Sport Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship

Advance your knowledge of innovative practices, managerial processes and entrepreneurial behaviours contributing to the growth of sport as a global industry. Learn to critically assess and act on global issues that have implications for sport businesses during the Sport Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship degree program offered byBournemouth University.

Please note: this is an exciting new course ofMSc Sport Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship delivered at Bournemouth University for 2025 September entry. Pleaseregister your interestand we will email you when the course is open for applications.

Key Facts

Why study MSc Sport Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship at BU?

• Expand your knowledge about a range of innovative practices, entrepreneurial behaviours, and sport management theories
• Choose to complete a 30-week work placement to enhance employability and improve your performance as a sport innovator, manager, or entrepreneur
• Learn from a team of research-active academics who have strong links with both the sport industry and the wider business community
• Benefit from the flexibility and study this course part-time or full-time
• Engage and network with industry speakers, who offer specific entrepreneurship, innovation and management knowledge, experience and insight
• Graduate with the innovative and entrepreneurial skills and managerial expertise to succeed within roles such as sport innovation management, sport marketing and sport business.

Core units:

• Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Sport Management: This unit provides insight into how sport organisations can become more entrepreneurial and innovative to achieve sustainable growth. You will also be introduced to emerging research, data, and key issues and trends in entrepreneurship and sport management and explores how to creatively leverage opportunities to develop innovative sport business practices.

• Contemporary Issues in Sport Management: This unit is dominated by a scientific approach related to the production and consumption of knowledge. It will enable you to apply and transfer a scientific approach of management knowledge to particular sport contexts.

• Sport Business Leadership: This unit will explore the importance of effective leadership in sport business. You will be encouraged to think critically about leadership practices, moving beyond outdated concepts and theories to explore the ways in which individuals gain social influence within teams, organisations, and brands in the sport industry.

Option units:

• SME and Entrepreneurial Finance: This unit aims to equip you with grounded knowledge of the major issues of sourcing funding to start or undertake rapid expansion of businesses, especially in the context of regional economies. The unit explores various theories of finance while drawing on practical knowledge of government grants, business angels, venture capitals (VCs), private equity, investment banks and other financing types for early-stage businesses.
• Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Design: The unit will focus on developing an effective entrepreneurial, innovative, and design thinking mindset. The implementation of design management principles, innovative culture and governance will be explored in a variety of business contexts. The unit will explore the nature of entrepreneurial knowledge and skills, attributes, competences, and behaviours.
• Supply Chains, Networks and Markets: This unit will examine the critical challenges, tasks and approaches associated with the management of inter-organisational relationship, whether in domestic or international settings. You will also explore both strategic management and marketing-related aspects of business-to-business and business-to-consumer relationships from a multidisciplinary perspective. In particular, it will focus on the implications of conceptualising inter-organisational relationships in terms of the dominant notions of supply chains, networks and markets.
• Global Innovation Management: The unit explores and evaluates the theoretical and practical perspectives of innovation management, as well as the managerial issues facing organisations in the global environment. The unit aims to give you a critical understanding and appreciation of key issues of innovation management.
• Digital Marketing: During this unit, you will develop a critical understanding of the current practices and applications of digital marketing. This unit will introduce a range of digital marketing concepts underpinned by the digital marketing planning process; i.e. analysis, planning, implementation and control. Emphasis will also be placed on evaluating the effectiveness of various digital marketing tools.
• Dissertation: The dissertation will enable you to demonstrate breadth of knowledge and analytical techniques through the preparation and presentation of a rigorous and analytically-sound dissertation concerning a particular sport issue using scientific principles and methods to critically examine the relationship between theory, practice and knowledge within an independent learning environment.
• Applied Sport Project: This unit aims to develop students’ knowledge and understanding through a ‘real-life' project focusing on a sport organisation as it seeks solutions to a societal or organisational problem. A distinguishing characteristic of the applied sport project will be engagement with external stakeholders in a sport business, organisation or community from outside the program. The chosen project will be conducted as a significant piece of self-managed work that will involve independent learning, critical thinking, and reflective skills that demonstrate the application of analytical and evaluative skills gained from the other units on the program.