Certificate of Higher Education in Sports Business

To achieve success at university and in future professional environments, students must develop a range of personal qualities and professional behaviours that underpin academic achievement and employability. This module acts as a key transition point within Higher Education, introducing students to the complex industry and societal contexts that shape the global sport sector.

The module focuses on the development of personal and professional factors relevant to sport-related employment, while building the competencies, confidence, and independence required for effective academic study. Students will be introduced to essential IT systems for academic and professional use, including the effective management of personal files and data. The module develops academic and professional writing skills, with a strong emphasis on report writing, academic conventions, and correct referencing.

Information Research and Data Integration, students will learn how to locate, evaluate, and use information from a range of academic and professional sources. This includes the use of library resources, online databases, journals, and digital discovery tools (e.g. Explore). Emphasis is placed on integrating information and data to produce coherent academic and professional reports.

This module will explore how the contemporary sport industry has embraced several dynamic innovations used in other sectors, helping to transform both its management and administration, steering it in a more professional manner in some aspects of sport, yet not others. Growing revenue has taken on increasing importance, yet some sports still have issues with the media’s monopoly of others. Resistance to change, amateur practices and poor treatment of some players remain within the industry. Students will explore these and other key issues by examining how the core parts of the business (marketing, finance, the media, sponsorship, event management, leadership, and HR) operate. You will analyse the development of sport and governance of both elite and grassroots organisations.

This module aims to introduce students to the principles of marketing through a series of lectures and seminars. The module will provide students with an understanding of marketing models, concepts and theories. Marketing is a business philosophy that places the customer at the heart of all its activities (customer centric) and regards satisfying customer needs and wants for the purpose of building sustainable competitive advantages. Students will explore the application of traditional marketing concepts and evolving technologies which impact the sports industry. In a continually disruptive environment, marketing is all about creating customer value and building profitable customer relationships. It is no different in the world of sport and football.

This module aims to introduce students to the principles of marketing through a series of lectures and seminars. The module will provide students with an understanding of marketing models, concepts and theories. Marketing is a business philosophy that places the customer at the heart of all its activities (customer centric) and regards satisfying customer needs and wants for the purpose of building sustainable competitive advantages. Students will explore the application of traditional marketing concepts and evolving technologies which impact the sports industry. In a continually disruptive environment, marketing is all about creating customer value and building profitable customer relationships. It is no different in the world of sport and football.

This module introduces the role of accounting, internal controls, and auditing within professional sports organisations. It is designed for students working across football (soccer), cricket, rugby, tennis, and other sports, and assumes no prior knowledge of accounting. Students will develop an understanding of how accounting information supports financial management, governance, and decision-making in sports organisations. The module focuses on internal control systems used to reduce financial risk, prevent error and fraud, and safeguard organisational resources. It also introduces the purpose and role of internal and external audits in ensuring the reliability and integrity of financial information. By the end of the module, students will be able to interpret basic accounting information and understand how accounting and audit functions support effective management across the sports industry.

The sports industry does not exist in a vacuum. Rather, it is an environment which cuts across much of wider society, including politics, media, and popular culture. This module, drawing both on historical and contemporary examples, will explore the place of sport within the wider world. The module will aim to develop students’ academic understanding of the growth of sports within wider historical and theoretical frameworks, and how those frameworks continue to shape the present sports and media industries. The module will introduce a wide range of academic concepts, principles and case studies that will equip with a greater understanding and appreciation of the cultural significances of sport, past and present.

Applicants will be asked to achieve 96 UCAS points under the UCAS point scheme or international equivalent. Professional experience and industry qualifications can be assessed for applicants without the necessary UCAS points.​

Applicants will be asked to provide evidence of their Maths and English Language GCSE (Grade C/4 or above).​

If you’re applying from a country where English is not the majority spoken language, you’ll need to demonstrate your English proficiency. We accept a range of internationally recognised qualifications, with the minimum standard being: IELTS score of 6.0 overall, with no individual component below 5.5, or an equivalent. Accepted qualifications include: IELTS Academic, IELTS for UKVI, TOEFL iBT, Oxford ELLT, PTE Academic, Cambridge IGCSE, ESOL, and IESO.

Oxford ELLT is an English Language Level Test, approved by Global Institute of Sport that can be used as evidence of a candidate’s English language proficiency for international admissions.

We require a minimum ELLT score of 5, with at least 5 in each individual component.