Sport is one of the largest industries across the globe, and an industry that connects people at local, national, and international levels. This postgraduate degree has been designed to examine critically the business decisions that shape this lucrative global industry.
From the outset, the programme focuses on the international business management of the sports sector, and explores the culture, policy, impact, and delivery of sporting opportunities. The programme aims to empower students to be critical thinkers in the global world of sports business in order to lead and develop industry practices and processes in responsible and strategically mindful ways.
This programme benefits from industry contacts forged across the sports industry. Previous guest speakers at Lincoln International Business School have included former England and Liverpool football international John Barnes, and football agent Dr Erkut Sogut, best known for working with former Arsenal FC and Germany international Mesut Ozil.
Students have the opportunity to explore the challenges facing sports leaders and sports managers across the globe, including the aspects of customer behaviour, ethics, policies, and practice in sport, gender, fans, finance, sports management and strategy, and innovation and value creation in sport.
Students are expected to develop their strengths ready to compete in the international jobs market. Proficiency in digital content, and an understanding of sporting brands, strategy, and sports ethics, is at the heart of the course. By developing the specialist knowledge and skills required, we aim for our postgraduate students to become globally prepared managers and leaders within an ever-changing society.
Explore the culture, policy, and impact of sport
Examine industry aspects such as equality and sustainability
Hear from expert industry speakers
Benefit from a range of specialist modules
Complete an extended project in a specialist area
Students can expect two hours of contact time per module per week but acknowledge this can vary depending on specialism. Teaching can be scheduled across Monday to Friday between the hours of 9am and 6pm.
Delivery methods are varied across the modules but face-to-face content is prioritised. Modes of delivery include lectures, seminars, interactive sessions, poster exhibitions, workshops, and writing retreats.
This course sits in a close-knit subject community where staff and students work together to create an effective learning environment. In the past, students have attended a Sport Industry Student Conference hosted at Lincoln City FC and organised by the Department.
Postgraduate level study involves a significant proportion of independent study, exploring the material covered in lectures and seminars. As a general guide, for every hour spent in class, students are expected to spend at least three hours in independent study. For more detailed information please contact the Programme Leader.
Whilst you are studying you may be able to conduct research into areas which interest you. In the past, students have explore areas such as consumer behaviour and sport, financial management and sport; gender, sport, and society, sports management and strategy, and innovation and value creation in sport.
† Some courses may offer optional modules. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by staff availability.
We want you to have all the information you need to make an informed decision on where and what you want to study. In addition to the information provided on this course page, our What You Need to Know page offers explanations on key topics including programme validation/revalidation, additional costs, contact hours, and our return to face-to-face teaching.
The assessment approaches on this course are varied to cover broad skills and encourage development. Types of assessment may include a digital pitch, presentations, essays, reports, project work, portfolios, and posters.
Students will receive formative feedback throughout the term to help them prepare for assessments. This may be through formative assessment (such as ungraded presentations or mock questions), directed activities in seminars, or informal discussions with the seminar tutor. Formative feedback may be received in verbal and/or written format and could be directed to a group as well as to an individual.
Students will also receive feedback on graded assessments. This usually includes comments detailing the quality of the work and how the student could improve their performance, as well as a highlighted criteria grid identifying performance against the assessed marks criteria. The University of Lincoln's policy is to ensure that staff return assessments to students promptly.
Our academics are involved in Lincoln International Business School’s Visitor Economy Research Group (VERG). VERG aims to harness the research energies of a number of colleagues, both early career and well established, who are working in the areas of tourism, events, and leisure.
Explore Our Research
Lincoln International Business School hosts a series of visiting speakers each year. As part of the School, students will have the opportunity to learn from industry experts. Previous speakers have included representatives from organisations such as Deloitte, Santander, HSBC, Innocent, The Institute of Internal Auditors, and Sir David Tweedie (ex-Chairman of the IASB).
Programme leader, Professor Hanya Pielichaty founded and ran the Critical Pedagogies in Sport international network and also presented evidence at the Women's Sport Inquiry at parliament.
Postgraduate Application Support
Applying for a postgraduate programme at Lincoln is easy. Find out more about the application process and what you'll need to complete on our How to Apply page. Here, you'll also be able to find out more about the entry requirements we accept and how to contact us for dedicated support during the process.
How to Apply
Honours degree at 2:2 or equivalent.
If you have studied outside of the UK, and are unsure whether your qualification meets the above requirements, please visit our country pages for information on equivalent qualifications: https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/studywithus/internationalstudents/entryrequirementsandyourcountry/
Overseas students will be required to demonstrate English language proficiency equivalent to IELTS 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. For information regarding other English language qualifications we accept, please visit the English Requirements page: https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/studywithus/internationalstudents/englishlanguagerequirementsandsupport/englishlanguagerequirements/.
If you do not meet the above IELTS requirements, you may be able to take part in one of our Pre-session English and Academic Study Skills courses: https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/studywithus/internationalstudents/englishlanguagerequirementsandsupport/pre-sessionalenglishandacademicstudyskills/
These specialist courses are designed to help students meet the English language requirements for their intended programme of study.
You will need to have funding in place for your studies before you arrive at the University. Our fees vary depending on the course, mode of study, and whether you are a UK or international student. You can view the breakdown of fees for this programme below.
The University offers a range of merit-based, subject-specific, and country-focused scholarships for UK and international students. To help support students from outside of the UK, we offer a number of international scholarships which range from £1,000 up to the value of 50 per cent of tuition fees. For full details and information about eligibility, visit our scholarships and bursaries pages.
Postgraduate Funding Options
Find out more about the optional available to support your postgraduate study, from Master's Loans to scholarship opportunities. You can also find out more about how to pay your fees and access support from our helpful advisors.
Explore Funding Options
MSc International Sports Business Management aims to prepare students for careers in a wide range of sectors, including leisure, tourism, events, and business industries.
Former students have gone onto graduate positions including trainee product specialist, media analyst, graduate product manager, and event coordinator.
Lincoln International Business School works with students and organisations to enhance the contribution of business to society. For students, that means developing their business skills and knowledge to improve their career readiness.The University of Lincoln is a member of AACSB, a global nonprofit association connecting educators, students, and businesses to achieve a common goal: to create the next generation of great leaders.
About the AACSB
For more information about this course, please contact the Programme Leader.
Professor Hanya Pielichaty
hpielichaty@lincoln.ac.uk
Here, Dr Hanya Pielichaty talks about how the programme focuses on the international business management of the sports sector, the culture, policy, impact, and delivery of sporting opportunities.
To get a real feel for what it is like to study at the University of Lincoln, we hold a number of dedicated postgraduate events and activities throughout the year for you to take part in.
Upcoming Postgraduate Events