“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: 2025
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: SJ04
Institution code: S30
UCAS points: 48Flexible entry options available
Campus: Southampton City CentreView on Google Maps
Why study a sports journalism with foundation and placement years
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.
- Top0in the UK for teaching in journalism studies, out of 50 institutions (NSS 2024)
- Top0in the UK for learning resources in journalism studies, out of 50 institutions (NSS 2024)
- 0%positivity score for academic support (NSS 2024)
- 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.
- Gain valuable first-hand work experience with a year-long full-time work placement between the second and third years of your degree.
- This course is accredited by the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC), which works with the biggest broadcasters in the UK to ensure the highest professional standards of journalism training.
- Solent is ranked 11th in the UK for student satisfaction in communication and media studies (out of 91 institutions) (Complete University Guide 2025)
- You’ll be a practising journalist from day one, developing skills across print, broadcast, online and social media.
- 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. Our students have recently completed placements at prestigious organisations including the BBC, Sky Sports, TalkSport, Capital FM, LBC, Daily Mail, Daily Echo as well as Southampton FC, Reading FC, and Hampshire Cricket Club.
- The course is constantly refined to meet the needs of the modern sports journalism industry, training you to produce a comprehensive news package that will engage and excite your audience.
- 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.
- Access to industry-standard broadcast facilities including television and radio studios, editing and production facilities, as well as professional grade camera, audio and lighting equipment.
- Solent University is the official education partner of Southampton Football Club, while the nearby Ageas Bowl is home to Hampshire Cricket Club and hosts regular national and international matches.
Course overview
Solent’s foundation year in media offers students a stimulating introduction to develop technical, creative and academic skills across a range of media platforms before beginning the BA (Hons) Sports Journalism undergraduate degree.
Understanding that students are joining the foundation year from a range of previous experiences, the course is specifically designed to acclimatise students to the university experience.
In the foundation year you will be encouraged to produce traditional media productions, then start to identify your own storytelling voice and signature style. You will lastly be introduced to the significance of the creative industries within the UK economy and will be encouraged to begin positioning yourself within this growing and exciting sector. Upon successful completion you can go on to the three-year degree.
Taught by professionally qualified staff, you will develop a strong understanding of the industry, and get opportunities to pursue valuable work experience in the real world for the placement year.
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.
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 Ageas 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.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: admissions.international@solent.ac.ukCall: +44 (0)23 8201 5066Accredited 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.
Course features
Foundation year available
If you're not quite ready for a full undergraduate degree, there's alternative entry through one of our foundation years
Specialist facilities
This course has access to specialist facilities
Further studies
After successfully completing your studies, there's an opportunity to continue your studies at Solent
Placement year
If you apply for this course with a placement year, you have the opportunity to undertake a year in industry between your second and third years
Study abroad
You have the opportunity to study abroad in one of our partner universities for a semester on this course
Who is this course for?
This foundation year is designed to help you build basic media making skills ahead of starting a full undergraduate media-related degree at Solent. Typical candidates either haven’t yet met the entry requirements needed to start on the first year of an undergraduate course or have spent time away from education.
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
Belonging (Media Design)
You will learn to present complex creative ideas in visual and compelling ways, work with others as a member of a collaborative group, become a student of the university, and meet with staff from your progression course.
Stories (Narrative Media Project)
On this module, you will be breaking down the theoretical and practical building blocks that stories are made from in order to become a better storyteller yourself.
Projects (Online Media Project)
This module will not only be an opportunity to undertake a creative project it will also teach you all about how projects work and how to ensure you get the best out of collaboration with a project team.
Discovery (Research for Media Making)
This module will teach you to find good quality information and to effectively present it. You will be eased into the process of exploring and accessing good quality sources of information in a variety of ways.
Ambitions (Individual Media Project)
This module will give you opportunities for further exploration of your own chosen field of media practice which leads to a deeper understanding of your own individual path through your course.
My Place in the Creative Industries (Media Industries)
By undertaking your own research about the branch of the creative industries you want to work in you will begin to build an understanding of the nature of work and employment in the sector.
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.
Access Solent 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 Futures
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.
If you're in your final year, we also have graduate job opportunities just for Solent graduates.
6th
UK uni for sustained employment
Longitudinal Educational Outcomes, 2022
Accredited by
Accredited by:
Further study
Thinking about studying further than an undergraduate degree? Alumni can get 20% off their postgraduate study.
MA Sports Broadcast Journalism
Want to bring your sports knowledge to radio, the internet or television screens? Solent’s Sports Broadcast Journalism master’s degree is an advanced course designed to help...
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year are:
- UK, EU (settled status) and Channel Island full-time fees: £9,250 per year
- International full-time fees: £15,050 for foundation level. Fees will increase for year 1.
- International full-time fees: £17,750 per year
- UK, EU (settled status) and Channel Island placement year fee: £1,650
- International placement year fee: £1,650
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 2025/26 other costs are not yet available. For guidance, the 2024/25 other costs were:
Optional costs
Purchase of an external hard drive (£50) and SD cards (£6-£20) is recommended.
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.
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 £15. Please note, we do not guarantee there will be any extra tickets available to purchase.
Student finance videos
Student finance Video transcript, with a description of visuals available.Student funding - the essentials Video transcript, with a description of visuals available.
Entry requirements
Please select an option below:
Key entry requirements
48 UCAS tariff points
- A-levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma at PPP or BTEC Diploma at MP, a T-Level Pass (D or E), or equivalent.
- We will consider mature students who have not recently undertaken a formal course of study at A-level, or equivalent, but can demonstrate relevant work or voluntary experience, that's indicative of their ability to complete the course successfully.
- 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.
48UCAS points
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email: admissions.international@solent.ac.ukCall: +44 (0)23 8201 5066How to apply
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.
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 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each individual 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.
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.
Make your application
- 4 years with year in industry
- 3 years
- 4 years with foundation year
- 5 years with foundation and industry years
