Programme structure: Sport Policy, Management and International Development

This full-time programme critically examines the commercialised and media-orientated world of professional sport as well as the increasingly important realm of community sport. 

We recognise that sport managers operate in a highly politicised environment. The programme, therefore, reviews the role of government in shaping sporting opportunities. We also examine sport’s contribution to social policy agendas such as crime prevention, health improvement, educational attainment and community building. Finally, we review sport’s role in peace and reconciliation, leadership development, gender empowerment and disease prevention worldwide. 

We focus on issues relevant to managing sports organisations, examining them in relation to sport's unique social and political context. These issues include: 

  • strategic, performance, human resource, change and risk management 
  • leadership 
  • organisational culture and behaviour  

We also:  

  • study how mass media structures sport-management debates.  
  • assess how sport managers can use the media to their advantage  
  • analyse key sport marketing concepts to provide a foundation for managing sport communications through traditional and social media 

The programme studies fundamental aspects of research methods and links these to sport-management concerns. 

Programme structure

Masters degrees at the University of Edinburgh comprise 180 credits. The first 120 credits are made up of taught courses. Students who achieve an average mark of 50% or more can continue to the dissertation component which makes up the final 60 credits of the programme. Successfully completing all 180 credits leads to the MSc. 

You will take seven compulsory courses. These courses consist of a combination of lectures, seminars, case studies, industry visits and discussions. 

Compulsory courses

Please note that courses and course content may change each year.

Course descriptions (2024-25)

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This course gave me an opportunity to think critically and engage with concepts that were valuable to other courses. [The course organiser's] detailed responses to final course assessment was very helpful; I will be able to employ the recommendations to improve performance in future assessments.

Sources of Knowledge: Understanding and analysing research literature - nominated for Outstanding Course in the EUSA Teaching Awards 2021

Dissertation

Successfully completing the taught courses enables you to progress to the dissertation. You must complete the dissertation to receive the MSc. To complete the dissertation, you also need to take one additional compulsory course, Research Methods: Planning Research. 

The dissertation is an independent research project. You may select your topic from a list supplied by staff or, with the help of staff, you can tailor it to your own research or career objectives. 

Examples of dissertation projects from previous years: 

  • Re-thinking community sports development through sport social enterprises: a case study of the Crags Community Sports Centre 
  • The mediated representation of female athletes: a case study of Yani Tseng 
  • An exploration of how sport communications present culture: examining Nike UK and Nike China 
  • Stakeholder perceptions of talent identification and development in Scottish sport 
  • Using sport to prevent teenage pregnancies: a case study of the Chattanooga Sport Ministries 
  • Comparing local football development systems in India and England 
  • The effect of outdoor fitness equipment on community sport development in Dalian (China) 
  • Creating an effective brand for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games 
  • The opportunities and challenges with social media: a case study of Adidas 
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Teaching informed by the latest research

You will be based in the Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences (ISPEHS) where our staff are undertaking research in diverse areas, including: 

  • sport, poverty and homelessness 
  • sporting legacies from mega and major sport events 
  • sport and militarism 
  • the politics of North and South Korean sport 
  • leisure-based physical activity interventions 
  • sport media and communication 
  • the politics of sport stadium protests 
  • strategic sport management 
  • gender equity in and through sport 

This research informs our teaching, so you will benefit from cutting-edge knowledge and expertise. 

Institute for Sport, Physical Education & Health Sciences (ISPEHS)

Research groups and networks

Our programme is affiliated with multiple research groups and centres of education and research, including:

These groups promote our commitment to research and research-led teaching.  

The groups were formed in conjunction with internationally renowned researchers across the UK, Asia and North America. Members include international journal editors and reviewers and nationally and internationally recognised commentators. We regularly speak at national and international events and write media articles on sport. 

Facilities

The University of Edinburgh is one of the best universities in the world for its sport and exercise facilities. We offer more than 60 sport clubs, ranging from fencing to skydiving, horse riding, ice hockey, rugby and rock climbing. 

Sport and Exercise

Edinburgh University Sports Union