Bachelor of Arts (Hons)

Sport Marketing

Delve into the exciting and dynamic world of sports marketing with Buckinghamshier New University's hands-on degree. You will have the opportunity to explore this ever-growing and evolving sector and gain the core marketing skills needed to make your mark.

From broadcasting, commerce and brand relationships you will develop a solid foundation of marketing principles and combine this with an in-depth look at the sports industry with topics including operations, management and sponsorship.



Why study this subject?

Global sporting events like the Olympics, FIFA World Cup and Formula One Grand Prix series show what an important role marketing, management and media play in promoting and delivering events to worldwide audiences.

In the ever-growing sports sector, there is an increased demand for qualified and knowledgeable graduates, who can demonstrate both knowledge and experience of working within the sports industry. We are proud that our course is industry accredited by professional body, the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and the Institute of Digital Marketing (IDM). Graduating with an accredited degree provides you with a qualification that is recognised nationally and internationally, opening doors for you and giving you a competitive advantage.

Sport Marketing is an exciting course to study, one day you may be learning about the business of commercial sport and the next how law, economics, society and culture influence the theory and practice of sport marketing.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

BNU believe it is important to give you the opportunity to put your skills to the test and gain real-world experience by working with companies on marketing and agency briefs. Using your marketing knowledge, research skills and creative flair we give you to chance to show how you can make your mark in the professional world. This focus on real-world experience will give you the competitive edge when heading into employment.

One of the most important things about their Sports courses is that we are the only university in the UK to focus on disability sport, an area of increasing importance in the industry.

BNU's academic team not only bring their years of knowledge and industry experience to the course, they also can offer you access to the incredible professional network they have cultivated over the years. You’ll interact with lots of different people within the sports industry throughout your time with us, including athletes and professional governing bodies.

Being based in High Wycombe means that you are right on the doorstep of London and have the benefit of being able to access some amazing opportunities for industry placements and work experience with highly regarded sports and marketing organisations. 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.

BNU's also close to the CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) headquarters which means that you will be able to hear straight from the professional experts, they often welcome them to give really valuable careers advice – you can’t get much better than that.

What facilities can you use?

BNU have a state-of-the-art gym and our 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?

You will jump into the world of marketing from your first day with us. BNU's degree has been designed to help you develop your skills and knowledge so you can become confident in making crucial marketing decisions, alongside developing key skills, such as empathy, problem solving and creativity, to ensure you are well placed to enter the employment market.

In Year One, you’ll be learning the fundamentals of business and marketing to provide you with a solid foundation for your study of sport marketing. Topics ranging from marketing communication to people management will develop your marketing 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 develop your strategic understanding of marketing and enterprise and begin to work with real clients to put your knowledge into action. You will develop a deeper familiarity with concepts, such as sports business, entrepreneurship, broadcasting, operations management and sports research.

In your final year, you will delve into learning about subjects including regulation, management and finance, brand relationships and innovation. 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?

BNU Sport Marketing course offers you the brilliant opportunity to earn professional qualifications through the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) whilst studying for your degree. They have CIM modules embedded within our modules so once you’ve graduated you can register and become a member of the CIM.

Student experience is at the heart of everything they do, and you are more than a number here at BNU. They pride themselves on having an open-door policy and access to personal tutorials, ensuring that you will receive an academic experience that best suits your learning style.

You’ll be taught via lectures, interactive seminars, workshops, small group activities and classroom debates. Online resources will be available to you to help support your independent learning and self-study.

BNU assessments reflect their employer-led course philosophy, they set a variety of assessments across the three years, including coursework and ‘real-world’ sport business activities like designing, implementing and evaluating marketing solutions. Here, you’ll focus on activities such as applying for funding, appraising financial performance and preparing marketing strategies.

In your final year you’ll conduct a research dissertation meaning you’ll be able to explore an area of your choice in depth with the help of your personal tutor. This is where your learning across your three years at BNU really comes to life with your project being a reflection of where you want to go in your future career.

What are you career prospects?

They see your journey with usBuckinghamshier New University 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’ll help you to develop crucial skills, encouraging you to become enterprising, employable and good business leaders. BNU could also help you find employment after graduation. 

BNU course will help prepare you for a range of career possibilities. You’ll be qualified to diversify into careers in digital marketing, product or brand management, market research and business development.

Completing a degree in Sport Marketing gives you a great foundation to develop a career in a number of varied areas, such as:

• Sport Marketing
• Sport Media and Communications
• Sports Events Management
• Sports Facility Management
• Sports Entrepreneur
• Health and Fitness Industry
• Self-employment in sport business
• Sport Law

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