BA (Hons) Sports Journalism

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Journalism at USW rated top in Wales for learning opportunities, assessment, academic support, student voice and overall satisfaction. _{National Student Survey 2023}

Wales’ capital, Cardiff, is home to our Atrium campus as well as a host of top sporting venues – and it could be yours too as you study for a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism in this lively city.

From the Principality Stadium, to the Viola Arena, Sophia Gardens to Cardiff City Stadium, there is something for every sporting preference.

Our vocational sports journalism degree will provide you with plenty of opportunities to develop your journalistic skills as well as gain an understanding of how media communications work in relation to sport. You will be taught by highly experienced practitioners and academics with excellent industry links and who understand the ever-evolving world of sports media.

Across the three years of your sports journalism degree, you will gain live experience via weekly practical sessions at our Sport Park in Treforest, where you will report on British Universities and Colleges Sport. By the time you get to the final year, you will have had the chance to meet and learn from journalists, media professionals and top sportsmen and women.

You will produce content for online, print, social media, television and radio and develop highly transferable media communication skills alongside gaining an understanding of the social, political and economic aspects of the global sports industry. As your skills develop you will build an industry-relevant portfolio to showcase your capabilities to future employers. Your work will be published on Exposport and on your own websites.

A purpose-built city-centre campus in Cardiff, the home of creative industries

2023
2024

UCAS Code	Study Mode 2023	Duration	Start Date	Campus	Campus Code
6B27	Full-time	3 Years	September	Cardiff (ATRiuM)	B

UCAS Code	Study Mode 2024	Duration	Start Date	Campus	Campus Code
6B27	Full-time	3 Years	September	Cardiff (ATRiuM)	B

Your production skills will be developed through a series of practical modules which underpin your learning and form the foundations of your sports journalism degree.

Based primarily on USW’s newest campus, you will benefit from industry standard studios and equipment which will enable you to practice and reflect on what you are taught. The multimedia nature of the sports journalism degree means you will learn how to work with words, sounds and pictures across all platforms.

To support this, you will explore the importance of media law and ethics, and know how to apply this knowledge and critical thinking to your journalism.

Learning as you do is a key part of your experience and work placement opportunities will further enhance your understanding of the industry and what you need to succeed in it. Our students have undertaken work placements at Wimbledon, BBC Wales, the Football Association of Wales, Swansea City Football Club, Newport Gwent Dragons, Hockey Wales and Cardiff City Football Club, to name a few.

Year one - Sports Journalism degree

Sports Journalism in Practice
Essential Sports Reporting
Fundamentals of Photographic Practice for Sports Journalism
Sport, Leisure & Social Cultures
Promotion and Marketing in Sport
Law and Ethics for Journalists

Year two - Sports Journalism degree

Advanced Sports Reporting
Photography / video for Sport
Digital Marketing & PR in Sport
Mobile Sports Journalism
Behind the Sports Headlines
Sports Career Portfolio (1)

Year three - Sports Journalism degree

Media Ethics
Major Sports Project
Advanced News Production for Sport
Dissertation
Sports Career Portfolio (2)

Teaching

You will be taught via a series of lectures, seminars and workshops as well as individual tutorials. Some will be on campus, some in the field as you learn your craft.

Assessment on the Sports Journalism degree is primarily by coursework, with an occasional test or exam in subjects such as law.

Lecturers

We regularly revalidate courses for quality assurance and enhancement

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

The entry criteria below reflect our standard entry requirements for the course for September 2023. However, all applications received by the University are reviewed holistically and individually. Entry criteria for September 2024 is changing and will be published on ucas.com from 8th May 2023. Entry criteria for September 2024 will be updated on our website from the end of October 2023.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions. USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university. Here is a link to our Contextual Admissions Policy.

Other qualifications and experience

We can also consider combinations of qualifications and other qualifications not listed here may also be acceptable. We can sometimes consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or advanced entry to year two or three of a course where this is possible.

To find out which qualifications have tariff points, please refer to the UCAS tariff calculator.

If you need more help or information or would like to speak to our friendly admissions team, please contact us here

Applicants in the UK

Selection for this course is based on a suitable application. If you do not meet the entry criteria you may also be required to attend an interview to help us assess your suitability for the course.

Applicants outside the UK

Selection for this course is based on a suitable application and submission of a portfolio of your work which the Course Leader confirms is suitable for an offer to be made.

Typical A-Level Offer

BCC - CDD (this is equivalent to 104-80 UCAS tariff points).

Typical Welsh BACC Offer

Pass the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma with Grade C/D in the Skills Challenge Certificate and BC - CD at A Level (this is equivalent to 104-80 UCAS tariff points).

Typical BTEC Offer

BTEC Extended Diploma Distinction Merit Merit - Merit Merit Pass (this is equivalent to 112-80 UCAS tariff points).

Typical Access to HE Offer

Pass the Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 80 UCAS tariff points

Additional Requirements

GCSEs: The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.

International Entry Requirements

In general, international applicants will need to have achieved an IELTS grade of 7.5 or equivalent in all four elements of reading, writing, speaking and listening.

However, if you have previously studied through the medium of English IELTS might not be required, but please visit the country specific page on our international website for exact details. If your country is not featured please contact us.

English Requirements

We also welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications. Please visit the country specific pages on our international website for exact details.

Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee will remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course

August 2023 - July 2024 Fees

Full-time UK: £9000
Full-time International: £14100

August 2024 - July 2025 Fees

Full-time UK: TBC
Full-time International: £14950

Student Perks

At the University of South Wales, you’re investing in so much more than a degree. We strive to provide our students with the best possible experience, no matter what you chose to study. Whether it’s access to top of the range mac books and PCs, state-of-the-art facilities packed with industry-leading equipment and software, masterclasses and events led by industry experts, or a wide range of clubs and societies to meet likeminded people, better tomorrows start with extra perks.

Each course also has their own unique student benefits to prepare you for the real word, and details of these can be found on our course pages. From global field trips, integrated work experience and free course-related resources, to funded initiatives, projects working with real employers, and opportunities for extra qualifications and accreditations - at USW your future, is future-proofed.

Click here to learn more about student perks at USW.

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.

* Obligatory

Item	Cost
Smartphone capable of shooting stills and video *	£250
Travel to and from events and/or matches *	£200
Minimum 64gb Hard Drive *	£50
Subscription to quality broadsheet newspaper	£50
Press card *	£30
Textbooks (all academic years) *	£80

Funding

Funding to help pay for (or cover) course tuition fees and living costs

Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

To learn about course fees, funding options, and to see if you are eligible for financial support, visit our Fees and Funding pages.

UK students

Apply via UCAS if you are a UK residing applicant, applying for year one of a full-time undergraduate degree, Foundation Year, Foundation Degree or HND and you have not applied through UCAS before. If you are applying to study part-time, to top up your Foundation Degree or HND, or to transfer to USW from another institution, please apply directly.

International and EU students

Apply directly to the University if you live outside the UK.

Admissions statement

Our Careers and Employability Service

As a USW student, you will have access to advice from the Careers and Employability Service throughout your studies and after you graduate.

This includes: one-to-one appointments from faculty based Career Advisers, in person, over the phone or even on Skype and through email via the "Ask a Question" service. We also have extensive online resources for help with considering your career options and presenting yourself well to employers. Resources include psychometric tests, career assessments, a CV builder, interview simulator and application help. Our employer database has over 2,000 registered employers targeting USW students, you can receive weekly email alerts for jobs.

Our Careers service has dedicated teams: A central work experience team to help you find relevant placements; an employability development team which includes an employability programme called Grad Edge; and an Enterprise team focused on new business ideas and entrepreneurship.

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