Sports Journalism with Media and Communications Foundation Year

Sports journalism is one of the most competitive and most widely consumed branches of the media, providing the reporting, analysis, features and commentary that sustains a vast audience of sport enthusiasts across print, digital, broadcast and social platforms. It demands all the core skills of journalism, including news judgment, accuracy, interviewing, deadline discipline and legal awareness, alongside specialist knowledge of sport, its culture, its institutions, and the stories that matter to its audiences. At its best, sports journalism goes well beyond the scoreline, examining the economics of sport, the social issues it raises, and the human stories behind the competitions.

At the University of Lincoln, this four-year full-time programme includes a Media and Communications Foundation Year, which provides an additional period of preparation for students who need to build their foundational understanding of media before engaging with the specialist journalism curriculum. The main programme is industry-accredited and develops your core journalistic skills across producing sports news, reports and features content for print, online and broadcast platforms. A sandwich year gives you the opportunity to gain professional experience in media organisations before your final year, and work placement is also integrated throughout.

Lincoln's journalism courses have a strong practical focus, and the programme prepares you directly for careers working within local, national and international sports media.

Graduates of Sports Journalism programmes work as sports reporters and correspondents for newspapers, magazines, news agencies, radio and television broadcasters, online platforms, and social media channels. Others move into sports communications and PR roles, working with clubs, governing bodies, and sports brands. Some pursue roles in podcasting, video content, and the expanding world of digital sports media.

Many graduates also develop skills in data journalism and sports analysis that are increasingly sought after in the modern sports media landscape.