Football Journalism with Foundation Year

This degree offers you the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence before you advance to stage one of your honours degree.

Combine your passion for football with high level journalism skills on the only course of its kind in the country.

• Journalism at Derby is ranked in the Top 30 in The Guardian University Guide 2023
• Choose our foundation year route if you want to strengthen your knowledge and skills before you progress to stage one of the BA (Hons) Football Journalism degree.
• Join the next generation of talented football journalists at a time when interest in the 'beautiful game' has never been higher
• Enjoy substantial practical experience of researching and producing powerful print, radio, TV and online football stories. Our students (Derby Uni Footy Journos) were in France reporting on the FIFA Women's World Cup 2019
• Get to grips with the latest techniques and technologies which are transforming journalism in an era of digital news
• Learn about the culture, history and practice of the football industry and the media that surrounds it
• Gain invaluable insights through work placements within football and media organisations
• Benefit from our outstanding facilities which include TV and radio studios as well as a fully equipped newsroom
• Build the core practical and intellectual skills of a journalist so that you're also equipped for a broad range of media careers beyond the world of sport.

• Shahadat Al-Thanawaya Al-Aama
• Students with an overall score of 60% would usually be eligible for the International Foundation Year
• UKVI IELTS 4.5 with a minimum of 4.0 in all components (CEFR B1) is also required

• If you are studying and completing any internationally recognised qualification such as A-levels; International Baccalaureate (IB) or the American Curricula from the International Schools within Jordan, then you can begin from the first year of a Bachelors degree. Please see individual course pages for specific entry requirements
• If you have completed a recognised international foundation programme with good grades
• Advanced entry to year 2 or 3 may be possible. You will need to supply detailed information including courses taken, grades achieved, syllabus and a grading guide

This course develops the broad range of knowledge and skills you need to become a multimedia professional, adept in the production of content for print, online and broadcast outlets. While it equips you to work in football journalism specifically, it also prepares you for careers in broader areas of journalism, online or broadcast media production, PR, advertising, corporate communications, law and public administration or politics.

The research and communication skills of a journalist are highly transferable to a huge variety of graduate level jobs. Our students have gone on to work for magazines and local newspapers; BBC, commercial and community radio; and BBC and commercial TV. Others have set up their own digital businesses or worked for online agencies. Three current students launched their own football-based media company in their second year. 

Ensuring you're 'work-ready'

Our Careers and Employment Service will provide you with support from day one of your course to ensure you leave Derby as a 'work-ready' graduate - industry aware, motivated and enterprising. Throughout your studies, you'll also benefit from our Personal Development Planning (PDP) scheme which enables you to reflect on your learning and develop your career ambitions. The support continues once you've completed your course too: you are entitled to further help and guidance from the Careers and Employment Service for up to three years after leaving the University.