Everything you need to know...
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What is the fee?
Home: £9,535 per year
International/EU: £17,155 per year (£1,200 for placement year) -
How long will I study?
4/5 Years
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Where will I study?
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What are the entry requirements?
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What is the UCAS code?
A043
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When do I start?
September 2025
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Placement year available?
Yes
Teaching Quality
Sheffield Hallam University is ranked 8th amongst UK providers for journalism in the Guardian University Guide 2023 league table.
Course summary
- Learn how to gather, organise, write and present sports news, features and commentary to a professional standard across a variety of platforms.
- Gain a critical understanding of the historical, cultural and global context of sport
- Equip yourself with the skills necessary to enter a competitive industry as a freelance sports journalist.
You will examine the ethical, legal and regulatory context in which sports journalists work and learn about the historical and cultural significance of sport. You will learn how to produce content for print, web, social media, radio and TV audiences. See articles written by our current students.
View our students' work
Find out more about the Media Arts and Communications department and view the work of some of our students.
How you learn
At Sheffield Hallam, all our courses are designed to engage you with the world and challenge you to think in new ways. You’ll get to collaborate with others, and you’ll be taught in a supportive environment where you can thrive.
On the course you learn how the sports department of media organisations operate, how to produce news stories, match reports, commentary, preview features, opinion pieces and personality profiles and how to research and plan sports coverage for radio and television broadcasts. You will gain an understanding of public relations and media liaison techniques, such as how to devise and organise media opportunities and how to write web pages, press releases, news items and promotional material.
Course leaders and tutors
Martin Smith
Senior Lecturer in JournalismMartin teaches on the Sports Journalism MA, Creative Writing MA and undergraduate Law for Journalists, History of Journalism, Journalism Skills, and Investigations a … Read more
Applied learning
Work Placements
You will have opportunity to study abroad in Europe, Australia or America and the option to take a placement year to work in industry.
You learn through
- Lectures
- Seminars
- Practical sessions
Future careers
This course prepares you for a career in
- newspaper sports journalism
- broadcast sports journalism
- sports public relations
- online sports journalism
- magazine sports journalism
Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for
- Talk Sport
- Liverpool FC TV
- Charlton Athletic FC
- Everton Football Club
- Leeds Rhinos
- Perform
- National Golf Magazine
- Sheffield Star
- William Hill TV
- Chesterfield Football Club
- Wolverhampton Wanderers FC
Where will I study?
You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
City Campus
City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.
City Campus map | City Campus tour
Adsetts library
Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreLearn more about your department
Media, Arts and Communications Facilities Tour
Take a look around the media, arts and communication facilities at Sheffield Hallam University with lecturer Saskia Wilson.
Equipment and facilities
On this course you work with
- Industry standard, state of the art broadcast studios and exclusive access to three news rooms.
Media Gallery
Entry requirements
All students
UCAS points
- 80 points
This must include 32 points from one A level or equivalent BTEC National qualifications. For example:
- CDD at A Level
- MMP in BTEC Extended Diploma in a relevant subject.
- Pass overall from a T level qualification with C from core.
- A combination of qualifications, which may include EPQ and general studies.
You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.
GCSE
- English Language at grade C or 4
- Maths at grade C or 4
Access - an Access to HE Diploma with at least 45 credits at level 3 and 15 credits at level 2. At least 15 level 3 credits must be at merit grade or above, from a QAA-recognised Access to HE course, or an equivalent Access to HE certificate.
If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills, or equivalent. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.0 we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score.
Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Modules
Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.
You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
Creative Synergies In Media Production
Media In Context
Media Project
Preparing For Independent Practice And Study
Year 2
Compulsory modules
Broadcast Journalism
Live Event Reporting
Sport And Popular Culture
Sports Writing
Year 3
Compulsory modules
Content Creation
Media Law, Regulation And Government
Research And Investigation Skills
Sports Newsday
Elective modules
Study Abroad - Creative Industries
Year 4
Optional modules
Placement Year
Final year
Compulsory modules
Long Form Journalism
Sports Journalism Research Project
Sports News Live
Working In Sports Media
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fee for UK students on full-time undergraduate degree courses in 2025/26 is £9,535 per year (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during your placement year). These fees are regulated by the UK government and therefore subject to change in future years. We are currently reviewing our tuition fees for the foundation year stage of this course following the Government announcement of fee changes for some foundation year courses and will confirm fees as soon as possible.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £17,155 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.
Financial support for home/EU students
How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.
Additional course costs
The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
General course additional costs
Additional costs for Media, PR and journalism courses (PDF, 331.5KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
