Sport Business Management BA (Hons)

Study level: Undergraduate
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Explore how your passion for sport can be applied to the world of business through real-world projects, input from industry professionals and opportunities to build valuable connections.2

Course option

Year of entry

2026-27

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)

Study mode

Full-time
Sandwich

Duration

3 years full-time
4 years sandwich

UCAS codes

N285

Start date

September 2026

The information on this page is for 2025-26 entry and should be used as guidance for 2026-27 entry. Please keep checking back on this course page to see our latest updates.


Course overview

If you’re aiming for a business career in the sports industry, this course can help you gain practical experience, get guidance from industry professionals and develop relevant skills for opportunities in this field.2

The course aims to help you:

  • discover how sport organisations make strategic decisions in a fast-paced, global industry
  • explore real industry challenges using insights from guest speakers, employer case studies and collaborative work2
  • build professional skills and benefit from opportunities to connect with industry as you prepare for your future career.2
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Rated Gold Overall

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023

Five stars in a speech bubble.

5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities

QS Stars University Ratings

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Top 5 Student City in England (Coventry)

QS Best Student Cities Index 2026

Why you should study this course

  • Strong industry connections: our annual Practitioner Insight Conference and guest speakers, including alumni, offer real-world insight into the sport business world.
  • Practical, applied learning: explore real-world sport and event business challenges through practical assignments, developing skills that employers value.
  • Tailored final-year project: in your final-year Applied Project module, you can choose to do a research dissertation, consultancy-style investigation or business simulation. You can choose what aligns with your interests and career goals.
  • Professional development opportunities: optional work placements and international study/placements give you the chance to gain further real-world experience and enhance your CV2
  • Sport-specific business expertise: from PR and media to operations, talent representation and strategy, your modules apply core business theory directly to the sport and events industries.

The Sport Management course has been a great experience... I have met an excellent group of students and lecturers on the course, as well as picking up many valuable and transferable skills to take into industry.

Luke Thomas, Sport Management BA student (Quoted 2025)
Luke Thomas

What you'll study

This course has a common first year.

The common first year enables you to work alongside students doing similar courses to you, to widen your knowledge and exposure to other subject areas and professions. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with other students, so you can share your insights and experience which will help you to develop and learn. 

If you discover an interest in a specific subject you have studied, upon successful completion of your first year, you could swap degrees with another course in your common first year (subject to meeting progression requirements).  

Common first year courses 

  • Advertising and Digital Marketing BA (Hons)
  • Business Administration BBA (Hons)
  • Business and Human Resource Management BA (Hons)
  • Business and Marketing BA (Hons)
  • Business Management BA (Hons)
  • Event Management BA (Hons)
  • International Business Management BSc (Hons)
  • Marketing BA (Hons)
  • Sport Management BA (Hons)

In the first year, the curriculum is shared across related courses allowing you to gain a broad grounding in the discipline before going on, in the second and third years, to specialist modules in your chosen field.  

Modules

Modules

Modules

Modules

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

You will soon understand that the common first year modules provide you with those skills that will come in handy in the future, and makes you flexible. The course hours are really helpful.

Abdul Waris, Sport Management BA (Quoted 2025)
Abdul Waris

How you'll learn

You can expect to:

  • take a problem-solving approach to learning by exploring real-world case studies and problems that are specifically related to the sports industry.
  • network with experts currently working in the sports industry who can share their experiences2.
  • gain practical experience by taking part in a variety of informal volunteering opportunities2.
  • attend sessions from external practitioners which sees practitioners and alumni deliver sessions on the industry2.
  • make extensive use of case studies to demonstrate the practical, real-life issues facing the sector.

If you choose to start this course in January it will be run as a condensed programme. You’ll start your course in January and finish your first year in August. Upon successful completion of Year 1, you will progress onto Year 2 in September and then continue to start subsequent years of your course in September, completing your degree at the same time as the September starters unless you opt to do a placement year.


Teaching contact hours

As a full-time undergraduate student, you will study modules totalling 120 credits each academic year. You will normally study one 30-credit module at a time. A typical 30-credit module requires a total of 300 hours of study made up of teaching contact hours, guided and independent study.

Teaching hours

Teaching hours may vary depending on your year of study and selected modules. During your first year, you can expect 12-15 teaching hours each week. You will also have the option to attend additional sessions, including time with a progress coach or to meet with staff for advice and feedback. As you progress through your studies, teaching hours may reduce.

Guided and independent study

Throughout your studies, you will be expected to spend time in guided and independent study to make up the required study hours per module. You’ll be digging deeper into topics, review what you’ve learned and complete assignments. This can be completed around your personal commitments. As you progress through your studies, you’ll spend more time in independent study.

Online learning

As an innovative university, we use different teaching methods including online tools and emerging technologies. So, some of your teaching hours and assessments may be delivered online.


Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending upon the module.

Assessment methods may include:

  • phase tests
  • essays
  • group work
  • presentations
  • reports
  • projects
  • coursework
  • exams
  • individual assignments.

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.

This course offers a unique and distinct blend of sport industry knowledge and understanding, along with the versatility of transferrable business skills that can be utilised across a range of different careers and industries.

Our common first year modules lay the foundations for the core building blocks of business; money, customers and people, while our second and third year of the Course provide the expertise, specialisms and practicalities within the field of Sport.

Dr Tony Halkyard, Course Director for Sport Management BA (Quoted 2024)
Dr Tony Halkyard

Entry requirements

Typical entry requirements:

Requirement What we're looking for
UCAS points 112
A level BBC
GCSE GCSE maths and English at grade 4 / C or Functional Skills Level 2, or other equivalent Level 2 awards
BTEC DMM
IB Diploma 24 points
Access to HE The Access to HE Diploma to include 30 Level 3 credits at Merit. Plus GCSE English and Mathematics at grade 4 / C or above.

Other qualifications and experience

Our students come from a variety of backgrounds, each with a unique story. We recognise a breadth of qualifications. If your qualifications differ from the above, contact our Admissions Team who will be happy to discuss your qualifications and routes into your chosen course.

Contextual offers and Fair Access Scheme

If you meet the criteria for our Fair Access Scheme, you could automatically receive a contextual offer that may be up to 24 UCAS points lower than our standard entry requirements. View the criteria for our Fair Access Scheme.

Select your region to find detailed information about entry requirements:


You can view our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.

If you do not have the typical entry requirements, you may want to consider studying this course with an international foundation pathway. Upon successful completion this should provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to progress onto this undergraduate degree.

Alternatively, visit our International hub for further advice and guidance on finding in-country agents and representatives, joining our in-country events and how to apply.

English language requirements

  • IELTS: 6.0 overall, with no component lower than 5.5 

If you don't meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course. 

For more information on our approved English language tests visit our English language requirements page.

Not got the required grades? We offer this degree with an integrated foundation year.


Fees and funding

Student Full-time Part-time
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man 2026/27 fees TBC
2025/26 fees: £9,535 per year
Not available
EU 2026/27 fees TBC
2025/26 fees: £9,535 per year with EU Support Bursary**
2026/27 fees TBC
2025/26 fees: £16,800 per year without EU Support Bursary**
Not available
International 2026/27 fees TBC
2025/26 fees: £16,800 per year
Not available

If you choose to study this course with a professional placement2 or study abroad year, you will need to pay a tuition fee3 to cover your academic support throughout your placement year. Students commencing their professional placement in the academic year 2027/28 will pay £1,500 if they are paying UK fees, or £1,800 if they are paying international fees.

For advice and guidance on tuition fees and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see The University’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.

The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permits an increase in tuition fees, the university may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.

If you choose to study this course with a professional placement, the University will charge the tuition fees stated above for those on a placement during Academic Year 2027/28. The University will review professional placement tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study, but such that it will be no more than 5% above inflation.

For international students, we may increase fees each year, but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.

We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them. Find out what's included in your tuition costs.

The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:

  • Any optional overseas field trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
  • Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).

*Irish student fees

The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.

**EU Support Bursary

Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.


Facilities

We have a range of facilities available4 to support our sport management students in putting the theories you are taught into practice.

  • Sport and Recreation Centre
    Situated in a central location within Coventry University's campus, we offer excellent facilities, an exciting range of exercise classes and a dedicated team of staff on site.
  • Talent Team
    Our dedicated Talent Team can assist you in applying for work placements, graduate-level jobs and offer skills development workshops. They also aim to organise networking events to introduce you to potential employers and industry contacts.
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DigiComm Lab

Designed to build creative minds, the DigiComm Lab is currently equipped with the latest industry-standard marketing and advertising software and devices to support your creative development.

 

 

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Business Simulation Suite

Coventry Business School's Business Simulation Suite utilises the latest business simulation software to give you the opportunity to improve your business skills.

 

Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders.


Careers and opportunities

Upon successful completion of this course, you will have knowledge of: 

  • the development needs and intentions of sports organisations and communities.
  • sport policy on a domestic and global basis.
  • the holistic nature of a business organisation.

You will also be able to:

  • apply business principles to a range of sports organisations, including sports clubs and teams, sporting events and governing bodies.
  • apply appropriate techniques to solve a range of different business and sports management problems.
  • analyse and produce appropriate sports management solutions to support business decisions.

Working for sports organisations has become an increasingly popular career sector, with a demand for a higher level of expertise in areas such as the management of sports businesses, and engagement with communities through sport.

This course provides a foundation to explore potential future career options in this sector, in areas such as sports marketing, sports event management, hospitality management, and sports business management and administration.

Where our graduates work

Some of our previous graduates have gone on to occupy senior management positions in the sports industry, for instance, working within the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Ltd. (LOCOG), the Aspire Group, Decathlon, Sport New Media and Coventry Blaze Ice Hockey Club. Others have found graduate employment with Puma, Amazon, Genting Arena, Manchester City FC, West Ham United FC, Huddersfield Giants RLFC, the Italian National Olympic Committee, Ricoh Arena, Leicester Tigers and IMG.  

Further study

Upon successful completion of our Sport Management BA (Hons) degree, you may wish to continue to further your studies at postgraduate level. You can do that right here at Coventry University, with our Sport Management MSc. You could continue to build on what you have learnt, further preparing you to become a professional sports management practitioner, upon successful completion, with the theoretical knowledge, skills and personal attributes to help you to become a leader in your chosen sports sector. 

We also offer alternative postgraduate degrees if you decide to take a slightly different route. You can explore all of your options using our postgraduate course search tool. You may be entitled to an alumni discount on your fees if you decide to extend your time with us by progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate study

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