Sports History and Culture MA

About the course

This internationally-recognised MA will give you a firm historical, cultural and economic understanding of all aspects of modern sport from its traditional forms to the present day. Over the past 10 years, dozens of students have graduated from the course, enhancing their skills, publishing their work and developing career prospects.

Why is sport so important in today’s world? How can sport help us understand society and different cultures? What kinds of sources are available to the historian of sport and how can they be used? What role has sport played in the past – and what role is it likely to play in the future? These are the kinds of questions you will analyse in this course.

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Run by the International Centre for Sport History and Culture (ICSHC) – the world’s leading centre for the study of the history of sport – this MA offers you a flexible, interactive way to develop your knowledge and understanding of sport and history. It may be taken as an e-based distance learning course, however, you will be invited to attend seminars and conferences organised by the ICSHC and affiliates, should you be able to attend.

Staffed by some of the leading academics in the field, the ICSHC works closely with world bodies such as FIFA, the Professional Golfers’ Association, the Rugby Football League and many other such organisations.

Our academic team’s combination of expertise and experience will provide you with a challenging and rewarding intellectual experience leading to a valuable qualification.

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Key facts

UKPASS code: V30071

Duration: One year full-time, two years part-time

Location: Online/distance learning

Start date: September 2013

Entry and admission criteria

You should have the equivalent of a UK bachelor’s degree (2:1 minimum) in a relevant subject such as history or sociology. We welcome applications from a wide sector and all non-standard applications will be carefully considered.

Teaching and assessment

The distance learning route means that you will access study materials designed to support your coursework, in your own time at your own pace via Blackboard, and online reading resources. There is a weekly lecture and/or activity, plus suggested additional reading specific to that module but also helpful to the course as a whole.

You will have a personal tutor and also deal with module leaders for each section of the course so that you have the input of a range of staff as your work develops. While we set assignment titles, for example, you are also encouraged to suggest your own proposals in preparation for writing the dissertation. You may choose to do one longer assignment for one of the modules rather than two shorter pieces as a way of sustaining a topic of particular interest. You will have contact with your personal tutor each week by email, phone or via Blackboard and there will be email provision for chat rooms in which you can discuss aspects of the course with your fellow students.

In terms of the PC hardware and software that you need, all you need is a connection to the internet (to send and receive email) and a word processor capable of reading and writing Rich Text Format documents such as Microsoft Word, Appleworks or Star Office. If you have any technical questions, please contact us.

Course modules

The course comprises four modules plus a 15,000 word dissertation on a subject chosen in consultation with your tutor.

You will study three core modules:

• Social and Cultural Themes of Sport
• Sport, Politics and Policy
• Researching Sport History

You will then choose one module from the following:

• Sport, Writing and History
• The History of Football
• The History of Rugby

They are delivered by experts in the field and each one has the flexibility to incorporate your own special interests into your study plan.

Academic expertise

Our staff are among the leading names in the field of sport history. Each one is personally involved in the teaching and supervision of MA students, and can easily be contacted directly during your studies. Our team, and some of their publications, include:

• Professor Jeff Hill: Sport, Leisure and Culture in Twentieth Century Britain, Sport and Identity in the North of England
• Professor Tony Mason: Association Football and English Society 1863–1915; Sport in Britain, 100 Years of Football: The FIFA Centennial Book
• Professor Richard Holt: Sport and Society in Modern France; Sport and the British, and Sport in Britain Since 1945
• Dr Neil Carter: The Football Manager: a History; Wellcome Trust Research Fellow in the history of sports medicine
• Dr Dil Porter: Amateurism in British Sport: it matters not who won or lost? (Routledge, 2007) – co-editor Stephen Wagg and Amateurism and Professionalism in Post-War British Sport (Frank Cass, 2000) – co-editor Adrian Smith
• Dr Jean Williams: A Game for Rough Girls? A History of Women’s Football in England; A Beautiful Game: International Perspectives on Women’s Football
• Professor Matthew Taylor: The Leaguers: The Making of Professional Football in England, 1900–1939; co-author (with Pierre Lanfranchi) of Moving With the Ball: The Migration of Professional Footballers; The Association Game
• Professor Tony Collins: A Social History of English Rugby Union and Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain

Industry links and professional accreditation

Both De Montfort University and the International Centre for Sports History and Culture (ICSHC) have a wide range of sporting and cultural partnerships. These include the Musée National du Sport in France, the National Football Museum in Manchester, Leicestershire County Cricket Club, Leicester City FC and many more. The academic team also has a wide international network of academic partners.

The ICSHC has recently worked in partnership with BBC Radio 4 for the major 30 part series on the history of sport in Britain. The “Sport and the British” series, which is narrated by the BBC’s Clare Balding, was made in partnership with the ICSHC, led by Professor Tony Collins, Professor Richard Holt and Professor Emeritus Tony Mason. A flagship historical series for BBC Radio 4 in the Olympic year of 2012, “Sport and the British” explores themes such as the origins of modern sport, the power of sport to unite a nation, the rise of women in sport and the global diffusion of sport.

"My experience of the distance learning course with DMU has been uniformly positive. The breadth of the course in terms of subject topics meant that I was able to specialise in the areas that particularly interested me whilst the written lecture programme provided a sound basis of the main areas of study within the discipline.”

Steve Wilson (Sport History and Culture MA graduate and sports writer)

“My sense of the value of the work done at DMU comes mainly from involvement with the International Centre for Sport History and Culture, and the overriding impression created by the experience is of an institution where intellectual rigour is enriched by a warm humanity and an alertness to the ways of the wider world that is the healthy antithesis of academic insularity.”

Hugh McIlvanney (internationally renowned sports journalist)

Graduate careers

Many of our students have used their studies to develop careers in sports writing, development, management, the media and teaching. Others have gone on to undertake PhD research and pursue academic careers. A number have used their studies to publish work.

Fees and funding

Fees and funding options for 2013/14 entry are still under review and are subject to change.

Full-time UK/EU Postgraduate courses fees £4,200 Students Equivalent or Lower Qualification Status* £5,000 International
Postgraduate courses fees £11,700 Part-time Postgraduate courses fees per year £2150 Students Equivalent or Lower Qualification Status* (per year)
£2500 Continuation UK/EU Fee** £150 Continuation International Fee** £5000

For more information please take a look at our Funding| | section.

* ELQ Student definition - If you are a Home or EU status student and you already have a qualification at or above the level of the programme you wish to study from any country you will be considered as an Equivalent or Lower Qualification (ELQ) student. In 2008 the UK Government decided to stop funding universities for student in this situation and therefore the following fees will apply £5,000. Students from outside the EU are not affected by the policy.

** A fee that is charged on a periodic basis where Postgraduate or Research students need to extend their registration to complete the course.

Scholarships

Learn more about postgraduate funding and finance|