Sports History and Culture MA

    Sports History and Culture MA

    Duration1 year(s)
    Tuition Fee
    GBP 22,183 / per year
    Next IntakeSeptember 1, 2026

    Sports History and Culture MA

    About

    Our well-established Sports History and Culture distance-learning MA will give you a firm grounding in the development of modern sport, from its traditional forms to present-day practices. This is a flexible and interactive programme that, thanks to its close links with the International Centre for Sports History and Culture (ICSHC), ensures your learning is at the cutting edge of research in this area.

    You will investigate the origins of modern sport, examine its cultural and global significance, discover how sport can help us understand society and different communities, as well as consider how historians of sport can use primary sources. The scope of the course is global, not only analysing how modern sport spread from its British origins but also how other nations embraced sport within their own cultural contexts.

    The course is set up in such a way as to allow you to personalise your study. Though there are multiple core elements, all students have a choice of module options, select where and when to undertake certain assignments within their chosen study pathway and can customise essays and, especially, dissertation topics to reflect their interests.

    In this fully online MA degree, module materials such as written lectures and related reading and tasks are all placed in our Virtual Learning Environment – Learning Zone – at regular intervals. Though course staff will offer broad recommendations on when certain module tasks should be completed, and while there are set assignment deadlines to work towards, students have a great degree of freedom over how they approach and organise their study.

    Though it is a distance-learning degree, course staff are easily accessible through video/phone calls and tutorials, email communication and, where practicable, in-person. You will also be invited to attend numerous seminars and conferences, such as those organised by the ICSHC and partnership groups such as the British Society of Sports History and the European Committee for Sports History. These partnerships, coupled with our academic team’s expertise and real-world experience, will provide you with a challenging and rewarding intellectual experience.

    Alongside gaining a deep understanding of the history of sport, you will develop skills in independent research by producing sustained pieces of writing and primary source analysis assignments. As a graduate, you will be ideally placed for a career in sports writing, sport development, management, the media, teaching or to undertake PhD research.

    Full-time students complete the MA in one year (October–September), while part-time students complete the MA over two years. Both routes lead to the same MA award and involve the same modules and assessments.

    Find out more about distance learning on this course

    Talk to our course team

    If you would like to find out more about how this course can help you achieve your career ambitions, send a message to our course team lead Dr Dave Dee, who would be happy to chat to you. Alternatively, you can register for our next postgraduate event or call our course enquirers team on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70 / WhatsApp: 0797 0655 800.


    Follow us on our International Centre for Sports History and Culture Facebook page.

    Scholarships:

    DMU offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships and bursaries to help you realise your academic ambitions.

    International Scholarships

    Find out about available scholarships and country specific fee discounts for international students.

    More courses like this:

    Management, Law and Humanities of Sport MA
    Sport Management MSc

    Requirements

    Entry Requirements

    Typical entry requirements

    You should have the equivalent or above of a 2:2 UK bachelor’s honours degree in a relevant subject such as history, other humanities-based subjects, sports studies or sociology.

    We welcome applications from a wide sector and all non-standard applications will be carefully considered.

    Interview

    Non-standard applicants will be invited to attend an online interview with the academic team.

    English language requirements

    If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

    English Language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

    Career

    DMU Global

    This is our innovative international experience programme which aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons – helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world.

    Through DMU Global, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.

    Graduate careers

    Many of our students have used their studies to develop careers in sports writing, sport development, management, the media and teaching.

    Graduate Katie – now working as an academic - said: “The MA strengthened my passion for research, and the support from the staff within the ICSHC gave me confidence in my ability to conduct this level of work. My MA dissertation work on the history of women playing American football demonstrated that there was an unknown history waiting to be discovered.”

    “The opportunity to attend conferences and events has allowed me to network with other sports historians and expand my knowledge in different areas of sports history. The support and advice I have received from the tutors, who are experts in their field, has been invaluable.”

    Fee Information

    Tuition Fee
    22,183 / per year

    Sports History and Culture MA

    De Montfort University

    De Montfort University

    United Kingdom

    United Kingdom, Leicester