Sport Management with Foundation Year

Sport management applies the principles of business and organisational leadership to the distinctive world of sport. It addresses how clubs, governing bodies, events, facilities and commercial organisations in the sports industry are run, funded, marketed and developed. The sector is large and growing, encompassing professional sport, community sport, sport tourism, events management, media rights and sponsorship, and there is a sustained demand for graduates who understand both the business logic and the particular culture of sport.

At the University of Derby, this four-year full-time programme includes a foundation year, which provides thorough preparation for degree-level study and is particularly well suited to students who will benefit from additional time to develop their academic skills before entering the main degree. Across the full programme you will study the management disciplines that underpin the sport industry, including strategy, marketing, finance, human resource management and event planning, while also examining the specific contexts and challenges of sport as a business. A sandwich year placement gives you the opportunity to gain substantial professional experience within the industry, and a year abroad broadens your international perspective on global sport management.

Work placement experience is embedded throughout, ensuring that your academic learning is consistently connected to real professional settings.

You will develop the commercial awareness, analytical capacity and leadership skills that employers in sport and related industries look for. The programme encourages you to think strategically about how sport organisations create value, manage stakeholder relationships and adapt to changing commercial and social environments.

Graduates from sport management programmes work in professional clubs and sporting organisations, national governing bodies, event management companies, sport marketing and sponsorship agencies, facility management, and local authority sport development. The broad business education the degree provides also opens pathways into general management and commercial roles outside sport, and postgraduate study in sport management or business is a natural next step for those who want to specialise further.