Sports Journalism MA



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(3rd of 49) - The Guardian University Guide 2023

Overview

Scotland’s historic capital city is home to the long-established journalism programme at Edinburgh Napier University. Building on the success of our existing multi-platform courses, MA Sports Journalism specialises in digital storytelling for sports coverage in print, online and broadcast. The course utilises the university’s journalism facilities: our multi-platform digital newsroom and studios for both television and radio. 

The sports journalism marketplace has expanded exponentially, driven by technological change, with traditional media supplemented by web-based publishing, digital radio and TV. Broadcast sport schedules and print sections have been extended and new media like podcasts, video platforms and websites have driven an expansion of user-generated content, including fan media. 

You will learn and develop a wide range of the practical skills of sports journalism, commentary and punditry for TV, radio, podcast, online and newspapers. 

Edinburgh Napier University focusses on employability and our journalism programme benefits from industry links with media companies and with sporting organisations. As well as being the subject of sports coverage, the sport bodies and clubs increasingly employ in-house journalism teams to produce video and written content for their channels.  

If you have any questions, please email programme leader David Tanner at d.tanner@napier.ac.uk

Due to extremely high demand for our programmes starting in September 2023, we are no longer accepting applications from international applicants for this programme. We’re sorry that you won’t be able to join us in September.

Audience in the football stadium

Mode of Study:

Full-time

Duration:

1 years

Course details

Scotland enjoys a global reputation as a sports nation: it is the home of golf and the birthplace of both international rugby and international football; this university operates in the centre of a country where sport matters. 

If you have a passion for the world of sport and you have an interest in media, Edinburgh Napier University will provide you with the foundation on which to enter and build a career in the sports media sphere. 

Our broadcast studios and multimedia newsrooms provide an industry setting for students to experience the thrill of sports and sports news journalism. You will learn how to operate recording and editing equipment for television (Avid), radio (Burli) and podcasts. 

You will participate in live “newsdays” which simulate the excitement of a day in the life of a multimedia digital newsroom.  

You will develop your analytical and critical skills to hone your writing, communication and research techniques. 

You will gain access to our industry connections, with your studies enhanced by guest lectures and work placements. You will be given opportunities to develop industry contacts and to work in publishing/broadcasting before you graduate. 

Your understanding of the sports media landscape will be broadened on field trips to live sport events (men and women’s fixtures) and the associated press activities.  

The course is taught by a team of media professionals-academics with a background in broadcasting, newspapers, online for such media organisations as Sky Sports, BBC, talkSPORT, BT Sport, STV, The Scotsman, Olympic Broadcast Services, Channel 4, Sky News, Radio Clyde, Talk Radio, The Times and The Sunday Times.   

*Field trips may incur additional transport costs 
  • calendar

    How you’ll be taught

     This is a one-year (full-time) course, starting in September and split into three trimesters. Teaching methods combine lectures with specialist workshops in our newsrooms and independent study.  

    You will be taught to use software such as Burli (audio), Avid (video) to edit and broadcast and have access to Radio ENRG and our TV studio. 
  • note and pen

    Assessments

     You will be continuously assessed and given feedback on ‘live’ newsdays, producing an online news website along with TV and radio bulletins.  

    You will complete the programme by producing a Major Project, an in-depth piece of sports journalism, either video or audio, text or online. 
  • briefcase

    Work placement

     To help you develop industry contacts and the opportunity to publish and broadcast, students are encouraged, in consultation with their lecturers, to seek a minimum of 15 days work experience placements as part of the course. 
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    Facilities

     Our Merchiston campus, situated in the heart of Edinburgh, is home to the School of Creative Industries, as well as engineering and computing students.  

    We have excellent facilities including a digital newsroom, a TV studio, a live radio studio (home to our student station, ENRG Radio), a voiceover booth and a podcast studio. 

Meet the course leader

Course leader David Tanner

The course leader is David Tanner MSc. David presented live football on Sky Sports. He has also hosted on BT Sport, STV News, and Sky Sports News and Sky News in London. David has covered sport in over 30 countries, including the Tokyo Olympics. He is talkSPORT’s Scotland Correspondent.

Disclaimer

Study modules mentioned above are indicative only. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Full information is available in our disclaimer.

Entry requirements

What are the entry requirements for Sports Journalism?

The entry requirement for this course is a Bachelor (Honours) Degree at a 2:1 or above in any discipline.

We may also consider lesser qualifications if you have sufficient professional experience in sports or the media industries.

You may also be asked to attend an interview with one of our staff team. This could happen online or in person at our Merchiston campus.

Can I get admission into Sports Journalism based on my working experience in this sector?

This course has academic entry requirements which are assessed alongside relevant work experience. Full details of any relevant work experience, including references should be submitted with your application and may be considered for entry where the minimum academic entry requirements are below those required.

Usually, unrelated work experience is not considered sufficient for entry without meeting the minimum academic entry requirements. Please contact us with your specific circumstances by submitting an enquiry form above and we will be happy to discuss your options.

Can I make an appointment with an advisor to discuss further about the admission process?

If you want to get more information on the admission process, please get in touch with the Postgraduate admissions team by submitting an enquiry form above.

 

If your first language isn't English, you'll normally need to undertake an approved English language test.  The English Language requirements for this programme are IELTS (Academic) with an overall score of 6.5 with no individual component score of less than 6.0.  For guidance on the acceptability of other English Language tests please contact pgadmissions@napier.ac.uk

This may not apply if you have completed all your school qualifications in English, or your undergraduate degree was taught and examined in English (within two years of starting your postgraduate course). Check our country pages to find out if this applies to you.

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.
Entry requirements by country

Please note that international students are unable to enrol onto the following courses:
  • BN Nursing/MSc Nursing (Pre-registration) (Adult, Mental Health, Child, Learning Disabilities)
  • BM Midwifery/MM Midwifery
  • All Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

See who can apply for more information on Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

We’re committed to admitting students who have the potential to succeed and benefit from our programmes of study. 

Our admissions policies will help you understand our admissions procedures, and how we use the information you provide us in your application to inform the decisions we make.

Undergraduate admissions policies
Postgraduate admissions policies

Fees & funding

The course fees you'll pay and the funding available to you will depend on a number of factors including your nationality, location, personal circumstances and the course you are studying. We also have a number of bursaries and scholarships available to our students.

Tuition fees
Students From 2023/24 2024/25
Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland £6,930 tba
Overseas and EU £17,090 tba
Please note tuition fees are subject to an annual review and may increase from one year to the next. For more information on this and other Tuition Fee matters please see Frequently Asked Questions about Fees Click this link for Information of Bursaries and Scholarships
The University offers a 20% discount on Postgraduate Taught Masters programmes to its alumni. The discount applies to all full-time, part-time and online programmes. The discount can only be applied to year one of a full-time Postgraduate degree, any additional years are exempt from the discount. For part time Postgraduate degrees the discount will apply to years one, two and three only and any additional years will be exempt from the discount.
Please note that the tuition fees liable to be paid by EU nationals commencing their studies from 1 August 2021 will be the Overseas fee rate. The University offers a range of attractive Tuition Fee bursaries to students resident in specific countries. More information on these can be found here.


Careers

  • Reporter
  • Commentator 
  • News Editor 
  • Digital Editor 
  • Feature writer 
  • Sports correspondent 
  • Producer for broadcast and online 
  • Broadcaster 
  • Podcaster 
  • Analyst/Pundit 
  • Presenter