.85 KB
MODULES
- Core Modules
Mental Wealth: The Sport Business Professional CloseMental Wealth: The Sport Business Professional
This module, as a ‘mental wealth’ initiative aims to develop a full range of skills, competences and experiences required for successful performance and practice in a range of potential careers in sport. Your personal and professional development will be fuelled by advancing your analytical, emotional, cultural, cognitive and social intelligences through taught and workshop activity. The module will fuel your potential by introducing you to a wide range of approaches (including reflective skills, self-care and empathetic alertness) and equip you with the confidence, competencies and courage to lead sport businesses.
Sport Markets, Finance and Analytics CloseSport Markets, Finance and Analytics
This module will build your practical skills and knowledge relevant to management of sport markets, sport finance and sport data analytics, and prepare you to make data-informed decisions in complex and unpredictable markets, economic and financial climates. You will participate in practice-based applied research and evaluation projects to fully appreciate the complex and challenging environments sports organisations operate within. This module will give you an applied understanding of professional, technical, economic and financial analysis, and how to embed them into various projects. As a result, you will be able to evidence data administration and maintenance, financial analysis and reporting analytics – integral to the success of sport organisations and areas of interest to future employers.
Sport Venue and Event Management CloseSport Venue and Event Management
This module will develop your planning, design, and management skills of events in sport venues, and provide you with a comprehensive practice-based understanding of sport venue and events management practices. As part of this module you will apply the principles of Events Management Body of Knowledge (EMBOK) and Project Management by staging a sport event in a local sport venue. Together with module TM7000 Mental Wealth: The Sport Business Professional, this set of two modules will fuel your personal and professional development, and give you the confidence in addressing the challenges and working within the complexities associated with hosting sport events in sport venues. As a result, you will be able to evidence abilities in the following areas: leadership, problem-solving, research and evaluation, creativity, and enterprise – to enhance your employability in current and future employment.
Sport Marketing and Sponsorship CloseSport Marketing and Sponsorship
This module will develop your ability to critically inspect the application of principles and practices of marketing and sponsorship in a sport business context – all from an integrated marketing communications perspective. As part of this module you will design creative and innovative sport marketing campaigns and sponsorship proposals through a live applied project brief. Your work will reveal your advanced and imaginative abilities, clearly establishing your unique and distinctive artistic qualities. Together with modules TM7000 (Mental Wealth: The Sport Business Professional) and TM7005 (Sport Venue and Event Management), this set of three modules will give you substantial understanding of the objectives of the sport marketing and sponsorship manager. As a result, you will be able to demonstrate to current and future employers the ability, as part of a team and independently, to communicate, design and evaluate sport marketing and sponsorship activities.
Professional Practice Internship / Work-based Development CloseProfessional Practice Internship / Work-based Development
This module will develop sport management experience and employability skills, and prepare you for work in a sports business environment, or to advance current professional practice in sport. As part of this module you will:
- Engage in an internship or work-based development setting to enhance your career prospects in sport and to comprehend the business of sports.
- Put together a portfolio that integrates reflective practice and showcases your ability to drive (and direct) a sport organisation’s strategy.
As a result, you will evidence an ambitious, creative and reflective approach to continued professional development and taking responsibility for fuelling your potential.
The sports management internship and work-based development placement can be paid or unpaid/voluntary, and local, regional, national or international. The internship and work-based development should be approved by the Module Leader in Term 2 (Semester B) – before the student commences work in Term 3 (Semester C).
Sport Management Consultancy Project CloseSport Management Consultancy Project
This module will advance your research practice skills for sports management consultancy work, and prepare you to effectively replicate the role of the management consultant in the professional workplace, or for higher study. As part of this module you will have an opportunity for sustained applied research and practice in a form of consultancy project, and direct your efforts towards solving a topical issue of concern for sport management practitioners. This project will showcase your intellectual articulation in undertaking a major piece of consultancy research in an assertive, confident and proficient manner. Together with other modules in the programme portfolio, this module will give you extensive real-world exposure to actual sport business issues that require expert intervention from you in the role of a consultant. As result, you will be able to evidence management and leadership of a live applied project and showing potential to change and influence sport business operations.
HOW YOU'LL LEARN
On this course you will not be confined to the lecture theatre or seminar room – although of course you will spend a fair amount of time there, too.
You will learn from research-active academics and also through learning tours to high-profile sports venues such as Wembley Stadium and Wimbledon. Teaching is through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, guest speakers, and out-of-class activities.
Good sports management, like most sports, relies on good teamwork and you'll be expected to work effectively with other students. Your assignments will have a practical focus, as you'll be expected to produce work such as a project proposal, marketing plan, or use data to help analyse a particular market.
As part of the course, you will conduct a Sports Management Consultancy Project, which should be related to a real-life issue or problem. It could be doing something, such as planning and delivering a training programme in a sports context, or it could be researching an issue, such as the lack of sports participation in a geographical area, and then developing a plan to address it.
To further develop practice-based learning you will engage in an internship or work-based development setting, with a sport employer of your choice, to enhance your career prospects in sport and to comprehend the business of sports This live-applied learning will give you exposure to a 'real world' sport working environment and showcase your ability to apply and transfer sports management knowledge gained throughout the course.
And if you're good at sport, you could apply for a UEL Sports Scholarship, worth a £3,000 reduction in fees.
HOW YOU'LL BE ASSESSED
We will assess you through a wide range of marked coursework, including essays, project work, oral presentations, critical readings, and independent research reports. You will also undertake a consultancy project in which you'll carry out a piece of research in an area of your choice.
CAMPUS and FACILITIES

Docklands Campus, Docklands Campus, London, E16 2RD
WHO TEACHES THIS COURSE
The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.
Related Courses
YOUR FUTURE CAREER
This course will set you on the path to a range of careers, enabling you to put what you've learnt into practice. If you already work in the field it could be a stepping stone onto something bigger and better, or it could be this qualification that gives you a foot in the door.
Some of the possible career paths you could choose include the following:
- Sports development - local authorities, national associations and charities employ postgraduates to help increase participation and promote the benefits of sport.
- Sports event management think of the big showpieces like global mega sport events and major sport tournaments Companies need people with skill and expertise to design,
- stage and manage sport event experiences and ensure sport events run without a hitch
- Sports marketing and sponsorship - sport is big business and marketing and sponsorship deals take skill to arrange – whether in-house for a sports club or for a private sector company (sport or non-sport business).
- Sports research consultancy - providing expert advice within the field of sport management to clients directly or indirectly involved in the business of sport.
- Further study - PhD in Sports Studies and/or management to make a contribution to knowledge and practice in the area of sport.
Other possibilities also exist, such as managing sports facilities, such as leisure centres, or helping to manage sports clubs on the commercial side.
Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.