The rector of the Azerbaijan State Academy of Physical Education and Sport (ASA), Fuad Hajiyev, has said that the English-language master’s program in Sports Journalism has not fully met expectations.
Speaking to İdman.Biz, Hajiyev explained that the difficulties begin at the admissions stage.
“We require applicants to have an IELTS certificate with a score of 6.5. In our country, we cannot attract even ten people with IELTS 6.5 or higher — or if we do, we still don’t see the expected results,” he said.
According to the rector, the academy has taken significant steps to contribute to the development of sports journalism education. ASA invited Dan Mason, founder of the media company Dan Mason Media, to Azerbaijan for the program, introduced educational standards from Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom, and engaged a studio manager from BBC along with other British specialists.
In addition, the academy established a multimedia center equipped with modern radio and television production facilities.
“We sent our students for internships to the BBC headquarters. They visited stadiums such as those of Chelsea FC and Arsenal FC, as well as other major sports venues. The goal was that within three to five years our graduates would be working as sports journalists at the BBC or, for example, CNN. But we did not achieve what we expected. Still, there are some results — some graduates are now working in Eastern countries,” Hajiyev noted.
The rector believes the issue opens the door to a broader discussion about what kind of background produces strong specialized journalists.
“For example, a good healthcare journalist — what should their specialization be? Should they graduate from a medical university or a journalism faculty? Similarly, will a strong sports journalist come from an athlete’s background or from someone who studied journalism? We must first answer this question, and then the right system will work,” he said.
At the same time, Hajiyev emphasized that the academy does not face similar challenges in other fields, including sports medicine and sports management.
As an example, he pointed to another international initiative — the Physiotherapy bachelor’s program, supervised by Roman Yagoda, executive director of the Austrian organization Complex Core+. According to Hajiyev, the teaching staff for the program includes European specialists and professors.
“This is a very successful project. This academic year we had 40 students, and all of them scored more than 450 points in the admission process. During their studies, students who chose physiotherapy are already working because there is strong demand for them in the labor market. They work in our research laboratory, at the National Scientific and Practical Institute of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, and in other institutions,” he said.
The rector added that the academy currently cooperates with around 50 universities worldwide. ASA is also working on launching a triple-degree physiotherapy program together with Charles University in the Czech Republic and the Azerbaijan Medical University.
