Bachelor of Sports and Recreation Management/ Bachelor of Communications and Media

This double degree pairs the business of sport with the craft of media. You study how clubs, leagues, community organisations and events are run, governance, finance, marketing, facility and event management, participation and high performance, and at the same time learn to write, produce and publish across news, digital, audio, video and social channels. Both halves of the degree are taught at the University of Notre Dame Australia, a national Catholic university with campuses in Fremantle, Sydney and Broome.

How the degree is structured

It runs four years full time, longer if you spread the load. Australian bachelor degrees are built from units of study, each worth a set number of credit points, and you need a fixed total to graduate. The academic year is usually split into semesters, with some institutions using trimesters. You will take core units in each discipline, choose electives, and finish with a capstone unit or project that pulls the two fields together, often a real event, campaign or industry report rather than an exam.

What you actually study

On the sport side, expect units on sport management and administration, event and facility operations, sports marketing and sponsorship, finance and budgeting, law and governance, and community sport and participation. The communications side covers media writing, journalism, public relations, digital and social media production, media law and ethics, and audience research. Put together, that means you can plan a season, pitch a sponsor, run the match-day media, write the release, and measure whether any of it worked.

Work-integrated learning

Sport and media both hire on demonstrated work, so this degree includes practical and placement components. Students typically spend time with sporting clubs, associations, event organisers, local councils, community programs, newsrooms, agencies or broadcasters, depending on campus and availability. The university also has strong ties to its home cities, including the sporting and media networks around Fremantle and Sydney. Confirm the placement requirements, hours and locations with the university before you apply.

Who it suits

This suits school leavers who follow sport closely and also like writing, filming or posting, and who want a job rather than just a spectator's seat. It also suits people already working in clubs, gyms, councils or media who want formal qualifications. English proficiency is required for international applicants: IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the usual undergraduate standard, with higher scores for teaching, nursing, medicine, law and social work. TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the university's own English programmes are accepted as equivalents, and the Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa. As an international student you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream after graduating. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register, and entry requirements, unit lists, placement details and intakes should be confirmed on the official course page.

• Sport administration and club management, community clubs, state sporting organisations, national bodies and local councils.
• Event and venue operations, stadiums, aquatic centres, major event organisers and tourism bodies.
• Sports marketing and sponsorship, agencies, brands, leagues and athlete management firms.
• Media and communications roles, journalism, public relations, social media and content production for newsrooms, agencies and in-house teams.
• Media and communications officer for a club or league, match-day coverage, member communications, crisis and issues work.
• Community sport and participation programs, government sport departments, schools and not-for-profits.
• Broadcast and digital production, sport broadcasters, streaming services and podcast or video outfits.
• Further study, honours, a master's in sport management, business or communications, or a research degree.