If you love sports, you may be considering a degree in Sports Management. You may be surprised to learn, however, that not many four-year colleges and universities offer undergraduate degrees in Sports Management. If you’re looking to pursue a Bachelor of the Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Sports Management, you’ll have to be willing to choose from a shorter list of options than if, say, you wanted to major in English. That can be a frustrating place to start your collegiate admissions journey, but the good news is that if you do pursue a Sports Management degree, you’ll be set up for success for finding a job in the sports industry — or beyond.
Sports Management degrees combine business and entrepreneurship, marketing, management, and tech, all aimed towards preparing you to work with teams, leagues, sports marketing firms, and media outlets, but the skills you’ll learn are applicable far outside the sports field.
If you’re looking to major in a less-common field, we can help you find the perfect fit.
New York University, School of Professional Studies — New York, New York
The NYU School of Professional Studies offers a BS in Sports Management in the heart of one of the most vibrant sports cities in the world. Some of the largest sporting events in the world are based in New York City, including the US Open and the NYC Marathon, and students at NYU benefit from this proximity through internships and networking opportunities with sport teams, leagues, venues, and media outlets. Students pursuing the NYU BS in Sports Management can select specializations in analytics, entrepreneurship, event management, sports law, sports marketing, sports media, and sports technology, and you would apply through the regular New York University application process.
Rice University, School of Social Sciences — Houston, Texas
If you’re looking for the top-rated BA in Sport Management in the United States, Rice has what you’re after. Students pursuing the major are immersed in “business concepts as they relate to the sports industry,” and select between concentrations in Sport Law or Sport Leadership. Both options involve field research and experiential learning, with the Sport Law concentration emphasizing legal concepts while the Sport Leadership concentration focused more heavily on producing marketing plans for products in the sport industry. Rice also offers a BA in Sport Analytics for sports fans with a data scientist bone in their body.
University of Texas at Austin, College of Education — Austin, Texas
Housed in the College of Education, getting to the Sport Management major at UT-Austin requires a quite circuitous route. First, you need to apply to the College of Education. From there, you pursue the Physical Culture and Sports major. Only after completing a number of courses, are you able to apply to the Sport Management major. Even after all of that, there isn’t any guarantee that you’ll be accepted into the major as there is a maximum enrollment of 150. If you do make it into the major, you’ll complete a semester-long internship and graduate prepared “for a career in the management, marketing, and administration of sport programs.” If you’re considering this program, UT-Austin recommends that high school students take as many statistics and business-related courses as they can while in high school, and “shadowing a professional in your field of interest.”
Texas A&M, School of Education & Human Development — College Station, Texas
The BS in Sport Management in the School of Education & Human Development at Texas A&M is “designed to prepare students for careers as administrators and managers in athletic, health, and country club industries, as well as entry-level management positions in college and professional athletic organizations.” The curriculum is regularly updated to stay “in tune” with where they sport industry is headed, and students finish their degree with a major internship or capstone project to provide on-the-job experience and networking.
SUNY Oneonta — Oneonta, New York
The New York State Department of Labor predicts a 10.8% growth in jobs available to students with Sports Management majors in New York over the next few years. In preparation for this, SUNY Oneonta, offers a degree in Sport Management based in an interdisciplinary approach combining accounting, business, marketing, management, communications, ethics, and psychology. Graduates are prepared to work in professional sports, facility management, sporting goods, athletic administration, and with community organizations like recreation departments and Boys & Girls clubs.
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