Are you passionate about sport? Do you want to develop the journalistic skills to bring sport to life for audiences, help people understand what makes the industry tick and what happens off the sports field, as well as on it?
Sports Journalism is about much more than match reports and events coverage. It’s about unearthing the stories behind the headlines and understanding the broader context that the sports industry operates in.
Our vocational approach blends theory, practical skills development and professional work experience. You’ll learn key journalistic skills, such as how to source, research and compile news stories, how to film stories and put together audio packages, and how to write shorthand.
These practical skills are only part of the picture. We’ll also develop your knowledge of journalism theory to help you understand the context in which news is produced, along with law and the social, ethical and political impact of journalism on society.
You’ll learn about the place sport has in today’s culture, as well as the business of sport including sports advertising, sponsorship and staging multisport events.
During your studies, you’ll be able to develop a professional portfolio of work and gain journalism experience through the professional work placements included in your degree. Your learning environment will simulate the professional news environment, with newsrooms and industry-standard TV and broadcast studios on campus.
You’ll have access to industry-standard spaces and equipment including production rooms, Mac and PC editing suites and TV, radio and photography studios. These specialist facilities will enable you to develop your practical and technical skills, produce a portfolio of professional work across different media platforms and prepare you for your graduate career in the industry.
You will study a variety of modules across your programme of study. The module details given below are subject to change and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
During your first year, you'll study two core modules.
Learn the essential skills you need to be a sports journalist.
You'll produce sports content for online, social media, TV and radio, developing your skills in photography, interviewing and online presentation.
You'll learn about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), visual communication, sourcing sports stories and story development.
You'll also get an introduction to media law and industry regulation.
You'll develop your practical sports journalism skills, build your theoretical knowledge and complete five weeks of professional placement.
We'll increasingly focus on multimedia production in this module.
You'll write sports content for online, social media and radio.
You'll develop your skills in online presentation, SEO, visual communication, television mobile journalism, photography, interviewing, sourcing sports stories, story development and audience analytics.
You'll also take part in live newsroom production.
In the theoretical journalism strand, you'll learn academic skills such as literature searching, citation and referencing and academic writing.
We'll introduce theoretical concepts and the role of journalism and sports journalism in society, aligning these perspectives with practical work, current media practice and journalistic role.
You'll also work on your professional development, including interview and presentation skills, and we'll cover the standards needed in the workplace.
You'll complete five weeks of professional placement, which can be organised over the year or as a block.
During your second year, you'll study three core modules and will be required to choose one option module.
You'll develop your skills in key areas of sports writing through practical exercises.
We'll cover previews, live coverage, the aftermath and specialist reporting.
The practical work is in the context of sports reporting issues, including sources in the sports industry and the role of digital skills in research and publication.
You'll build your professional development skills to prepare for your six weeks of placements.
These could be completed across the year, one day a week, or in a block at the end.
Develop your academic skills, focussing on critical analysis of the off-the-field aspects of sports reporting.
We'll demonstrate how academic understanding can enhance and sharpen journalistic practice.
You'll investigate the influence of social, economic and political power on the media presentation of global sports, exploring how different theories can throw light on a range of stories.
As a sports journalist, you will cover a West Yorkshire team or sport as a patch reporter for ten weeks.
You'll go to press conferences, games and events and file content to an outward-facing sports news online platform.
Develop your production and story-telling skills, working as a team to produce a seven-minute short film.
You'll learn the process of development, research, production, post-production, and the crucial role of narrative structure.
We'll explore the ethics behind the creative treatment of actuality, and provide a theoretical understanding of the role of non-fiction media products and their historical development.
You'll create a varied portfolio of magazine and feature writing through practical exercises.
These will involve using authoritative sources, research and interview skills, writing styles and the role of the internet for research and publication.
We'll explore the magazine market and develop your craft production skills, allowing you to create your own magazine.
You'll learn interview skills, how to write for radio and podcasts, how to edit audio, and the skills needed to compile, write and deliver a news bulletin and podcast.
You'll get an understanding of radio and podcasting and the context in which they operate, including OFCOM regulation, marketplaces and audiences.
During your final year, you'll study two core modules and will be required to choose one option module.
You'll have the opportunity to undertake a practical work-based project, intervention or professional development project in a workplace setting. You'll be expected to negotiate a project with your work partner or prior placement provider that meets the needs of yourself and Leeds Trinity University.
This will enable you to develop and negotiate learning outcomes and assessment modes that provide you with the flexibility to apply both theoretical understanding and practical work-based development to a chosen context.
You'll be put into teams running competing newsrooms covering sports stories.
You'll have rolling responsibilities, such as editor, video, social media or syndication.
You'll produce content for a website, aiming to build a significant online audience.
There will also be two media law refresher sessions at the start of the year.
Working on real-life case studies, you'll examine the context of public relations and promotions in the media and explore the methods used by industry professionals.
Techniques include news releases, media relations, events, social media and digital promotions.
You'll produce a portfolio and presentation as part of a team.
You'll get to work on real-life case studies and attend talks by business partners and guest speakers from the industry.
You'll devise, research and produce a ten-minute documentary film.
In sessions, you'll get a theoretical understanding of the nature, impact and role of contemporary documentaries as well as practical aspects of production.
This includes devising and researching programme ideas, finding key contributors, preparing and executing single-camera location filming and story-telling in the editing process.
In an intensive period of self-directed team-based production, you'll create a professional-quality documentary and a legal binder of industry-standard production documents.
You'll also supply an individual critical analysis of the finished film, your role, what you learned and how you would do better in the future.
Hone your professional public interest reporting skills and enhance your employability by working towards the NCTJ shorthand diploma.
You'll explore the role of journalism in a democracy and civic communities.
You'll learn shorthand note-taking to reach speeds of 60-100wpm.
You'll work independently outside the taught shorthand sessions to put your shorthand to practical use by attending council meetings and court and other public meetings, creating a reporting portfolio.
Learn practical TV and social media skills.
You'll produce television and social media artefacts, and develop your skills in production and presentation.
During the module, you'll contribute to a live radio show broadcast on BCB Radio and produce a three-minute radio news package.
You'll edit audio using Adobe Audition's multi-track editor, and learn about radio programme production and advanced storytelling using audio.
You'll get a deeper understanding of radio and podcast production.
Consolidate your skills from your degree course by producing a dissertation, a work-based learning project with a portfolio, or an artefact (which could be a portfolio).
All routes involve detailed research, working with university supervision and relevant sources, experts, industry professionals and work partners.
Experience matters. That's why we embed professional work placements within the majority of our standard undergraduate degrees.
Careers+Placements will work with you to find a placement or help you to arrange your own, whether that's in Leeds, another part of the UK or even abroad. You will be able to take part in a series of workshops, events and live ‘employer challenges’ to boost your confidence and prepare you for your placement.
During your placement, you could have an opportunity to gain degree-relevant work experience, build your knowledge of career sectors and secure valuable employer references and industry contacts. This experience will help you to shape your career decisions and find the right path for you.
Our students complete placements at a wide range of organisations, from the BBC and Sky Sports, to Wakefield Wildcats and the Yorkshire Evening Post. Many students have gone on to gain employment with their placement provider, so it’s a great opportunity to not only enhance your skills – but to get a job!
To find out how we can help you make your career ambitions a reality, visit:
Leeds Trinity University is committed to recruiting students with talent and potential and who we feel will benefit greatly from their academic and non-academic experiences here. We treat every application on its own merits; we value highly the experience you illustrate in your personal statement.
Information about the large range of qualifications we accept, including A-Levels, BTECs and T Levels, can be found on our entry requirements page. If you need additional advice or are taking qualifications that are not covered in the information supplied, please contact our Admissions Office.
Leeds Trinity University is committed to recruiting students with talent and potential and who we feel will benefit greatly from their academic and non-academic experiences here. We treat every application on its own merits; we value highly the experience you illustrate in your personal statement.
The following information is designed to give you a general overview of the qualifications we accept. If you are taking qualifications that are not included below, please contact our Admissions Office who will be happy to advise you.
| UCAS tariff | 112-104 |
For full-time undergraduate courses, you apply through UCAS. That's the University and Colleges Admissions Service.
On your application form, you'll need to know our institution code - it's L24 - and the course code. If you click through to the UCAS website using the button below, it'll take you to the right place with all the information you need.
As part of your application, you'll need to write a personal statement - we've prepared a guide to help you.
There's lots more information about the application process on the UCAS website, or you can get in touch with our Admissions team who will be happy to help:
Providing you with the opportunity to develop the professional skills and experience you need to launch your career is at the heart of everything we do at Leeds Trinity University.
Our graduates work in regional and national organisations covering broadcast (TV and radio), online and print. You’ll also develop transferable skills such as writing, communication and interviewing, which has prepared many of our students for roles in PR and marketing.
After you graduate, Careers and Placements will help you as you pursue your chosen career through our mentoring scheme, support with CV and interview preparation and access to graduate employability events.
To find out how we can help you make your career ambitions a reality, visit: