BA (Hons) Sport Business Management with Foundation Year

Why study this subject?

Studying Sport Business Management will open many doors for you in commercial and operational management roles throughout the UK and beyond.

Organisations are constantly on the lookout for skilled and qualified managers so having this degree will help you stand out from the crowd to future employers.

You should have a strong interest in sport and be keen to develop strong leadership qualities along with a desire to understand the unique challenges that face this fast-paced, energetic and exciting area.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

At BNU, we always strive to give you ‘real world’ experience which will prepare you to step confidently into your future career. While you study with us, you’ll be tasked by local businesses to help with live projects meaning before you even graduate, you’ll be making valuable industry connections.

We’ve designed this course in a way that will help you develop personal enterprise, an innovative and curious nature, and important entrepreneurial capabilities. Studying with us really will give you the competitive edge when heading into employment.

We can offer our students access to the incredible professional network we’ve spent many years cultivating. You’ll interact with lots of different people within the sports and business industries.

What’s more, with our campus being so close to London, we have some amazing opportunities for our students to complete placements and work experience with top sports organisations.

We have a bustling business department packed with expertise. We believe in breaking down barriers and offering our students deeper connections with our teaching staff through intimate class sizes and personal support.

Our lecturers have extensive industry and academic experience meaning they can help you mix theory and practice. We also welcome guest speakers from the industry, many of them being ex-students, so you can get a real feel for the doors that will be open to you when you graduate.

Finally, we run Bizfest every year, where successful business leaders visit the university to share their thoughts on business ventures and the future of their industries.

What facilities can I use?

We have a state-of-the-art gym and our human performance laboratory is home to an indoor, three-lane running track that has 3D motion-capture technology.

This facility helps to enhance athletes’ performance through improved technique, and also assists with injury prevention and rehabilitation.

The lab is also equipped for assessing a range of physiological, biomechanical and psychological parameters meaning you’ll always have lots of choice when it comes to designing a research experiment.

What will I study?

You’ll focus on areas like marketing, finance, digital media and operations whilst also developing your entrepreneurial skills and becoming more confident in making crucial business decisions.

We make sure that through studying this course, you’ll develop as a person, gaining new abilities in strategic thinking, problem solving and communication.

Across your three years with us you’ll look at fascinating areas of sport and business such as financial decision making, sports business, sport and society, strategic marketing, broadcasting and media, diversity and well-being, sponsorship and events, tourism and entrepreneurship.

In your final year, you’ll work closely with your personal tutor on a research dissertation project, meaning you can dive more deeply into an area that you’re really passionate about.

How will I be taught and assessed?

This course is offered as a four-year programme, including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate degree.

We aim to provide you with a balance of industry knowledge and experience as well as the underpinning academic theory, meaning you will have important transferable skills making you into a culturally aware, prepared and confident graduate.

In classroom-based learning, we’ll look at current theory, concepts and research in lectures, interactive seminars and workshops as well as small-group activities and debates.

There will be a variety of assessment methods used throughout the course, the majority of which are coursework based so expect to work on things like essays, presentations and reflective assignments.

Placements Plus

You’ll be given the opportunity to spend an optional year on placement, where you'll experience the real world of sport business in a professional environment. BNU is a Placements Plus university. So, whatever degree you do, you can be sure there’ll be plenty of industry-relevant opportunities on offer, to help you get into your chosen field.

We’ll also prepare you for work beforehand, with special skills for work training, further boosting your CV, and building skills employers will value. In recognition of the value we place on these skills we have incorporated this experience into your study time.

Placements Plus is all about helping you get some valuable experience under your belt while you’re a student, to increase your choices later, and help you get the graduate-level job you want.