MSc Sport Management

MSc Sport Management

This programme, which is ranked 14th in the world and 4th in Europe in the 2024 SportBusiness Postgraduate Course Rankings, is targeted at graduates aiming to develop a career in the Sport industry, as well as experienced professionals who wish to enhance their career opportunities within this field. Graduates are equipped with the theoretical knowledge and practical tools & techniques required to solve real-life sport management challenges.

This one year full-time, or two-year part-time MSc programme is the first of its kind in the Republic of Ireland, and is offered by the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Sports Science. It provides graduates who are motivated and passionate about sport with the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills required to develop a successful management career in the Sports Industry. It also provides current professionals with the chance to further enhance their management skills.

The programme is informed by the exciting research carried out by our faculty and by sport industry experts who contribute to both the design & delivery of the programme curriculum. Throughout the programme, students are provided with the opportunity to engage and network with leading figures in the industry.

The programme also offers the unique opportunity to study how high-performance sport is managed from government policy to the views of key stakeholders within a sporting organisation.

A part-time format is available to facilitate the continuing development of current professionals without necessitating an interruption to their career.

For more information on the programme, click here or contact the Programme Director, (opens in a new window)Dr Tom Fabian.

 

Modes of Delivery:

Programme modules will be delivered one day per week (typically Friday mornings & afternoons) across both academic semesters. In addition, there will be two weeks of block lectures for selected modules. Delivery is carried out by faculty members and external industry experts. These external contributors bring experience from across the Sports industry continuum, including National Governing Bodies (Federation of Irish Sport, Sport Ireland, FAI, GAA, IRFU), International Federations (World Rugby, UEFA), Professional Sports Clubs (Leinster Rugby) and Commercial Sports Organisations (Racing Post).

Through delivering the programme the faculty and external lecturers facilitate a vibrant teaching and learning environment. Students have the opportunity to actively engage and learn through a variety of pedagogical methods such as experiential learning, problem-based learning, reflection & peer-to-peer learning, industry seminars, site visits and group project work. Assessment strategies include essays, critical analyses, case studies, oral presentations, reports and project work.

Application Process:

For details of the application process, please see the instructions at www.ucd.ie/apply.

All applications are processed and carried out by the Programme Director and are approved at School level.

Applications must be supported by the following documents:

• Official transcripts of undergraduate degrees
• 2 official reference letters (including letterhead, date & address)
• A CV
• A personal statement (outlining your suitability for the programme, your motivations for pursuing a career in Sport Management, etc.)

EU/International Applicants may also require:

• Evidence of proficiency in English (IELTS or TOEFL score) where their first language is not English, or whose primary degree(s) have been obtained in a country where English is not the official language of instruction
• Visa status (only required after School approval of the application)

In exceptional circumstances where substantial relevant work experience or experiential learning can be demonstrated an applicant may be considered despite not holding a relevant degree. Applicants who have been approved by the School will be given either a firm or a conditional offer through our online system, and will receive an email which details how to accept or decline such an offer.

Sport Management Team

Core Staff

• (opens in a new window)Professor Eleni Theodoraki
• (opens in a new window)Associate Professor James Matthews
• (opens in a new window)Dr Seamus Kelly
• (opens in a new window)Dr Ross Neville
• (opens in a new window)Dr Joel Rookwood
• (opens in a new window)Dr Tom Fabian
• (opens in a new window)Dr Andre Andrijiw
• Mr Ruben Collins

Ruben is the Programme Administrator for the BSc Sport & Exercise Management undergraduate programme and the MSc Sport Management graduate programme. Ruben works with students and academics on all aspects of the programmes from admissions to graduation.

Associated Staff

Dr Helen Raftery

Helen is CEO of Junior Achievement Ireland (JAI), working with 30 full time staff and 3,000 business volunteers each year to inspire and motivate young people to realise their potential by valuing education and gaining an understanding of how to succeed in the world of work. JAI works with business leaders across 160+ supporting organisations and teachers, school leaders and other educationalists to ensure JA educational activities are enjoyed by more than 65,000 students in primary and second levels across Ireland annually.

Before assuming her current role, Helen enjoyed opportunities to teach at primary and second level and to work across the public, private and voluntary sectors, including roles in two National Governing Bodies of Sport, and at the Irish Sports Council, the precursor to Sport Ireland, in the eight years spanning its emergence from a voluntary committee to statutory agency. In these roles, Helen witnessed at first hand governmental-level developments from the appointment of the first Minister of Sport (1997), to the signing into law of the Irish Sports Council Act (1999) and the first meeting of the ISC to the initiation of the ISC-led initiatives like the Local Sports Partnerships (2002) and the Irish Institute of Sport (2005). Helen was awarded her doctorate by Queen's University, Belfast, and her doctoral studies focused on the work of volunteer directors/ board members in non-profits, with a particular emphasis on the governance of sport and the role of voluntary leaders in sports organisations.

Helen has worked with UCD students on the MSc programme since 2010 and is delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to the development of those who will lead Irish sport into the future.  

Ken Robinson

Ken is CEO of DCU Sport. He holds an MBA from Dublin City University, an MSc in Sport Science from St Mary’s University, a BA (Hons) in Business Management from the Irish Management Institute, a Diploma in Business Studies and a National Certificate in Fitness, Level 1 & 2.  He was General Manager of ESB SportsCo and in 2004 was appointed CEO of DCU Sport in Dublin City University.

Under his tenure, DCU Sport has been awarded national sports centre of the year at the EIQA awards three times. Ken is also a past President of ILAM Ireland (now Ireland Active), the Institute of Leisure Managers and was recognised with Life membership of ILAM in 2012 for service to the industry. He played and now coaches Gaelic Football and has worked with several senior and development teams.

A qualified ISO auditor with experience in gaining the Q-Mark in SportsCo and DCU and as part of the leisure industry working group seconded to develop the Operation Standards standard for sports and leisure facilities in 1998. From 2003 until 2011 he was Chairman of the FAI Clubs Licensing Committee as part of the UEFA Quality standard for football clubs throughout Europe. Ken is currently completing a doctorate degree in elite sport performance.

Dr Giampiero Tarantino

Giampiero holds a PhD in Inclusive Physical Activity and Education from UCD’s School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science. Giampiero obtained a BSc in Sports Science and Performance in 2014 followed by an MSc (Hons) in Sports Science and Education in 2016 at the University of Pisa, Italy. After working as a PE teacher in Italian middle and secondary schools for three years, Giampiero received a scholarship for his PhD by the Irish Research Council under the Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship scheme, which he started in September 2018 at UCD and completed in September 2022. His PhD research focuses on the inclusion of children with disabilities in physical activity and education.

Alongside his activity as a researcher, Giampiero is also an Occasional Lecturer within the School. He is the lecturer on the ‘Research Methods for Sport’ module on the BSc in Sport & Exercise Management, and a recurrent lecturer on modules in the subject areas of Public Health, like ‘Knowledge Synthesis, Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis’ and ‘Dietetics Professional Practice 2’. He also holds a position as an Adjunct Lecturer at the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities, Trinity College Dublin, where he teaches ‘Health Body Systems’ on a highly novel programme.

Giampiero is involved in the EDI committee, the CHAS Disability Working Group, and he is also the current chair of the Postgraduate Research Student Committee within the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science.

Giampiero is also a former rugby coach and strength and conditioning coach. He obtained his qualifications from the Italian Rugby Federation, and between 2010 – 2018, he was appointed as head coach and S&C coach in junior and senior rugby teams in Italy.

Felicity McCarthy

Felicity McCarthy (MSc, BComm) is a marketing expert with over 20 years of deep industry expertise. Felicity is the founder of Spark Digital which is a marketing company providing consultancy and educational services to clients from start-up to multinational to government organisations. Before founding Spark Digital, Felicity worked in a range of marketing leadership roles at Meta (previously Facebook), eBay and Dell including overall marketing, digital marketing and brand marketing roles. 

Felicity has a BComm & MSc Marketing Practice, and is a passionate advocate for the power of education throughout ones career and indeed at all stages of the business lifecycle. Felicity also actively contributes to the digital industry in a range of ways, including speaking and facilitating at industry events over many years including Web Summit, Dublin Tech Summit, 3XEDigital, Image Magazine Digital Masterclasses, Marketing Week London, Social Media Week London, Business Startup Show London & beyond.

Spark Digital clients include Pieta, Daft.ie, Meta (Facebook & Instagram) EMEA, Pinterest UK, Emerald Park (previously Tayto Park), Allianz, Western Digital EMEA, 123.ie, Louis Copeland, Inglot Ireland, Topflight, Mercantile Group, IDA Ireland, Azon Recruitment Group, Grant Thornton Ireland, Nova UCD, Irish Management Institute, Irish Times Training & more.

Ruth Mullally

Ruth is Managing Director of her own HR Psychology Consultancy business where she has worked across the globe for international organisations spending time in the USA, UK, Poland, Denmark, Belgium, Spain and Peru. She works as an Organisational Psychologist specialising in strategic HR projects, organisation design, assessment, development, coaching, training, talent management, strategic workforce planning and change management.

Ruth co-founded the Coaching Psychology Group in 2008 which promotes learning and research in the field. She has also held executive committee roles on the Division of Work and Organisational Psychology. Ruth holds a Masters in Social & Organisational Psychology (UCD), is an associate fellow of the Psychological Society of Ireland and a member of the CIPD. She has also presented at a number of national and international conferences with international publications.

Ruth is passionate about learning and has been working in UCD in the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science as a guest lecturer since 2014. She lectures on the MSc in Occupational Safety and Health, the Masters in Public Health and the MSc in Sports Management. She has also lectured in Trinity College Dublin, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin Business School and Royal College of Physicians. Outside work, Ruth is a keen supporter of all sports and plays competitive tennis.

Other Contributors

We also have a number of expert guest contributors from across the sports industry, both nationally and internationally. This includes Chief Executive Officers, Performance Directors, Sports Marketeers and experts in Sports Law and Event Management. The involvement of these key influential stakeholders exposes our students to the sports field beyond UCD and Ireland, establishing a close link between theory and practice on all of our coursework. This ultimately ensures that our Sport Management students are prepared with the skills to enter and work in the Sports sector post-graduation.