Foundation Degree Sports Media (Validated by The Open University)

Belfast Metropolitan College

Overview

This 2-year programme will equip students with the knowledge and skills for a career or further study in the ever-expanding industry of sports media. The course will cover core media production skills as well an introduction to journalism in the context of the sports media industry. This new two-year programme is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland and will include core modules in media production techniques such as camera operation, audio recording and video editing, as well as modules on Live Sports and eSports Broadcast Production, Photojournalism, Sports Journalism, the Sports Broadcast Industry, and more.

It is anticipated that sports media foundation degree students will also work on live projects with the college’s eSports students, including broadcasting/streaming competitions, and producing video, audio, and/or written reports on eSports competitors, teams, and corporations. The course will also focus on emerging technologies in sports broadcasting, including virtual production techniques.

Led by lecturers with media and journalism experience, you will produce sports media content via field trips and our fully operational television studio where you will have an opportunity to work as a presenter, director, producer, floor manager, camera operator, sound assistants, or vision mixer. In the most recent academic year our Sports Journalism students have taken part in regular field trips to sporting events, including several visits to Irish League Football games, where they have recorded match coverage and interviewed players, coaches, and management from both the home and away teams.

This course will allow access to our state-of-the-art studio facilities and the use of professional lighting, camera and sound equipment including Canon XFs, Canon C300s, Sony FS7s, Blackmagic Ursa Minis and BMPCC4Ks, Aputure and Nanlite lighting, as well as Rode, Zoom and Seinnheiser sound equipment.

Career Prospects

The proposed course is designed to be applicable to a wide range of industry employers including traditional broadcasters, online and print media, social media, and streaming platforms as well as the increasing deployment of media content within sporting organisations and governing bodies.

Our students will graduate from the course with 2 years’ worth of relevant experience and a portfolio of work that aims to mirror industry standards, making the transition into sports journalism or media production outside the college as seamless as possible.