Programme Specification for Sports Media MSc, PG Dip and PG Cert
This programme is currently suspended.
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Final award |
MSc, PG Dip and PG Cert |
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Intermediate awards available |
Postgraduate Certificate; Postgraduate Diploma |
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UCAS code |
N/A |
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Details of professional body accreditation |
N/A |
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Relevant QAA Benchmark statements |
M Level Benchmark |
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Date specification last up-dated |
May 2012 |
Profile
The summary - programme advertising leaflet
Programme content
MSc Sports Media combines practical, technological and academic learning in an exciting and professionally-focussed M-level degree programme. The programme area is closely connected to an emerging conjunction of fast-changing areas in the global and regional economy: i.e. between sports, cultural industries and new-technology driven media-communications. You will learn applied practical media production skills, methods of enquiry and analysis, and build a detailed knowledge of questions, issues and controversies in the study of sports and sports media study.
- Sports Media, Culture and Society: an analytic survey of the academic field in the area and an advanced introduction to key debates and approaches to sports, media and culture in a course alert to social contexts and sociological questions.
- Producing Sports Media: an intensive production-based experience delivering key skills in a choice of digital media-modes towards attaining high-level production skills to be applied to sports media communications
- Researching Sports Media: a module equipping students to apply social and media research methods in the advanced analysis of communications, media, events and policy themes in sports and sport media
- Working with Sports media: a placement module requiring students to contextualise a period of engagement with a sports media organisation in reflective and analytic work considering the practice and theory of sports media. Students will learn about key sports industry themes and receive an advanced introduction to project management. This component is core and will comprise 30 credits of research activity
- Dissertation / Practice-based Dissertation (either 30 credit “single”* or 60 credit “double” dissertation): students will choose to do an extended dissertation including practice elements to gain the MSc .
*Students must complete the Researching Sports Media module to attain the MSc award –and demonstrate sustained engagement with research-based production activity passing their 60 credit dissertation project.
MA Sports Media at UEL
- Active engagement with key aspects of professional practice connected to sports media – including media production, journalism and sports reporting
- Analysis and detailed understanding of sports and media policy and changing relationships between sport, media and society
- Advanced introduction to key elements of the sports broadcasting and online sports media
- Analysis of the increasing role of sports in commerce, promotion, sports sponsorship, culture and the creative industries
- Located in East London, adjacent to the Olympic Park and its emergent sports and sports-broadcasting infrastructure
- Opportunities to incorporate placement and work-based learning in your programme
- Led by experienced academics and professionals with direct experience in the field of sports media
- Access to research network connecting professional journalists, broadcasters and academics
- Opportunity to engage in guided sports journalism and online and broadcast media projects with a chance to get work published in local and national media
Admission requirements
Applicants will normally have a 2.2. (Hons) in a media or social sciences subject or equivalent, or comparable recent professional or research experience. Applications from overseas and EU students are welcomed. Students whose first language is not English should normally have achieved a score of 6.0 in IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or equivalent, and with no skill below 6.0. Eligibility for students without degree-equivalent qualifications will be assessed on the basis of a short essay and statement. Places will be offered to students applying without formal requisite qualifications after this assessment and a successful interview with a member of the programme team. International students may be interviewed by phone or Skype.
Programme structure
To ensure a flexible access to the programme for students we will run in F/T and P/T mode and accommodate both a September and a February start.
Learning environment
Workshops, seminars, lectures, tutorials, Media production and Placement
Assessment
Each of five modules is assessed independently. All modules carry 30 credits except the Dissertation by Practice, which carries 60 credits. There are no exams. Coursework is comprised of essays, placement reports, analytic reports, presentations and module-projects.
Relevance to work/profession
The independent project may be connected to your existing, professional work – this to be agreed in discussion with programme tutor. The programme is geared to support students seeking a career in sports-related industries, and with a particular focus on the links between sports, sports promotion and sponsorship, sports and health promotion, sports and society, sports broadcasting and sports research.
Thesis/Dissertation/project work
The independent project or dissertation is a key part of master’s level education; hence it carries twice the credit rating of other modules.
Your future career
Destinations may include sports development and promotions, sports-related journalism (press, radio, TV or online), advertising, branding and sponsorship, PR, branding and corporate communications, creative industries.
How we support you
All students are allocated a personal tutor; all modules leaders are available for consultation. We offer expert advice from media practitioners, alongside an introduction to research methods, support in academic writing, workshops in journalistic writing, a dedicated writing and production room equipped with up-to-date print and online publishing software.
Bonus factors
- Location in vicinity of Olympic Games and sports legacy projects in east London
- Good network of employer links
- High quality media skills support
Outcomes
Programme aims and learning outcomes
What is this programme designed to achieve?
This programme is designed to give you the opportunity to:
- To rehearse and develop advanced practical and professional skills associated with media communications technologies communications – with a specific and continued focus on sports media [MSc, PG Dip and PGCert]
- To develop a detailed and analytically rich understanding of the history and everyday workings of the sports-media industry [MSc, PG Dip and PGCert]
- To support the development and delivery of high level media production or project work in the sports field [MA/MSc]
- To situate such work in an advanced understanding of sports media as an evolving field of practice, technological development and analysis [MSc]
- To develop a historically and theoretically-informed approach to sports and their relation to media, culture, commerce and to social life
- To develop research skills relevant to sports media projects
What will you learn?
Knowledge
- The scope and development of sports media in social, commercial and cultural life [MSc, PG Dip and PGCert]
- Social and historical contexts of sports media [MSc, PG Dip and PGCert]
- Key debates in policy and academia regarding sports and sports media [MSc, PG Dip and PGCert]
- Critical-theoretical approaches to sports media as an evolving field of practice [MSc, PG Dip and PGCert]
- How to produce sports media material in suitable to a choice of platforms[MSc, PG Dip]
- New media environments and new spaces of production and consumption of sports media [MSc, PG Dip]
- Emergence, changes and trends in sports media [MSc, PG Dip and PGCert]
- Sports media in clubs, societies, associations and the semi-professional scene [MSc, PG Dip and PGCert]
Thinking skills
- Application of critical and theoretical approaches to sports media [MSc, PG Dip and PGCert]
- Evaluation, comparison and contrast of (a) critical/theoretical and (b) professional approaches to sports media with awareness of ethical considerations [MSc, PG Dip]
Subject-based practical skills
- Sports and media writing [MSc, PG Dip and PGCert]
- Online and digital media editing [MSc, PG Dip]
- Commercial awareness [MSc, PG Dip and PGCert]
- Sports-media product analysis [MSc, PG Dip and PGCert]
- Methodologies such as interviews, observation, textual analysis, documentary research and approaches appropriate to research in the humanities [MSc, PG Dip]
- High level independent research project examining sports media [MSc]
- High level production skills applied in a self-directed project [MSc]
- Skills for life and work
- Writing and communication Problem solving [MSc, PGDip, PG Cert]
- Information management [MSc, PG Dip]
- Project management [MSc, PG Dip]
Structure
The programme structure
Introduction
All programmes are credit-rated to help you to understand the amount and level of study that is needed.
One credit is equal to 10 hours of directed study time (this includes everything you do e.g. lecture, seminar and private study).
Credits are assigned to one of 5 levels:
- 0 - equivalent in standard to GCE 'A' level and is intended to prepare students for year one of an undergraduate degree programme
- 1 - equivalent in standard to the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme
- 2 - equivalent in standard to the second year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme
- 3 - equivalent in standard to the third year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme
- M - equivalent in standard to a Masters degree
Credit rating
The overall credit-rating of this programme is. 180 for Masters, 60 for PGCert, 120 for PGDip.
Typical duration
The typical duration of this programme is one year full-time or two years part-time. It is possible to move from full-time to part-time study and vice-versa to accommodate any external factors such as financial constraints or domestic commitments. Many of our students make use of this flexibility and this may impact on the overall duration of their study period.
How the teaching year is divided
The teaching year is divided into two semesters of roughly equal length. A typical student registered in a full-time attendance mode will study two 30 credit modules per semester and a typical student registered in a part-time attendance mode will study one or two modules per semester. Work on the independent project (dissertation by media practice) begins in the second semester of the academic year but continues over the summer with completion normally in September.
What you will study when
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MSc Sports Media: Programme Structure (Semester A start P/T)
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SEM A year 1 |
Sports Media: Production and Practices
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SEM B year 1 |
Researching Sports Media: Analysis, History and Methods
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SEM C: |
Working in Sports Media |
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SEM A year 2 |
Sports: Media, Culture and Society
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SEM B year 2 |
Dissertation (60 Credits) Dissertation by Practice 60 credits |
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MSc Sports Media: Programme Structure (Semester B start P/T)
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SEM B year 1 |
Researching Sports Media: Analysis, History and Methods Option
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SEM C: |
Working in Sports Media |
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SEM A year 2 |
Sports Media: Production and Practices |
Sports: Media, Culture and Society
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SEM B year 2 |
Dissertation (60 Credits) Dissertation by Practice 60 credits |
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SEM C Year 2 (Summer) |
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Requirements for gaining an award
- In order to gain a Postgraduate Certificate, you will need to obtain 60 credits at Level M.
- In order to gain a Postgraduate Diploma, you will need to obtain 120 credits at Level M
- In order to obtain a Masters, you will need to obtain 180 credits at Level M. These credits will include a 60 credit level M core module of advanced independent research.
Masters Award Classification
Where a student is eligible for an Masters award then the award classification is determined by calculating the arithmetic mean of all marks and applying the mark obtained as a percentage, with all decimals points rounded up to the nearest whole number, to the following classification
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70% - 100% |
Distinction |
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60% - 69% |
Merit |
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50% - 59% |
Pass |
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0% - 49% |
Not Passed |
Assessment
Teaching, learning and assessment
Teaching and learning
Knowledge is developed through
- Lectures
- Seminars
- Workshops
Thinking skills are developed through
- Tutorials
- Seminars
- Workshops
Practical skills are developed through
- Workshops
- Tutorials
Skills for life and work (general skills) are developed through
- Seminars, tutorials, workshops, lectures, placement
Quality
How we assure the quality of this programme
Before this programme started
Before this programme started, the following was checked:
- there would be enough qualified staff to teach the programme;
- adequate resources would be in place;
- the overall aims and objectives were appropriate;
- the content of the programme met national benchmark requirements;
- the programme met any professional/statutory body requirements;
- the proposal met other internal quality criteria covering a range of issues such as admissions policy, teaching, learning and assessment strategy and student support mechanisms.
This is done through a process of programme approval which involves consulting academic experts including some subject specialists from other institutions.
How we monitor the quality of this programme
The quality of this programme is monitored each year through evaluating:
- external examiner reports (considering quality and standards);
- statistical information (considering issues such as the pass rate);
- student feedback.
Drawing on this and other information, programme teams undertake the annual Review and Enhancement Process which is co-ordinated at School level and includes student participation. The process is monitored by the Quality and Standards Committee.
Once every six years an in-depth review of the whole field is undertaken by a panel that includes at least two external subject specialists. The panel considers documents, looks at student work, speaks to current and former students and speaks to staff before drawing its conclusions. The result is a report highlighting good practice and identifying areas where action is needed.
The role of the programme committee
This programme has a programme committee comprising all relevant teaching staff, student representatives and others who make a contribution towards the effective operation of the programme (e.g. library/technician staff). The committee has responsibilities for the quality of the programme. It provides input into the operation of the Review and Enhancement Process and proposes changes to improve quality. The programme committee plays a critical role in the quality assurance procedures.
The role of external examiners
The standard of this programme is monitored by at least one external examiner. External examiners have two primary responsibilities:
- To ensure the standard of the programme;
- To ensure that justice is done to individual students.
External examiners fulfil these responsibilities in a variety of ways including:
- Approving exam papers/assignments;
- Attending assessment boards;
- Reviewing samples of student work and moderating marks;
- Ensuring that regulations are followed;
- Providing feedback through an annual report that enables us to make improvements for the future.
Listening to the views of students
The following methods for gaining student feedback are used on this programme:
- Module evaluations
- Student representation on programme committees
Students are notified of the action taken through:
- circulating the minutes of the programme committee
- providing details on the programme noticeboard
- UELPlus
- UEL Direct
Listening to the views of others
The following methods are used for gaining the views of other interested parties:
- Questionnaires to former students
- Annual student satisfaction questionnaire
- Industrial liaison work group
Further Information
Alternative locations for studying this programme
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Where you can find further information
The publications associated with the programme can be viewed at www.risingeast.org and www.maglab.org
Further information about this programme is available from:
- The UEL web site (http://www.uel.ac.uk)
- The student handbook
- Module study guides
- UEL Manual of General Regulations http://www.uel.ac.uk/qa/
- UEL Quality Manual http://www.uel.ac.uk/qa/
- Regulations for the Academic Framework http://www.uel.ac.uk/academicframework/
- http://www.uel.ac.uk/adi - web pages for the School of Arts and Digital Industries
- Visit our gallery of student work here: http://www.uel.ac.uk/adi/showcase/studentwork/
- Current External examiners
- External examiner reports (available from UEL virtual learning environment (UELPlus or Moodle))
