Online Sports Management Degrees

Overview of Online Sports Management Degrees

Online sports management degrees are offered at the certificate, associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree levels. Students enrolled in an associate or bachelor's sports management program will take a certain number of general education courses, as well as accounting, statistics, and general marketing.

Online Bachelor's Degrees in Sports Management

Sports management bachelor's degree programs equip students with business skills and sports management strategies for working in the sports industry. Areas of emphasis during training include budgeting, controlling, directing, evaluating, organizing, and planning of sport or physical activity. Admission requirements usually include a high school diploma or GED, along with acceptable college entrance exam scores. Students are required to earn 120 to 130 credits, which takes approximately four years.

Programs generally comprise of general education courses, core courses, and electives. Core coursework covers areas such as economics, facility and event management, finance, leadership in sports, legal and ethical issues, marketing principles, media and sport, sociology of sport, sport and exercise science, sport governance, sport information management, sport psychology, and strategic sport management. Electives may include athletic coaching, broadcasting, business administration, and facility and event management. Bachelor's programs usually require students to complete an internship in order to gain firsthand experience of the field.

Career opportunities for program graduates include broadcasting and media relations, collegiate athletics, retail sales, sport facility and event management, sports marketing and sales, and sport tourism. Students are prepared for careers in various sports-related settings such as college and university athletic departments, community recreation agencies, country clubs, golf courses, health and fitness centers, media houses, resorts, sport broadcasting venues, sport marketing agencies, and theme parks.

Job titles for professionals with a bachelor's degree include athletic coach, director of athletics, director of stadium operations, fitness club manager, media relations specialist, sports agent, sportscaster, sports event coordinator, sports information director, sports league director, and sports sales representative.

Accreditation

Accreditation is an official designation given to either a school or a specific program within a school after it has been evaluated and reviewed by an independent accrediting agency. It may be granted either in the form of institutional accreditation, where an entire school and all of its programs are considered to be accredited, or in the form of programmatic accreditation, where one specific discipline or program receives accreditation.

At this time, the US Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) do not officially recognize any agencies that provide programmatic accreditation to any sports management degree programs. Instead, students are advised to choose a sports management degree program that is offered by a school that has received institutional accreditation. You can verify a school's accreditation by checking one of the databases offered by either USDE or CHEA.

While attending an accredited school isn't mandatory, doing so will enable you to transfer credits to other accredited schools, utilize any federal financial aid that might be available to you, and have the best possible chances of having a potential employer recognize your academic qualifications.

Common Courses in Sports Management

Through the study of sports management, students learn the intricacies, psychology, and business dynamics of sports. Sports management is about analyzing the business aspects of sports and the ways to make it enjoyable, profitable, and beneficial to its stakeholders. Becoming acquainted with all those involved in the sporting business, and then bringing them together to work as one cohesive unit, will be the at the core of a sports manager's goals. Courses that will be essential for sports management students include the following:

Business Courses

• Accounting: Here one will learn the nuances of accounting as they relate to the sports management professional, such as ticket sales and facility expenses.
• Economics: Sports economics will focus on the bigger picture and how one theorizes the business aspect of sports management.
• Marketing: This course will educate on how to promote your product in sports management, whether that is yourself as a sports agent, your team or athlete, or your program.
• Sports Finance: This course will teach one how to fund certain sporting projects.

Interdisciplinary Courses

• Communications: As sports management involves talking to and working with people in a variety of positions and with a variety of backgrounds, a foundation in communications will prove helpful.
• Computer Applications: As we are in the age of information technology, one will be required to be well-versed in computer applications, regardless of the discipline.
• Psychology: This is a general course that will help a sports management professional consider different psychological perspectives when analyzing sports-related matters.
• Sports Law: There are laws and codes of ethics specific to athletics.

Sport-Focused Courses

• Inscholastic, Intercollegiate, and Professional Sports: This is a more detailed course for those looking into a specific field within sports.
• Sports in Culture: This course pertains to the history of sports and its impact on society; there are both social and psychological elements to this course.
• Sports Ethics: Here one will also deal with psychology and philosophy in sports; this may vary depending on which region one is looking to study and work in.
• Sports Information: This is a general course on the basics of sports and how it works, which is essential to any sports management professional.

Career Opportunities for Sports Management Graduates

There are myriad jobs in the sports management field; directing and management positions are two of the most prevalent. Sports agenting is perhaps the most popular subprofession in the sports management field, but there are plenty of other jobs to choose from.

Director Positions

• Athletic Director: This position calls for a general understanding of athletics and logistics. Depending on the program one is working with, different levels of familiarity with college, high school, and other programs will be required.
• Compliance Director: This director will ensure that their program or organization is up to standards on working conditions, safety, business practices, etc.
• Corporate Sales Director: This position requires a higher degree of knowledge in the business field and familiarity with corporations, especially those that deal with sporting aspects.
• Director of Ticketing and Finance: This is strictly the business side of sports, like dealing with ticket sales and accounting for them.
• Intramural Director of Campus Recreation: This job will require one to work at a university with students playing intramural sports. Management will be key to this job, as there are thousands of students that play intramural sports every term.
• Marketing and Promotion Director: A synthesis of business savvy and communications skills are vital to this position, which involves bringing good publicity to your athlete, team, or organization.
• Program Directors in Community Sport Programs: A nuanced knowledge of youth sporting dynamics, propensity for community advocacy, and a passion for public service will be important in this position.

Management Positions

• Event Management: You will coordinate various sporting and promotional events.
• Athletic Business Manager: This is essentially a business management position; it deals with athletics in general, from high school boosters to the economics of college sports.
• Fitness Manager: This deals with aspects of managing recreation centers and other fitness venues.
• Promotions Management: A professional in this position will be in charge of coordinating the promotional campaign of a sporting program.

Sports Agent

Sports agenting is a field that stands out in sports management, both because of how well many sports agents are known in professional sports and how competitive the field is. Sports agent are responsible for building their reputation through honest yet persuasive business practices and a good work ethic. Being in constant contact with sporting organizations, corporations, and other institutions is a given in this position. Expect to work many hours, but receive generous compensation.

Other Positions

• Academic service representative for student athletics
• Athletic director
• Facilities coordinator
• Talent scout
• PR and community relations specialist
• Publicist
• Salary cap analyst
• Sporting goods sales representative
• Sports marketer