Master of Sports Management
The Sports Management program is a professional degree offered fully online, focusing on administration and management within the sports industry. The curriculum is designed and strives to provide students with a comprehensive and well-rounded degree that will include content in the areas of finance, marketing, legal issues, event and facility management, sociology, ethics, and leadership as they apply to sports.
As a professional degree, an important part of the Sports Management program is a strong experiential learning component in the form of a required internship and other learning experiences within the sports industry throughout course work. Students will leave the program well prepared to be leaders within the disciplines related to sports administration.
The goals and learning outcomes of this program are:
Incorporate an understanding of ethical, legal, and socio-cultural issues in managerial decision-making and policy determinations in sports;
Employ sound principles of strategic planning, financial management, risk management, and human resource management in sports;
Apply fundamental knowledge and practical understanding of sports marketing, communication, and event management principles;
Utilize critical thinking and abstract reasoning skills in analyzing sports management issues and in managerial planning and decision-making;
Demonstrate information literacy and oral, written, and group communication skills;
Develop research skills and utilize sound theoretical frameworks relevant to the different aspects of the sports industry.
Potential Career Opportunities
A person with a professional degree in “Sports Management” can work in a variety of positions and settings within the sport industry including public relations, marketing, event and facility management, finance, and fundraising.
Employment opportunities are commonly found in positions such as:
- athletic directors,
- sports facilities manager,
- sport sales and promotion,
- public relations manager,
- sport marketing director,
- operations manager,
- sport event manager,
- sports agent, and
- student athlete success.
For more information visit the USU Catalog or USU Degree Finder.
Graduate Program Coordinator
Melissa Johnson
Coordinator of Programs III
Kinesiology and Health Science
Program Director
Travis Peterson
Associate Professor
Kinesiology and Health Science
Admissions
Prerequisite Requirements
Candidates for the sports management program are expected to have completed an undergraduate degree in good standing. There is no prerequisite or restriction on what undergraduate degrees are acceptable. Student are accepted from many different educational backgrounds.
Application Requirements
Students desiring to enroll in the sports management program must be admitted to the Utah State University School of Graduate studies. As students start an application they will create a log-in that will allow them to come back in and complete their applications. The application has two parts, the initial application and the supplemental items. Students must complete the initial application and pay the application fee before you can access the supplemental materials.
The supplemental materials require the following:
- Official transcripts from all previously-attended colleges and universities to be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies:
- If by mail, transcripts can be mailed to:
School of Graduate Studies
Utah State University
0900 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84322-0900 - If by electronic clearinghouse, transcripts can be emailed to graduateadmissions@usu.edu.
- USU alumni do not need to provide USU transcripts; the School of Graduate Studies will pull them for you.
- If by mail, transcripts can be mailed to:
- Admission GPA of 3.0 or above. The admissions GPA is calculated based on the last 60 semester or 90 quarter credits taken, not the overall GPA.
- Three (3) letters of recommendation. All letters of recommendation should be professional references and at least two (2) letters should come from faculty members.
- Letters come directly from the referee, not the students. Students will include the contact information for referees in the application. The referees will then be contacted with instructions to submit the letters for the student.
- Statement of purpose responding to and addressing the questions stated in the prompt below:
- Prompt: Please upload a statement of purpose addressing why you are interested in the Masters of Sport Management program at Utah State University. Describe you interest in the sport management industry and why would you want a career in the industry. What makes you an ideal candidate for Masters of Sport Management program and a career in the sports industry? Highlight the aspects of your education, life attributes and career that have prepared you to succeed in the program. Where do you see yourself professionally and personally in five years?
- International students have additional requirements to meet
- Proof of English Language Proficiency
- Certified English Translations of Transcripts
For more information visit the USU Grad School website, steps to apply.
Admission Deadlines
Fall semester (August start date)
July 1
Spring Semester (January start date)
December 1
Estimated Cost of the Program
$15,582.72*
*Tuition and fees are affected by many factors including residency, student location (Zip Code), number of credits taken, student level (undergrad vs grad). In addition, the tuition and fee rates change each year. This estimate is based on a student studying in the Logan area finishing the program in 2 years (4 semesters), with Utah residency using the tuition and fee table from the current year.
USU Registrar Tuition & Payment 2023-2024 Tuition and Fee Table
Assistantships
The KHS Department offers graduate assistantship (GA) opportunities for students based in Logan, Utah who have been accepted into one of the department's graduate programs.
Students interested in these positions complete the GA application, submitted directly to the department. This is separate from the admissions application, submitted to the Graduate School. The deadline for both applications is March 1 to be considered for a GA position. Positions are awarded for the coming Fall and Spring semesters.
More information: KHS Graduate Assistantships
Additional assistantships are available with USU Athletics for students in the Sports Management program. Reach out to the program director with questions.
Program Requirements
New Student Orientation
The MSM program organizes an orientation session for its incoming students. Upon acceptance into the program, students can expect to receive an email from the program director containing comprehensive details, including the confirmed date and other essential information about the orientation event.
Advising
Students in the KHS department are advised by both the department graduate program coordinator (GPC) and their Major Professor (Faculty Advisor/Mentor). Both roles can and will help students to successfully fulfill program and graduation requirements and navigate through the process of getting a degree.
Graduate Program Coordinator
Graduate Program Coordinators (GPCs) are a critical link between the School of Graduate Studies (SGS), departments, and graduate students. GPCs can assist graduate students with deadlines, degree completion, registration errors and restrictions, and all graduate school related paperwork (e.g. supervisory committee approval form, program of study, & graduation check request). Frequently, the student's first contact when they have questions or concerns is the GPC. If a student is unsure who to contact with questions, their first contact should be the GPC.
Major Professor/Faculty Advisor
A student's faculty advisor will help advise students on the courses to take to better prepare them for careers they are pursuing and on successful completion of the program requirements (research/internship requirements, etc). Faculty advisors are not assigned to the students, but students are able to select a faculty advisor through the process of selecting a supervisory committee. Until a student has a faculty advisor in place, students can contact the program director with questions.
Practicum Experiences
An important part of the Sports Management program will be the internship experiences and projects. This will provide professional experience and experiential learning for the student.
Internship
The purpose of the internship is for students to have the chance to observe professionals and gain experience in career areas of interest. Students will complete six (6) credit hours of internship work as part of the degree.
- Students initiate a meeting with their faculty advisor to discuss their career goals and options.
- Faculty advisors give suggestions for potential locations and contact information, if available.
- Internships normally take place within the sports industry including, but not limited to, professional sports franchises, collegiate athletics, and sport national governing organizations.
- Students are responsible to contact potential internship sites to secure a position and register for internship credits in Banner.
- Goals and objectives are set with the student, internship site, and faculty advisor. Students keep a log throughout their internship.
- When completed, students give a final presentation on their internship experience.
When a students registers for the internship credits in Banner they will have access to the official Canvas Course, which has more detailed instructions.
Creative Project
Some students may desire to complete a culminating project as an elective in their degree plan. Through the creative project, students have the opportunity to make a practical application of knowledge to a professional interest with the goal of further developing their professional effectiveness.
The project will take place after the student works with their faculty advisor to pick an appropriate practicum experience of Sports Management significance. The student’s faculty supervisory committee must approve all projects in advance.
- Students should first meet with their faculty advisor to discuss potential project topics.
- Once a project has been agreed on students should register for master project credits through Banner.
- Students will complete the project and have a final written document for their project.
- The final write-up is presented to their committee.
Once registered students will have access to the official Canvas course with more detailed instructions for students to follow.
General Program Requirements
The established curriculum is structured to meet the professional standards of the program. However, faculty advisors will work with each student to develop a program of study that is most appropriate for the student's background and future career goals. In special cases, the student’s committee may approve elective coursework outside of the listed program. Students that are particularly well prepared and have already completed elements of the core curriculum may substitute a required core course for a course that has strong content knowledge related to Sports Management.
- Must have at least 15 credits at the 6000 level or above. Coursework below the 5000 level should be in areas outside the student's graduate degree field, and must be approved.
- Courses students are expected to take as undergraduates or as prerequisites for graduate courses may not be included.
- Up to 12 credits taken prior to starting at USU may transfer towards a student's program with approval and should be communicated to the GPC.
- Credits in the following areas are not acceptable: foreign languages, continuing graduate advisement, individual home study, military science, and courses numbered below 3000.
| Total Credits | 33 |
| Minimum GPA* | 3.0 |
| Minimum Grade* | C |
| Completion of Internship and/or Master Project requirement | |
| Completion of all required Graduate School forms | |
*To earn a 3.0 GPA or better students need to receive grades of a B average or higher. While grades as low as a C are permitted, a C is lower than the required average and students will need to receive an A grade in two other courses (of equivalent credits) to offset the effects of the low grade on their overall GPA.