BA Degree in International Sports Management - RIASA in Leeds

The International Sports Management degree aims to provide students with a broad range of skills in the key functional areas of business and yet provide them with an opportunity to develop a specialism in sports management, in the last 2 years of their 4 year degree.
This degree provides an applied and critical examination of the theory and practice surrounding the management and business of sports in various parts of the world. The increasing commodification of sport as a ‘product’ and the changes in consumer behavior has resulted in a need to adopt a more professional and commercial orientation to the management of sport and to its business operations. Changes in the public sector of many countries, and the development of commercial provisions, have fundamentally affected the balance of the public, commercial and voluntary sector structures in the provision of sporting and leisure facilities. This has resulted in a need to understand the context in which operational, policy and strategic decisions are taken, and both existing and future sports managers need to have a knowledge and skill set that reflects this understanding. Levels of professionalism, citizenship, leadership, consumerism and commercial aware ness need to be optimized for the successful operation of sports businesses.
Operating from a firm theoretical base, the degree provides an exploration of the central role and functions of sports management and provides students with a comprehensive and critical grounding in business management principles. It allows students to apply this grounding to practical and realistic settings in sport and leisure contexts. It also enables specialism in areas of particular interest such as sport marketing, healthy lifestyles, sport event management and coaching.
Students acquire a solid foundation in the business fundamentals with information technology and a global perspective as the integrating and unifying theme throughout the course of their studies. This degree enables our students to respond to the unprecedented demand for workers with knowledge and skills required to lead innovative organizations, from local sports businesses to global corporations. The above aims are encapsulated within the following two paragraphs on Mission and Goals.