Course length: One year (full-time) and two year (part-time) options available
Degree overview
It is now essential to understand digital viewing trends, social media audiences and how to plan engaging and effective digital media coverage for an ever demanding fan base. The MSc Football Communications & Digital Marketing degree programme is designed for graduates and industry practitioners with a keen interest in football and sport.
Intake Date: September 2024
This degree is available at UCFB Wembley, London, which the iconic Wembley Stadium at the heart of its campus. What could be more motivating for a future career in the sports industry than walking into the most famous stadium in the world? Our UCFB Wembley campus enjoys excellent facilities with lecture theatres, seminar rooms, quiet study areas, library and media suites.
Intake Date: September 2024
Our Distance Learing degrees are taught by the same leading industry experts who teach our on-campus degrees with teaching delivered online via our dedicated Online Hub which can be accessed anytime making this a flexible study option that fits around your existing commitments.
Each module typically has 6 live teaching sessions for you to attend, enabling you to interact and collaborate with academics and your peers. These sessions are also recorded.
Degree content
The programme leverages contemporary themes from marketing, such as digital marketing, public relations, fan engagement and multimedia journalism, to enable students to evaluate the relationships between these areas. Those with a particular interest and experience relating to the marketing and communications industry are particularly suitable for this programme.
No longer are fan bases constricted to the home country. International audiences are now a vital, and in some instances more important, base to tap into and engage with. Premier League football clubs are global brands within themselves, let alone their all-star cast of players. Social media videos and strong in-house story tellers help to promote the club and its merchandise.
I studied at GIS because I knew they catered to the football industry. I knew that the networking opportunities would be like no other, GIS bridges that gap in terms of you connecting with these influential speakers.
Your Course Leaders
Modules
The overall credit-rating of this course is 180 credits, students must study the 5 core modules, plus one of the optional modules.
Students will choose one optional module at the beginning of their course for full time students and year two for part time students.
Leadership is a fundamental element of both sport and business operating in a dynamic global arena. On this module you will review and conceptualise different approaches to leadership from both an applied and theoretical perspective to allow you to analyse critical incidents in order to judge organisational leadership performance. You will be able to apply leadership theory to examples from industry professionals who have experience of leading teams in a sporting setting. Cross-cultural leadership underpins many of the behaviours and skills discussed within the leadership framework, alongside diversity and inclusion, strategic leadership, communication and reflection. The module allows you to take responsibility for your own leadership development and effectiveness through the development of an e-portfolio and skills audit, alongside exposure to sports leaders from the global network of partners contributing to the live case studies.
This module will explore the importance, variation and motivation which influence football consumer behaviours. You will identify key factors which explore the changing nature of football consumer typologies, including the globalisation of fan engagement and the importance of customer relationship management and data analytics. This module explores and analyses the dynamic nature of football fan
engagement and the online and offline tools being used to capture existing and new fans. Finally, the module examines the metrics and insights required to drive the business of football consumption.
As society becomes increasingly familiar with digital technology, digital marketing can no longer be considered an add-on to existing strategies. Instead, football organisations must now move towards a ‘digital-first’ approach in order to remain competitive and engage fans. Fortunately for marketers, the opportunities are everywhere. The world’s first computers filled entire rooms, with only a few basic
functions. Now, with each passing year, we have exponentially more powerful computers on our desks, in our pockets and on our wrists. We now have 24/7 access to a million digital doorways, each of them teeming with data for us to consume – and all marketers need are the keys.
Within this module, you will be encouraged to critically evaluate the place of traditional marketing theories in an increasingly digital world. Are these theories still fit for purpose or must marketers find new ways to understand and engage with their customers? You will also have the opportunity to engage with relevant
industry technologies in order to research, analyse and execute an effective digital marketing portfolio to drive fan engagement and achieve football orientated business goals.
This module will examine the key roles and responsibilities of sports journalists while developing the knowledge and practical skills required to work within an ever expanding and developing industry. It will prepare students to explore the potential of multi-platform news within a legal and ethical framework while examining the role and impact of sports journalism in society. You will be able to create content for a number of different platforms to share with key stakeholders and are encouraged to showcase your work in an in-house publication.
This module will equip students with the research skills to undertake a rigorous and critical professional project. It will support the development of an integrated understanding of theory and practice related to the analysis of selected organisational issues within the global sports industry. Students will learn to apply both theoretical and practical knowledge gained from both the taught element of the programme and their prior management experiences to a business/organizational issue. Through the assessment, students will deploy and utilize effectively appropriate research and/or problem solving processes throughout the planning and execution of a live business project.
Working in the global sports business as a manager, you will be called upon to work on new projects and within new or existing project teams, where some of the team may be based in other countries. This will test your ability as a manager and your team-working skills. You will be asked to work in a group and be given a consultancy project by a sporting organisation. Assigning roles to each team member, you will have to carry our research in order to investigate the current situation that the company finds itself in, and find the data that you need to inform your report. You will need to demonstrate a critical awareness of the current issues that face the sports organisation. You will then analyse this data and make your recommendations to the organisation.
Faced with a rapidly changing marketplace, you will learn how to manage customer relationships using a range of techniques and identify the information needed to develop a customer-focused approach to the management of sports fans. It is important to understand how to manage relationships with current
customers, lapsed and potential. You will learn how to identify patterns of consumption and how CRM supports the overall strategic planning of a sporting organisation. The importance of pricing, social media and communicating with customers will be covered and how these are important in developing the CRM plan.
The Global Institute of Sport is an embedded college of the University of East London. All Global Institute of Sport graduates will receive a degree from the University of East London.
Requirements overview
- Undergraduate degree - minimum 2:2 (ideally a 2:1) or international equivalent
- Applicants with a 2:2 should have some experience of studying or working in business or sports related areas.
- English language qualifications: Applicants from non-majority English speaking countries will be asked for an English qualification which tests Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing and will be asked to achieve an overall IELTS score of 6.5 (minimum of 6.0 in each section) or recognised equivalent.
Offers to applicants currently studying an undergraduate degree will be conditional on them going on to achieve the entry requirements on completion of their degree.
Applications that do not meet the standard entry requirements but demonstrate relevant education and/or work and/or life experience in the course subject area are welcomed.
Eligibility will be assessed on the basis of the information provided in the application – in particular the personal statement.
For more information, please contact admissions@ucfb.com.
We strongly encourage you to submit your Masters application well before our 2 September 2024 priority application deadline (8 January 2024 for courses starting in January) to allow sufficient time for assessment of application, ensure availability on the course and enrolment in time for the beginning of your studies. Applications received after this date will only be considered on a case by case basis.
To apply for this degree, please click here and follow the instructions to complete your application via our Learner Portal.
- Application form
- Evidence of highest academic and/or professional qualifications
- Evidence of relevant experience, where required
- 500 word personal statement
Applications made through the flexible entry route may require a course leader review. The course leader will determine whether a professional reference or task is required.
Scholarships
The Global Institute of Sport is proud to offer an extensive suite of scholarships to support outstanding students as they embark on their postgraduate study. From scholarships to aid our elite athletes, to attracting aspiring sports leaders, and scholarships which support inclusivity and diversity within the sporting industry, our scholarships are there to support students who want to make a meaningful difference to the future of the sporting world.
Career prospects
The specificity of sport, with its high media coverage and numerous stakeholders, requires managers to have uniquely honed business skills and an in-depth knowledge of the football industry. The programme has been developed for those with aspirations towards senior positions within the core media and marketing departments of football and sports clubs and similar organisations. Graduates of the MSc Football Communications & Digital Marketing degree have gone on to work in roles for organisations such as:
- Academy Analyst and Video Recruitment Consultant - Brentford FC
- Marketing Assistant - EFL Trust
- Marketing Executive - MK Dons Football Club
- Partnerships Account Executive - Everton Football Club
- Press Officer - Legends Tour
- Senior Commercial Strategy Executive - Rangers Football Club
- Editor - Sprint eSport
While on the cusp of completing GIS’ MSc Football Communications & Digital Marketing programme, Maria Hasler secured a full-time role at international sports media outlet DAZN, working within their Global Partner Marketing team.
Read more
Fees
For part-time courses the tuition fee will be split accordingly per year i.e 75 credits in year 1 and 105 credits in year 2 (for a two year programme) as per below table.
|
Course type |
Total fee | 75 credits | 105 credits |
| UK On campus (Home students) / Distance (with attendance) (residentials in the UK) | £11,950.00 | £4,979.50 | £6,970.50 |
| UK On Campus (International students*) | £17,950.00 | £7,479.50 | £10,470.50 |
| Distance (with attendance) (residentals in the US) | $19,950.00 (USD) | $8,312.50 | $11,637.50 |
| Distance (with attendance) (residentals in Australia) | £11,950.00 (Approx $22,950 AUD) | £4,979.50 | £6,970.50 |
| Distance | £11,950.00 | £4,979.50 | £6,970.50 |
*International students require a visa to study on campus
These discounts are open to any UCFB, Buckinghamshire New University and University of East London graduate who has received and accepted an offer to study at postgraduate level with UCFB’s Global Institute of Sport.
- 15% fee tuition discount on all Master's programmes, excluding MSc Sports Directorship
- 15% fee tuition discount on MSc Sports Directorship and CEO of a Sports Organisation
If you’d like to extend your time with us, we’re pleased to offer all GIS graduates:
- 15% fee tuition discount on all Master's programmes, excluding MSc Sports Directorship
- 15% fee tuition discount on MSc Sports Directorship and CEO of a Sports Organisation
We're pleased to offer all UCFB and GIS business partners 15% fee tuition discount on all Undergraduate, Master's programmes.
Visit our dedicated page about fees and student finance.
In some instances, optional Employment & Enrichment activities provided by UCFB may carry an additional cost for participants (e.g. qualifications with external certification such as FA Coaching Badges). Any additional costs will be provided to students in advance of any such sessions running.
GIS has a range of scholarship options to help with the cost of studying and to encourage students to embrace their time at GIS and graduate with more than just their university degree. Click here to learn more.
