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MSc International Sport Management

Key information

Our MSc International Sport Management has been specifically designed to provide you with the understanding and skills to pursue a career in national and international sporting organisations.

Level
Postgraduate Taught
Delivery type
Full Time, Part Time
Degree qualification
MSc
Mode of delivery
On-Campus
Duration
1 year
Location
Edinburgh
Start date
September

Our MSc International Sport Management has been specifically designed to provide you with the understanding and skills to pursue a career in national and international sporting organisations. You’ll gain the know-how to manage staff from a range of unique disciplines and diverse backgrounds towards attaining excellence in the management of sports activities, events, and services. You’ll also understand the wider policy, social and political context within which these organisations operate.   
 

During the master’s degree, you’ll develop core business knowledge and understanding with emphasis on the study of topics central to sports management in both national and international contexts and reflecting sport’s wider institutional and social nature. You’ll gain knowledge and a critical awareness of a broad spectrum of current issues and research relating to theories, concepts and principles underpinning international sport management practice. You’ll apply your knowledge to appraise current and future sporting environments to make sense of practical and policy implications. You’ll have a practical understanding of how research and scientific enquiry can be used to evaluate and respond to tactical and strategic issues of concern for the practice of sports and sports organisations. The MSc will provide you with the skills to apply your knowledge and understanding to professional practice and solve sport management problems.   

The programme is also an excellent example of practice-oriented education. All students study an Applied Sport Management course in semester 2, delivered on a semi-intensive experiential learning basis, which includes engagement with sport industry practitioners. In addition, all students undertake a Professional Practice work placement as part of the programme.

Beyond subject knowledge and skills, you’ll gain key transferrable skills which will aid you throughout your professional career. You’ll be able to effectively work independently and in a team, identify areas for continued professional development, communicate effectively by written and verbal means, apply ICT resources for maximising impact, and evaluate a wide range of graphical and numerical data. This invaluable skillset will make you highly sought after upon graduation.   

You’ll have the opportunity to specialise and choose two optional courses – from contemporary consumers, leadership, marketing, branding and communications, social media marketing, and heritage and cultural marketing – to customise your learning and develop your specific interest. Your international sport management dissertation will allow you to further build on these subject interests, by presenting you the opportunity to carry out an original research project at the forefront of knowledge. The knowledge base, subject and transferable skills you gain will prepare you for lifelong learning and personal development.   

You’ll gain a theoretical understanding and applied skill set in areas such as competitive strategy, leadership, finance, governance, and management in an international sporting context.  

Heriot-Watt Sport Programme Scholarship

The Heriot-Watt Sport programme Scholarship offers a 20% tuition fee discount and an annual membership to Oriam, Scotland’s Sports Performance Centre.

Learn more

Your student experience

Your learning will be informed by the expertise of our research-active academics whose work covers the following areas:  

  • Accountability and finance in sport   
  • Leadership in sports settings  
  • Governance in sport  
  • Anti-doping policy   
  • Gender and equity in sport  

Go Global

There are currently no Go Global opportunities for this particular programme. However, other Go Global opportunities may be available. Please contact studywithus@hw.ac.uk for more information.

Course content

September Intake - Edinburgh

Year 1

Mandatory September

  • Principles of International Sport Management
  • International Sport Finance and Sustainability
  • International Sport Policy and Governance

Mandatory January

  • Research Philosophy and Practice
  • Professional Practice in Sport Management
  • Applied Sport Management

Mandatory May

  • Research project in International Sport Management

Optional September

  • Contemporary Consumers
  • Leadership

Optional January

  • Branding and Communications
  • Social Media Marketing

Disclaimer

The courses mentioned above may change between now and the time that you study. For more information, please view our Terms and Conditions.

Programme Video

Study International Sport Management at Heriot-Watt

Follow James's day in the life at a MSc International Sport Management student, explore our state-of-the-art facilities, and understand why you should choose to study at Heriot-Watt University.

About the programme

Students and lecturers talk about the features and their experiences of the MSc International Sport Management at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.

Student testimonials

Pursuing a master's in international Sport Management has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Everyone involved in the programme has been fantastic and the environment and experience has been really refreshing. Having completed my undergraduate degree in Economics and Finance, I felt unsure about my future, but through this programme I have been able to apply what I’ve learned in something I am truly passionate about. I would highly recommend the programme to anyone who has a love for sport and everything surrounding it!

James Taylor

Student, MSc International Sport Management

Fees and funding

intake tuition fees
StatusFull TimePart Time
UK£10,864£5,432
International£21,872£10,936
  • Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
  • International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland - see above).

Additional information

New scholarship offer:

We will offer a scholarship for UK-based students who achieve a 2:1 or better. This scholarship provides a 20% fee reduction and an Oriam gym membership.

Scholarships and bursaries

Coaching Scholarships Programme

Our Coaching Scholarships are designed to attract individuals who are passionate about coaching and developing the sports programme and performance of student athletes. Anyone studying at postgraduate level at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Campus, is eligible to apply for a Coaching Scholarship.

Learn more

Heriot-Watt Sports Scholarships

Heriot-Watt University Sports Scholarship Programme is delivered in partnership with Heriot-Watt University, Oriam and Heriot-Watt University Sports Union. The programme is designed to embed a high-performance training environment into a student-athlete's weekly schedule.

View details

Entry requirements

We have standard entry requirements for all of our courses that you will have to meet.

Year 1

A minimum of honours degree at 2:2 or non-UK equivalent in a sport-related subject (including sport science, sport development, sport coaching), business or management or related subject (marketing, accounting, economics), or other social science subjects (including sociology, media and communication), demonstrating interest in sports through degree studied or supporting statement. Applications are also welcomed from students who have an honours degree in an unrelated subject but who have experience of working in sport or general business and management.

We welcome applications from international students and accept qualifications from around the world. Please refer to the entry requirements for your country for more details.

English language requirements

If your first language is not English, we'll need to see evidence of your English language ability.

The minimum English language requirement for entry to this programme is IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent) with no score lower than 5.5 except for writing which must be at 6.0 minimum.

If you do not have IELTS 6.0, we offer a range of English language courses to help you meet the English language requirement for this programme prior to commencing your studies.

Please see our detailed English language requirements.

Why Heriot-Watt

We're the top university in Scotland for graduate outcomes which means that more of our graduates are employed or in postgraduate education than any other institution in the country and we ranked 5th in the UK.

We're also rated number one in the UK for CEO or MD roles, meaning more of our graduates go on to become CEOs or MDs than any other university in the whole of the UK. On top of that, we have beautiful campuses, across the globe, so you'll get a truly international education. Our Edinburgh Campus is home to Oriam, Scotland's National Sports Performance Centre combined with plenty of wellbeing resources, prioritising fitness and mental health for all students. Our Global Research Institutes look at solving real world issues such as climate change and saving our oceans as well as working on the next medical technological breakthrough and the future of AI and robots.

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