A one-year practical sports journalism course that is professionally accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists.
Why study Sports Journalism?
If you have a passion for sport and want to become a journalist, you need to acquire the skills and knowledge employers are looking for today. Our comprehensive training programme is taught in partnership with award winning journalists who can give you the head start you need.
Why St Mary's?
Our course offers one of the best routes into the industry. We will train you to become a journalist for the digital age covering everything from the traditional match report to the latest skills in multimedia journalism. Our graduates work in every sector of the industry.
You will find them at the BBC, Sky Sports News, BT Sport, CNN, Perform, IMG and most national newspapers in the UK. Recent graduates have secured sports reporting jobs with Metro, the Manchester Evening News, Scottish Rugby, the Daily Mirror, BBC News, Mail Online, Fulham FC, Squawka, and Sky Sports.
We were the first Sports Journalism MA degree course to be professionally accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ).
Editors and sports journalists recommend our course because we train our students to industry standards. They visit the campus regularly to offer career advice, talk about work placements and to keep you up to speed with the latest developments in sport and the media. We guarantee every student a work placement and there are often opportunities to earn while you learn.
We are also committed to diversity in journalism. We have trained more women sports journalists that any other course in the UK.
Teaching methods
We select 20 students each year who will embark on a demanding training course taught by professional journalists, broadcasters and academics. Our course is very practical and interactive reflecting the realities of a typical newsroom rather than a traditional classroom.
We teach four days a week (Tuesdays to Fridays) between September and May, with specific periods in the year set aside for work experience. Teaching includes study trips to Sky Sports News, Parliament and sporting venues, plus two weeks intensive training with our partners at News Associates and Sportsbeat.
In the summer term you will work with a supervisor on a project of your choice. This could be a documentary, a website, a multimedia sports story or a professional placement.
Assessment methods
Our approach to assessment reflects industry practice. There is plenty of scope to be creative. Tasks include writing regular stories for immediate publication, sub-editing, participating in editorial meetings and working in teams on live news days. We work to strict deadlines and you will get the opportunity to present your work to editors at Sky Sports News.
You will also sit the NCTJ Diploma Exams in Sports Journalism, Reporting, Media Law, Public Affairs, Shorthand, and Court Reporting.
Key facts
- Taught by award winning journalists and broadcasters.
- Acquire the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism in addition to a master's degree.
- Outstanding work experience, networking and career opportunities.
- Develop your digital media skills and commercial awareness.
- Graduate with a portfolio of by-lines and published multimedia journalism.