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International Sport Management - MSc

Currently viewing course to start in 2023/24 Entry.

The MSc International Sport Management course will provide the academic expertise and contacts to help students develop an exciting professional future in this growing industry....

  • Level Postgraduate Taught
  • Study mode Full Time/Part Time
  • Location City Centre
  • School Birmingham City Business School
  • Faculty Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences

This course is:

Overview

The MSc International Sport Management course will provide the academic expertise and contacts to help students develop an exciting professional future in this growing industry.

KPMG states that the entire global sports market – including infrastructure, events, training and sports goods – is estimated to be worth between $600-700 billion a year, and the industry growth outpaces most countries yearly GDP. Over the past decade there has been a huge increase of career opportunities in the global sport sector that require graduates with the skills, attributes and experience to thrive in such a dynamic industry.

According to Deloitte, sport business related activity will significantly outpace the average rate of growth in the wider economy well into the next decade. In terms of industries, sport now ranks among the top 15 mainstream activities in the UK economy including telecommunications, legal services and utilities.

Combining theory and practical application this course will draw heavily from executive international sport leaders, such as Manchester City Football group, Edgbaston, Birmingham City FC and ESL to name a few, to cover multiple aspects such as crisis and risk management, technology and digital innovation, marketing, events, operations and analytics.

Given the aforementioned, and input from industry, this course is designed with the scientific (MSc) nature to enhance you with the necessary numeracy and analytic skills to see you excel and progress in the global sports industry.

Professional Placement option

For our MSc International Sport Management degree, you will have the opportunity to take the Professional Placement version of the course, which is offered as an alternative to the standard version of the course.

This will allow you to complete a credit bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability and transferable skills. The placement experience will allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.

You will be responsible for finding and securing your own placement. The University, however, will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study, with support from our Careers+ team as well as advice and guidance from your School.

Please note that placements will only be confirmed following a competitive, employer-led selection process, therefore the University will not be able to guarantee placements for students who have registered for the ‘with Professional Placement’ course.

For full details, please click here.

This course is open to International students.

What's covered in this course?

Underpinning the philosophy of the course are the following purpose and objectives:

Purpose

To inspire and equip postgraduate students with further expertise to develop a high level of academic skills leading to experienced employment and career development within the fast growing ‘International Sports industry domain’

Objectives

  • Technical: to furnish students with the practical skills and expertise to add high value within the Sports industry
  • Behavioural: to nurture the appropriate levels of energy and internal/external ‘customer-centric’ behaviours to create innovative products and services
  • Cognitive: to provide students with high levels of critical reasoning and problem-solving capabilities that will ensure they stand out among their competitive set
  • Be truly international: to provide students with international experiences, making this course unique in the marketplace

All modules balance a range of relevant theory and concepts with practical application and throughout the course students reflect and apply this content into real life scenarios – enabling students to enhance and critique their learning. In short, this is a course designed to be the catalyst for students to forge a hugely successful career in the international sports industry.

Why Choose Us?

  • The course provides and immerses students in the true international nature of the industry through course content, assessments and visiting out in the field (practice).
  • You will gain a professional outlook and real-world experience by interacting with a multitude of sporting professionals and international sport organisations.
  • You will learn from academic experts of BCU across the Department of Strategy Management & Marketing (SMM).
  • Birmingham will be hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games and students will be ideally placed to take advantage of all the opportunities this will bring in the lead up to and during the event.
  • You will be provided with access to and support while using essential resources, such as journals and academic databases as well as training in relevant IT applications (SPSS and EXCEL).
  • Students will study in our state-of-the-art City Centre Campus in the UK’s second city.
  • Birmingham City University has just launched the UK's first Centre for Brexit Studies, and the recent researching all aspects of the UK's vote to leave the EU, including the impact it has on the sports industry
  • Following graduation, you will have the opportunity to apply for STEAMhouse Business Incubator membership.

OPEN DAY

Join us for an on-campus Open Day where you'll be able to meet us in person, hear from our trailblazing academics and explore our innovative £340m facilities.

Next Event: 26 November 2023

Book your place

Entry Requirements

We require one of the following:

Essential Requirements
Essential - Entry to Stage One

An honours degree of a British University or equivalent institution (minimum 2:2)

An equivalent graduate level qualification from an overseas university or equivalent institution (minimum 2:2)

A pre-masters programme approved by Birmingham City University

A pre-masters programme with a minimum of 55% average

Other qualifications will be considered on a case by case basis.

Additional information for EU/International students
Essential

Applications from international applicants with equivalent qualifications are welcome. Please see your country page for further details on the equivalent qualifications we accept.

In additional to the academic entry requirements listed above, international and EU students will also require the qualifications detailed in this table.

English language requirements 2020/21
IELTS

6.0 overall with 5.5 minimum in all bands

If you do not meet the required IELTS score, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English courses. Please note that you must have a Secure English Language Test (SELT) to study on the pre-sessional English course. More information.

Other accepted qualifications Visit our English language page

Fees & How to Apply

Please select your student status to view fees and apply
  • UK Student
  • International Student

UK students

Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.

Award: MSc

Starting: Sep 2023

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Full Time
  • 1 Year
  • £10,000 in 2023/24
  • Full Time
  • 18 Months (Professional Placement)
  • £11,000 in 2023/24
  • £1028 per 20 credits
  • Year 1 - 100 credits
  • Year 2 - 80 credits

Fees for Part-time students

This course can be studied on a Part-time study basis. The cost per year of study is based on credit requirements for that year.

International students

Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.

Award: MSc

Starting: Sep 2023

  • Mode
  • Duration
  • Fees
  • Full Time
  • 1 Year
  • £16,870 in 2023/24
  • Full Time
  • 18 Months (Professional Placement)
  • £18,557 in 2023/24

Access to computer equipment

You will require use of a laptop, and most students do prefer to have their own. However, you can borrow a laptop from the university or use one of our shared computer rooms.

Printing

You will receive £5 print credit in each year of your course, available after enrolment.

Field trips

All essential field trips and associated travel costs will be included in your course fees.

Access to Microsoft Office 365

Every student at the University can download a free copy of Microsoft Office 365 to use whilst at university and for 18 months after graduation.

Key software

You will be able to download SPSS and Nvivo to your home computer to support with your studies and research.

Key subscriptions

Subscriptions to key journals and websites and available through our library.

Excess printing (optional)

Once you have spent your £5 credit, additional printing on campus costs from 5p per sheet.

Placement expenses (optional)

If you choose to undertake a placement, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst living or working away from home.

Accommodation and living costs

The cost of accommodation and other living costs are not included within your course fees. More information on the cost of accommodation can be found in our accommodation pages.

Personal statement

You’ll need to submit a personal statement as part of your application for this course. This will need to highlight your passion for postgraduate study – and your chosen course – as well as your personal skills and experience, academic success, and any other factors that will support your application for further study.

Not sure what to include? We’re here to help – take a look at our top tips for writing personal statements and download our free postgraduate personal statement guide for further advice and examples from real students.

Course in Depth

Year One

In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 140 credits):

In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 40 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules:

All core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.

Download course specification

Download now

Employability

International

Welcome to the Birmingham City Business School, home to students from over 70 countries all around the world!

Birmingham City Business School is one of the UK’s largest, most established and most respected business schools. Our programmes are practice based and many have an international focus, which means your course will be entirely relevant to today’s business world. Almost all of our courses, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level, are open to international students.

We also have links with universities across the world, including Europe, the USA, China, India and Malaysia.

International Services

Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:

The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.

Facilities & Staff

Curzon facilities eatery
Curzon facilities staircase
Curzon facilities student hub

Our Facilities

We are constantly investing in our estate and have spent £340 million on new learning facilities.

The Curzon Building

This course is based at our City Centre Campus – and specifically The Curzon Building, alongside other Social Sciences, Law and Business students.

The £63m building offers students a unique social learning space, including a dedicated student hub incorporating student support services, in the heart of Birmingham’s Eastside development.

The Business floors house an extensive number of IT facilities, breakout areas, and specialised rooms. The Marketing Link Agency is designed to replicate a modern marketing firm, allowing students to get real-life experience of working in the marketing sector. There is also the City Trading Room, which features state of the art stock market tracking equipment, keeping you up to date with all the financial comings and goings of the London Stock Exchange and Wall Street.

The Curzon building is also conveniently close to Birmingham’s business and financial centre, allowing for strong links between your studies and the real world.

The Curzon Building also features:

  • An impressive library with access to over 65 million full text items and stunning views of Eastside City Park
  • Your Students’ Union which is located in a beautifully restored 19th century pub, The Eagle and Ball
  • A modern 300-seat food court with space to study and socialise
  • Accessible IT facilities with full Office365 for all students for free
  • Shared facilities with the wider campus including the Parkside Building and Millennium Point

Our staff

Shauna Kearney

Lecturer in Sports Management

Shauna Kearney is in the final stages of her PhD in which she theorizes and examines the role of ableism in the marketplace inclusion/exclusion experiences of people with disabilities, in the context of 2012(UK) and 2016 (Brazil) Paralympic Games. Full Profile

More about Shauna