Bachelor of Arts (Hons)

Sport Business Management

If you are looking to kickstart your profession in business but have a keen interest in sport that you want to bring to your career, then BNU's BA (Hons) in Sport Business Management provides the best of both worlds.

Studying Sport Business Management will provide you with a solid foundation of business principles, such as contemporary economics, marketing, leadership and finance, and combine this with an in-depth look at the sports industry with topics including, sponsorship, broadcasting and media, operations and tourism.



Why study this subject?

Sport is a lucrative industry with Sport England estimating that as a whole it contributes £39 billion to the UK economy. The diverse and inclusive nature of sport means that there are plenty of areas where you could make your mark.

Studying a degree in Sport Business Management will help equip you with the commercial and operational management skills needed to succeed. It will also help you stand out from the crowd as more organisations begin to look for qualified individuals with strong leadership and management abilities.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

BNU is a vibrant and diverse university that has Student Experience at its heart. They are proud to have a high lecturer to student ratio, ensuring that you receive continual and first-hand support during your studies. Their lecturers are on hand to answer any questions, recommend resources and point you in the right direction making sure you always feel confident and in control of your studies.

BNU's industry experienced academics work to ensure that the course is delivered in a way that will help you develop personal enterprise, an innovative and curious nature, and entrepreneurial capabilities. They strive to give you opportunities to learn inside and outside of the lecture theatre. You will gain real world experience through working with companies on live projects, which will prepare you to step confidently into your future career and allow you to make valuable industry connections.

Being so close to the business hub in London means there are opportunities for you to complete placements and work experience during your time at BNU. In addition to this they welcome guest speakers from the industry, including alumni, so you can get a real feel for the doors that will be open to you when you graduate, meaning you’ll interact with lots of different people within the sports and business industries.

What facilities can you use?

Buckinghamshier New University has a state-of-the-art gym and otheir human performance laboratory is home to an indoor, three-lane running track that has 3D motion-capture technology.

This facility helps to enhance athletes’ performance through improved technique, and also assists with injury prevention and rehabilitation.

The lab is also equipped for assessing a range of physiological, biomechanical and psychological parameters meaning you’ll always have lots of choice when it comes to designing a research experiment.

What will you study?

The world of business is fast paced with a global reach and our degree focuses on areas like marketing, finance, digital media and operations to help you become more confident in making crucial business decisions, alongside developing key skills, such as empathy, problem solving and creativity, to ensure you are well placed to enter the employment market.

From day one you’ll be learning the fundamentals of business to provide you with a solid foundation for your study of business management. Topics ranging from financial decision making to people management will develop your business mind and areas examining sport and society and sport business will ensure you begin to understand how sport and business work together.

In Year Two, you will gain a more strategic understanding of business issues and begin to work with real clients to put your knowledge into action. You will develop a deeper familiarity with concepts, such as business economics, enterprise and entrepreneurship, broadcasting, operations management and sports research.

In your final year, you will delve into learning about subjects including regulation, leadership, innovation and tourism. You will also work closely with your personal tutor on a research dissertation project, meaning you can dive more deeply into an area that you’re really passionate about.

The Business School is proud of its links with international and national companies and frequently welcomes businesses in to lead live briefs and watch student presentations. Students are also often asked to develop solutions for businesses, allowing them to gain real-world, hands-on consulting experience while businesses benefit from having bespoke research and advice tailored to their needs.

How will you be taught and assessed?

At Buckinghamshire New University they like to foster an interactive and student-focused teaching style where they blend lectures, workshops, group work, independent study, case studies, live briefs and guest speakers to enhance the learning experience.

BNU aim to provide you with a balance of industry knowledge and experience as well as the underpinning academic theory, meaning you will have important transferable skills making you into a culturally aware, prepared and confident graduate.

Their assessments reflect our employer-led course philosophy, they are real world centric with live briefs from businesses and cases that challenge students to produce a tangible result and not simply demonstrate knowledge of a subject. We set a variety of assessments across the three years of the degree; these include:

• coursework
• essays
• individual presentations
• reflective assignments
• timed assessments

What are your career prospects?

Buckinghamshier New University see your journey with them as much more than a degree, they are committed to supporting you to carve out the route to your chosen career and life beyond university.They will help you to develop crucial skills, encouraging you to become enterprising, employable and good business leaders. They could also help you find employment after graduation. 

BNU's BA (Hons) Sport Business Management course will help prepare you for a range of career possibilities. You’ll be qualified to work in a sports administration role within national governing bodies of sport.

Marketing, advertising and sponsorship positions in agencies and commercial sports businesses will be a natural fit for you too.

You might also think about a career in community sports trusts and professional sports clubs – the opportunities are endless.

Graduates can also choose to study for a postgraduate course like our PGCert Business Leadership or IMBA.