Program Overview

BA (Hons) Sports Journalism

Why study this course with LJMU?

• LJMU ranked 14th in the UK for Journalism (The Guardian University Guide 2025)
• 93% of students surveyed said the teaching staff on this course were good at explaining things (National Student Survey 2024)
• 95% of students surveyed said academic support was good or very good (NSS 2024)
• Accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists. This key industry accreditation means the course focuses closely on UK employer requirements
• Option to learn invaluable Shorthand techniques
• Opportunities to undertake work placements with leading media outlets and sports clubs
• Study in a friendly environment with a dedicated personal tutor
• Large range of highly focused modules to develop your journalistic skills
• Opportunities to write for and publish on the highly regarded Mersey Sport Live website

About your course

Merseyside is the host of some of the world's best sporting events, from the Open Golf Championship, to Premier League football and the greatest horse race in the world. Where better to study a BA (Hons) Sports Journalism degree than Liverpool John Moores University, where you will learn how to be a professional journalist, within a School which has a great reputation for its links to industry and high quality graduate training.

This BA (Hons) degree programme provides practical training in sports reporting across all forms of media and underpins it with the very latest theory. It will ask questions such as 'what is sport's role in society?' and 'what are the factors driving the surge in interest?' By the end of the course you will have all the answers and the academic underpinning to fully understand the industry's future direction.

You will have access to the Liverpool Screen School's industry-standard facilities, helping you secure the hands-on experience you will need in your day-to-day work as a journalist. These facilities include edit suites, newsrooms, radio sound studios and a TV studio.

Our strong links with local and national media outlets and sports clubs across the region mean that there will be opportunities for invaluable work experience during the course. You will also be encouraged to get involved with various student media outlets in Liverpool, including our own website Mersey Sport Live.

Course modules

What you will study on this degree

• Understanding Journalism (20 credits)
• Introduction to Broadcast (20 credits)
• Sports Journalism Skills (20 credits)
• Newswriting for Sports Journalists (20 credits)
• Introduction to Sports Reporting (20 credits)
• Essential Law and Ethics (Sports Journalism) (20 credits)

Year 2

• Developing Broadcast Skills (20 credits)
• Journalism Issues (20 credits)
• Magazine Journalism (20 credits)
• Sports Media Communication (20 credits)
• Sports Journalism for a Digital Audience (20 credits)
• Multimedia Sports Reporting (20 credits)

Year 3

• Journalism Careers (20 credits)
• Advanced Sports Journalism Practice (40 credits)
• Dissertation (40 credits)
• Final Project (40 credits)
• Features Journalism (20 credits)
• Photojournalism (20 credits)
• Public Interest Journalism (20 credits)
• Business of Sport (20 credits)

Professional accreditation

The Liverpool Screen School has strong links with local, national and international media organisations including the BBC, ITV, Trinity Mirror, Lime Pictures, Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, National Union of Journalists, Radio Academy, Institute of Communication Ethics, Association for Journalism Education and One World Media. Such connections provide excellent opportunities for student work placements and research projects.

BA (Hons) Sports Journalism is accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists. This key industry accreditation means the course focuses closely on UK employer requirements.

All LJMU journalism students will have the first attempt of their NCTJ assessments paid for by the university (subject to attendance).

Your Learning Experience

• Teaching Support Assessment
• Excellent facilities and learning resources
• Dedicated personal tutor, plus study skills support

Career paths

As a Sports Journalism graduate, you will possess all of the practical skills required to enable you to work in a variety of roles connected to the sports media industry.

LJMU Sports Journalism graduates have a good track record of employment, forging successful careers as sports reporters, freelance journalists, editors and presenters. As well as working in broadcasting and across a range of digital media outlets, our graduates can be found working for sports governing bodies, club media and other sports related public relations and communications departments.

Tuition fees and funding

Home: £9,535 International: £17,750

Entry requirements

• GCSEs and equivalents: Grade 4 or grade C or above in English Language and Mathematics/Numeracy
• A levels: BBC-ABB
• BTECs: Extended Diploma: DMM-DDM
• Access awards: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
• International Baccalaureate: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications from a relevant subject
• OCR Cambridge Technical: Extended Diploma: DMM-DDM
• Irish awards: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications From a relevant subject
• T levels: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications

International requirements

• IELTS: 7.5 overall with no component below 7.5, taken within two years of the course start date.