Sports Management Graduate Programs

Sports management graduate programs educate people on the business side of sports. It is a varied field and contains many sub-occupations. A sports management degree can often be applied to many different jobs in the sports world. Some examples include:

• Event manager
• Fitness manager
• General manager
• Professional sports’ front office positions
• Sports facility manager
• Sports economist

Sports management graduate programs can prepare degree holders to work at any level of sports. Many sports management graduates aim for professional sports teams. However colleges, recreational leagues, and semi-professional sports teams employ the majority of sports management graduates. Corporations governing stadiums also employ a fair number of sports management graduates.

Sports management graduate programs tend to look for specific types of applicants. Candidates should be outgoing and communicative, especially for management positions. Managers may have to work with the local and state governments for funding requests. They will likely have to run promotional events and do meet and greet sessions. The media will frequently interview sports management graduates at the collegiate and professional levels. A disorganized or unprepared interview will reflect badly upon the sports organization and team. Candidates should be well-organized and be able to commit details to memory. Money and time will be in short supply, especially when working for larger colleges and professional teams.

As of 2009, 171 sports management graduate programs were in existence. All sports management graduate programs typically focus upon business-related coursework. Accounting, economics, and marketing are common courses. Emphasis is also put upon sports coursework. Sports in culture, sports ethics, and sports marketing are frequently taught.

With a relatively limited job pool, sports management jobs are extremely competitive. Candidates may need to seek out internships while in sports management graduate programs to set themselves aside from other applicants. The potential for job growth is fairly static. Job openings will primarily come from retirements. Some jobs may come from job creation or new sports teams, but these are likely to be very few in number.