“Lecturers had plenty of industry experience and provided expertise as well as insightful anecdotes from the sector. ”
BA (Hons)Sports Journalism
Apply on UCAS
Starting in: 2026
Register your interest- 4 years with year in industry
- 3 years
- 4 years with foundation year
- 5 years with foundation and industry years
UCAS code: SJ01
Institution code: S30
UCAS points: 104-120Flexible entry options available
Campus: Southampton City CentreView on Google Maps
Why study a sports journalism degree at Solent University
Turn your love of sports into a writing career. Join the longest running BJTC-accredited sports journalism degree in the UK, where graduates go into jobs with the biggest names in the industry.
- 0thin the UK for teaching quality in communication and media studies, out of 80 institutions (Times Good Uni Guide 2026)
- Top0in the UK for learning resources in the subject of journalism, out of 49 institutions (NSS 2025)
- 0%positivity measure for academic support (NSS 2025)
- Taught by award-winning professionals with combined experience of more than 200 years, you'll benefit from outstanding teaching and contacts from people who still work in the industry.
- You'll gain work experience throughout your studies. Past students have completed placements at prestigious organisations including the BBC, Sky Sports, TalkSport, Capital FM, LBC, Daily Mail, and Daily Echo, as well as Southampton FC, Reading FC, and Hampshire Cricket.
- Our graduates work at top broadcasting companies including Sky Sports, BBC Sport, ESPN and talkSPORT, national newspapers such as The Daily Mail and The Times, and in the media offices of football, cricket, and rugby clubs.
- You’ll have the opportunity to work with local and national sports clubs and teams including Southampton FC, Eastleigh FC, AFC Totton and Hampshire County Cricket Club.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:Course overview
The sports journalism course gets you into the thick of the action straight away, reporting on local and national sports for both online and traditional media platforms. You will be a practicing journalist from day one – benefiting from outstanding teaching, facilities and contacts, along with plenty of opportunities to put your learning into practice.
The course has been developed to meet the needs of the modern sports journalism industry and is accredited by the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC), which ensures you are ready to work for their industry partners (BBC, Sky News, ITN, Channel 4 News, Global Radio, Associated Press, Reuters and National Union of Journalists. The degree boasts a broad spectrum of transferable skills - from print or broadcast to online and social media reporting – training you to produce a comprehensive news package that will engage and excite your audience.
The proof is in our graduates. Solent sports journalists operate at a range of top broadcast companies, including Sky Sports, BBC Sport, ESPN and talkSPORT, as well as national newspapers such as The Daily Mail and The Times. Other graduates work in the media offices of football, cricket and rugby clubs, as well as creative agencies and organisations.
At Solent, you'll have access to industry-standard software and work with real news agency material and interviews with the biggest names, via our partnership with Press Association (PA) and Independent Radio News (IRN). In a dedicated newsroom, you will engage in news productions using high-end media equipment, where you'll be encouraged to report on a variety of sporting events and stories. You'll also use our other industry-standard broadcast facilities including television and radio studios, editing and production facilities, and professional grade camera, audio and lighting equipment.
And the south is a fantastic location to engage with sporting activity. Solent University is the official education partner of Championship side Southampton Football Club, while the nearby Utilita Bowl is home to Hampshire Cricket Club and hosts regular national and international matches. The Solent is a popular race sailing location, hosting major events such as the America’s Cup. Plus, the University has many successful sporting teams and athletes for you to create content from.
If you’re looking to study our sports journalism degree but don’t have the relevant qualifications or experience, the foundation year in media will help you develop the core skills and knowledge to progress. Find out more about the foundation year in media.
This course also offers the option of a placement year. A placement year allows you to put what you've learned in your first and second years into practice in the workplace, gaining valuable real-world work experience before you graduate. Our course and placements teams will help you find the perfect industry placement in your chosen field.
Accreditations
Accredited by:
Student work
Enhance your editorial and technical skills. Create a portfolio of video, audio, and academic work to impress potential employers. Explore student examples for inspiration.
Who is this course for?
Solent’s sports journalism degree is ideally suited for people with a passion for sport, excited by the prospect of working in a demanding, deadline-driven environment, and looking to build experience in state-of-the-art facilities and using the kind of professional-grade equipment you will find out in the industry. If you want to make an impact on the world, sports journalism at Solent could be the best choice you make.
What does this course lead to?
Graduating with hands-on experience as a practising journalist, you will find many doors open to you when looking for work in sports media. From film making, TV and radio presenting, to writing, editing, creative social media, or media officer roles, graduates have gone on to hugely diverse careers. We have former students working in the media teams of football clubs, presenting TV and radio bulletins on Sky Sports and talkSPORT, creating videos for social media giants, writing for broadsheet newspapers/magazines and much more.
Graduate stories
Hear from Solent alumni about where their careers have taken them and how studying at Solent prepared them for their future.
Read more storiesMeet the team
Teaching staff for the BA (Hons) Sports Journalism degree have extensive experience of working in the journalism industry as practitioners and/or are actively engaged with current research within the creative industries.
The University cannot guarantee any particular members of staff will teach specific aspects of the course in the future, but will endeavour to ensure the teaching team maintains their balance of experience and qualifications.
Facilities
Sports journalism students benefit from multi-million-pound investment in state-of-the-art media facilities. That means four TV studios and eight radio studios, a wide range of TV, photography and video equipment freely loaned to students, an industry-standard newsroom and dedicated edit suites with the latest software.
Our vibrant campus brings state-of-the-art facilities to enhance your learning and elevate your student experience. Our award-winning teaching building, The Spark is centred around students and offers a stimulating study environment with flexible learning spaces. Away from studying, why not try out the gyms, fitness studios and sports halls in our £28 million Sports Complex, or watch a blockbuster film at our student-run cinema with Dolby Atmos audio.
International opportunities
Broaden your horizons by adding an international dimension to your CV – essential to achieving success in today’s fast-changing, global environment.
Studying, working or volunteering in another country could be the experience of a lifetime. Enhance your degree by developing important global skills such as knowledge of other countries, language skills, intercultural awareness, adaptability and confidence.
For more information, please email international.mobility@solent.ac.uk.
What you'll study
Core modules
The Writing Journey Begins
This module will provide you with the building blocks on which your career will be founded. You will learn how to write engaging content for a range of media platforms, specific to sports journalism and discover what sports journalism is all about.
Audio Journalism and Production
This module gives you a grounding in the core skills of audio production and encourages you to be creative and audience focussed as you develop broadcasting confidence.
Sport, Media and Society
This module looks at both continuity and change and considers historical and social factors that help to define the place of sport in the UK and beyond.
Sports Reporting
In this module you will discover how to source stories and how to write and develop them, building on techniques already learned. You will also develop your writing style and overall sporting knowledge.
Video Journalism and Production
You’ll learn how to operate professional camera kit, and how to edit on industry standard equipment. You’ll develop an understanding of how to tell stories, how to present to camera, write scripts, work to deadlines, use pictures to drive editorial and learn just how powerful a visual medium can be.
Media Law
Building upon existing knowledge and understanding of journalism and the creation of news and stories, you will be introduced to the rules and regulations relating to the safe, fair and accurate arena of court reporting and how you are essential for ensuring that court processes are open and transparent.
Core modules
Crafting Sports Audio and Video
This module will teach you how to make the very best of pictures and audio as storytelling devices.
Sports Feature Writing
On this module you will learn how to create and craft engaging and creative features; how to conjure up feature ideas and learn the theory in targeting the right audiences, platforms and publications, and tailoring your writing style to suit.
Sport, Globalisation and Mega Events
This module considers the complex interplay of relationships between sport, culture and national identities and will be considered from International, European and global perspectives within the context of the role played by sporting mega-events as media spectacles.
The Digital Newsroom
On this module you’ll develop both the editorial and technical elements required to help you create high quality journalistic content. Including how to re-purpose your content for different platforms, telling the same story in different, creative and engaging ways.
Journalism and Research
This module will give a taste of the broad range of research techniques commonly used to generate primary data in the communications sector, including questionnaires/surveys, focus groups, content analysis, semi-structured interviews and experiential research.
Optional modules
Please note: Not all optional modules are guaranteed to run each year.
Global Affairs
The module touches on the development of the modern world. The aim is that when you are writing a headline about, say, a British aid worker being killed by a terror group, or a threat to Europe or the USA, you’ll have a pretty good idea of why.
Literary Journalism
The module looks at a range of outstanding prose writers, mostly in literary journalism but also novelists etc., with the aim of helping you to recognize what constitutes first-rate writing.
Core modules
Dissertation or Final Major Project
Through this module you will demonstrate your ability to lead your own project based on the skills you have developed over your three-year degree. At the end of the module you will have a substantial piece of work that shows what you are capable of.
Professional Practice 1
On this module you’ll learn how to take your storytelling to a professional level using audio, video and text. You’ll explore the world of investigative journalism, discovering the role your storytelling can play in delivering hard-hitting content.
Professional Practice 2
On this module you’ll learn how to take your storytelling to a professional level using audio, video and text. You’ll explore the craft of film making in a news environment and will expand your editorial and technical skills.
Transferable and Professional Skills
This module is all about supporting you to develop a plan and getting you confident and ready for your individual next steps. You’ll learn a range of assessment tools and will polish your writing and grammar skills in order to get you to the standard required by industry.
Optional modules
Please note: Not all optional modules are guaranteed to run each year.
Public Relations and Promotion Skills
Through the duration of this module you will learn a breadth of useful creative and strategic PR and promotion skills. Topics include campaign planning, event management, media relations tools and tactics, press release and pitch writing amongst others.
Photography
This module will develop your photography skills to a very high level, allowing you to be creative and professional in your image making. You'll learn how the camera and lenses function, as well as look at a range of lighting techniques.
Travel Journalism
This modules explores travel journalism and how writing about it can help you to become a more creative, colourful, confident and employable writer.
Sports Commentary and Esports
On this module you’ll learn how to craft your storytelling in commentary and reporting form.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:How you will learn and be assessed
You will learn by:
You may be assessed by a combination of:
- Portfolios
- Individual presentations
- Written exams
- Practical exams
- Essays
Solent’s curriculum framework builds on our unique, creative and applied approach to teaching. The transformation of students’ lives is at the heart of our mission as a university, and our curriculum – informed by the latest theory – reflects this shared educational vision.
Find out more
Study support
The student achievement team are on hand to help you succeed during your studies at Solent. They aim to contact you at key times during your time here with personalised information, advice and guidance, by email or phone.
The disability advice team provides information, advice and guidance for disabled students.
All students can access Succeed@Solent, Solent's online guide to getting better grades. It offers extensive, practical information and advice on topics such as academic writing, research and presentations.
Why choose a career in sports journalism?
Working in sports journalism can carry with it long, demanding and unsociable hours – but there is nothing better than being able to mix your working life with your passions. If you are willing to work hard and you have the right approach, the job satisfaction is huge.
Being a sports journalist gives you a free pass to some of the best events in the sporting calendar and the chance to meet your sporting heroes. Plus you can adapt the skills you learn on this degree to almost any workplace, as we embed in our students a need to question, research, fact-check and network.
Our links with industry
You could earn:
Broadcast journalist
Starting salary: £15,000 to £24,000
Starting salaries can vary between local and national broadcasters. At senior level, or with several years' experience, salaries may range from £30,000 to £60,000.
Social media manager
Starting salary: £20,000 to £28,000
These are starting salaries for assistant or junior social media managers. Social media managers can typically earn between £25,000 and £45,000.
The stated salaries are published on prospects.ac.uk. Income figures are intended as a guide only.
Graduate stories
Hear from Solent alumni about where their careers have taken them and how studying at Solent prepared them for their future.
Read more stories“Lecturers had plenty of industry experience and provided expertise as well as insightful anecdotes from the sector. ”
Solent Careers
The Solent Careers team is committed to getting students into great careers.
While you are studying, the team can help you with finding work experience or placements, link you with a mentor, check your CV, or offer one-to-one guidance.
We also have graduate job opportunities just for Solent graduates.
6th
UK uni for sustained employment
Longitudinal Educational Outcomes, 2022
Certificate in Practical Artificial Intelligence
Every student at Solent University will also have the option to study an additional Certificate in Practical Artificial Intelligence qualification alongside their course. Free of charge, the course ensures you'll be prepared for a fantastic and varied career after graduation.
Further study
Thinking about studying further than an undergraduate degree? Alumni can get 20% off their postgraduate study.
MA Sports Broadcast Journalism
Bring your sports knowledge to radio, the internet or television screens for an exciting career in sports journalism.
Find out more
MA Film Production
Got a passion for filmmaking? Want to improve your professional showreel and boost your employability? Solent’s MA Film Production programme is ideally suited to students who...
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MA Post Production in Film and Television
Build your creative post-production skills to make your mark in the film and television industry. Solent’s MA Post Production in Film and Television will see you working with...
Find out moreTuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year are not yet available. For guidance, the 2025/26 fees were:
- UK, ROI, EU (settled status) and Channel Island full-time fees: £9,535 per year
- International full-time fees: £17,750 per year
For further information, please visit our tuition fees page.
Extra course costs
While most course costs are covered by your tuition fees, some essential resources and optional extras may need to be paid for separately. These additional costs are listed below. For advice on budgeting and managing your money, please contact student.funding@solent.ac.uk.
The 2026/27 additional costs are not yet available. For guidance, previous additional costs have been:
Compulsory costs
Purchase of an external hard drive (approx £50) and SD cards (approx £6-£20).
Bursaries, scholarships and financial support
Solent University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships that provide financial assistance or waive fees for tuition or accommodation. Each bursary or scholarship has specific eligibility criteria. Check out our bursaries and scholarships pages to find out more.
Solent EU Welcome Scholarship (Fee Discount)
This scholarship is available to students from an EU country, with EU nationality, who are applying for an undergraduate course starting in September 2025. The scholarship will reduce your tuition fees to £10,500 per year - this includes foundation years.
Find out more about the scholarship
Cost of living support
At Solent, we understand that the cost of living crisis may be of some concern. To help, we've put together some detailed information to show what support is available and how to make your money go further.
Graduation costs
There is no charge to attend graduation, but you will be required to pay for the rental of your academic gown (approximately £45 per graduate, depending on your award). You may also wish to purchase official photography packages, which range in price from £15 to £200+. Graduation is not compulsory, so if you prefer to have your award sent to you, there is no cost. Extra guest tickets will go on sale after results publication and will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. The cost per ticket is currently £20. Please note, we do not guarantee there will be any extra tickets available to purchase.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:Entry requirements
Please select an option below:
Key entry requirements
104-120 UCAS tariff points
- A-levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma at MMM or BTEC Diploma at D*D, a T-Level Merit, or equivalent, which comply with the minimum entry requirement of 104 UCAS points.
- All applicants will be invited for interview.
- Direct entry into the second or third years may be considered for this course.
- Applicants over the age of 21 may be considered based on relevant experience, without having the required tariff points.
- For further information about UK qualifications, please contact admissions.
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about EU qualifications, please see our course entry requirements document.
Key entry requirements
As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
For further information about international qualifications, please see our course entry requirements document.
Note to all international students requiring a visa
All international applicants need to be aware that the English language requirements to attend Solent University, and the English language requirements to obtain a visa from the Home Office, may be different. This means that if you meet the Solent University language requirement to gain a place on the course, you may still have to meet additional requirements to be granted with a visa by the Home Office.
We strongly advise all applicants to visit the Home Office website which outlines all the requirements for a successful visa application.
How to apply
Want to apply through Clearing? Contact us today
Full-time
Any student applying for the first year of a full-time/sandwich undergraduate course must apply through UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service). This includes mature, overseas and EU students.
Nearly all schools and colleges offer their students the facility of applying electronically through the UCAS website using 'Apply'; it may also be used by those applying independently in the UK and overseas. This facility and all course information can be found on the UCAS website: www.ucas.com.
Your application should reach UCAS by 31 January if you hope to enter a course the following autumn. Early application is advised for the most popular subject areas. Late applications may be made until the end of June. The UCAS Code for the University is S30, code name SOLNT.
Find out what happens after you apply
Contextual offers
Solent endeavours to offer learning opportunities to students from all backgrounds. When we receive and review an application, we take into consideration the context and personal circumstances of applicants when making a decision, which means our advertised entry tariff could be reduced.
Find out more about Solent's contextual offers
Language requirements
Applicants who do not have English as their first language will be required to demonstrate an approved level of proficiency in the use of the English language. The agreed minimum requirements for this course are:
- IELTS minimum 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each individual component
- TOEFL IBT minimum 80 with a minimum of 20 in each individual component
- Duolingo English Language Test - 115 overall with minimum of 95 in each component or equivalent.
Qualifications are checked before enrolment, and international students must bring their original certificates or certified copies when coming to study at the University.
Pre-Sessional English programme
The University also offers a pre-sessional English programme for international students who wish to improve their level of English before starting a degree course.
UCAS points: 104-120
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: Call:Make your application
- 4 years with year in industry
- 3 years
- 4 years with foundation year
- 5 years with foundation and industry years
