Sport Journalism with Foundation Year

Available for September or January intakes.

Course overview: This course includes a foundation year - ideal if you need additional preparation or if you don't have sufficient grades to join Year 1. Do you see yourself reporting from Wembley Stadium, live from an international Grand Prix event, or breaking local news stories? Do you want to learn how to file a match report and interview leading athletes?

You learn practical and professional skills, developing your confidence to produce journalistic content for a range of platforms including TV, radio, print and social media. You explore breaking news on social media, live coverage, traditional news, analysis, features, explainers and other investigative pieces. Build on your editorial judgement and presentation skills by assembling bulletins, features and news packages for our unique platform TUXtra.

You learn how to shoot and edit video and audio, produce sports news packages to deadlines, research and interview, create campaigns, project manage and engage with sports audiences on social media. You can also undertake a short-term on-campus work placement with Teesside Online, part of Reach PLC – one of the largest media companies in the UK. This helps you develop employment prospects with real-world experience.

Top reasons to study this course:

1. Industry connections: we have long-standing, established relationships with several industry partners such as the BBC, Newsquest, Reach PLC and Middlesbrough Football Club, so you benefit from supportive voices, specialist expertise, shared wisdom, new ideas, a helping hand or a friendly catch-up, establishing critical relationships that can propel you into a sport journalism career.
2. Hands-on experience: you build your own creative voice, develop an impressive portfolio of published work and have the opportunity to report on live football at Middlesbrough Football Club. You can then become a practising journalist and publish your stories through TUXtra.
3. Industry-standard facilities: our facilities include two television studios, a radio station and a bespoke multimedia newsroom. Many of the staff teaching on this course are experienced practitioners in the field of journalism, having worked for local and national organisations across print, broadcast and online journalism. They can coach you to find and grow your creative journalistic voice.
4. Get creative: our course and campus are powered by Adobe and Apple. We’re Europe’s first Adobe Creative Campus and the only Apple-accredited University, equipping you with the digital tools and resources to hone your creative journalistic skills.
5. Professional accreditation: this course is accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ), allowing you to study for your professional (pre-entry) qualifications alongside your degree, with no additional tuition charges. The NCTJ diploma is a vocational qualification that is widely recognised and highly valued by journalism employers. Visit nctj.com to find out more about this course and the exams you’ll need to take as part of your degree.

Take advantage of our Creative UK membership and help futureproof your career, with networking events, a resource hub to support professional development, and bespoke workshops in partnership with industry leaders and mentors. Sign up for free student membership to get opportunities, events and newsletters sent directly to your inbox.

After the course: This course has been developed in collaboration with industry, creating opportunities for you to compete for your dream job on graduation or continue to postgraduate study. Graduates from this course have secured successful careers with BBC, ITN News, Sky Sports News, Reach PLC and Newsquest.