How to Get a Master's Degree in Sports Management

Suppose you've always loved sports, but have found your talents more suited to the classroom than the playing field. Does that mean you should give up on the idea of a career in sports? Certainly not, when the field of sports management may be tailor-made for your interests and abilities.

If you are a sports fan, it can't have escaped your attention that the business aspect of sports is more prominent than ever. Player contracts can top a hundred million dollars, stadium revenues can amount to hundreds of millions a year, and, according to Forbes magazine, some 20 U.S. sports franchises are valued at a billion dollars or more--and those are post-recession numbers!

Whenever there's that much money involved, sharp management talent should be quick to follow. If a career helping athletes negotiate contracts and set up endorsement gigs sounds right for you, consider earning your master's in sports management. In a field that combines entertainment, athleticism, and business, a little education can go a long way.

This guide is designed to help you with various aspects of considering a master's in sports management, and in the process help you answer the following questions:

• What can you gain from a master's in sports management? In a field where top performers are often recruited from high school (or earlier), is an advanced degree really necessary? The fact is that the behind-the-scenes management aspect of sports is a complicated and high-stakes business. Perhaps the only thing it has in common with what happens on the playing field is that it's highly competitive.
• Where should you pursue your MS in sports management? With a growing number of on-campus programs and the opportunity to earn a master's degree online, you'll find that you have a range of options available. This guide can help you craft solid criteria to evaluate those options and choose the master's program that best suits your needs.
• How do you apply to master's programs? Getting started toward your master's in sports management all comes down to the application process. This guide can help you set a game plan for what to expect and how to approach it.
• How do you make the most of your MS in sports management? In addition to earning your master's degree in sports management, there are a other things you can do to help advance your career in the field. In short, do your research and connect with other professionals in the field.

The most successful teams in sports understand the importance of executing a well-thought-out strategy. If you follow the steps in this guide, you can have an orderly process for making the right decisions about your sports management master's degree.

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How to Get a Master's Degree in Sports Management

Suppose you've always loved sports, but have found your talents more suited to the classroom than the playing field. Does that mean you should give up on the idea of a career in sports? Certainly not, when the field of sports management may be tailor-made for your interests and abilities.

If you are a sports fan, it can't have escaped your attention that the business aspect of sports is more prominent than ever. Player contracts can top a hundred million dollars, stadium revenues can amount to hundreds of millions a year, and, according to Forbes magazine, some 20 U.S. sports franchises are valued at a billion dollars or more--and those are post-recession numbers!

Whenever there's that much money involved, sharp management talent should be quick to follow. If a career helping athletes negotiate contracts and set up endorsement gigs sounds right for you, consider earning your master's in sports management. In a field that combines entertainment, athleticism, and business, a little education can go a long way.

This guide is designed to help you with various aspects of considering a master's in sports management, and in the process help you answer the following questions:

• What can you gain from a master's in sports management? In a field where top performers are often recruited from high school (or earlier), is an advanced degree really necessary? The fact is that the behind-the-scenes management aspect of sports is a complicated and high-stakes business. Perhaps the only thing it has in common with what happens on the playing field is that it's highly competitive.
• Where should you pursue your MS in sports management? With a growing number of on-campus programs and the opportunity to earn a master's degree online, you'll find that you have a range of options available. This guide can help you craft solid criteria to evaluate those options and choose the master's program that best suits your needs.
• How do you apply to master's programs? Getting started toward your master's in sports management all comes down to the application process. This guide can help you set a game plan for what to expect and how to approach it.
• How do you make the most of your MS in sports management? In addition to earning your master's degree in sports management, there are a other things you can do to help advance your career in the field. In short, do your research and connect with other professionals in the field.

The most successful teams in sports understand the importance of executing a well-thought-out strategy. If you follow the steps in this guide, you can have an orderly process for making the right decisions about your sports management master's degree.

What Can You Gain from a Master's in Sports Management?

Is a master's in sports management worthwhile? Here are three reasons why you should strongly consider an advanced degree in the field:

1. Specialized Knowledge

Make no mistake about it, sports are a large and complex business. Winning on the field is tough enough, but sports organizations and their players must also deal with public relations, contract law, money management, sales, health and personnel issues, and sponsorships.

A master's in sports management can teach you about these issues, both as general business practices, and as they relate specifically to sports. Clearly, modern sports are not all fun and games, so having this kind of advanced, specialized knowledge can help you qualify for a career in this field.

2. Competitive Advantage

According to the University of Colorado, Denver, sports is the 6th largest industry in the United States. Any industry that large is likely to attract high-level management talent, and increasingly, senior managers are expected to have master's degrees.

In other words, sports management can be like any other business, and that includes the competition for senior management positions. Ultimately, however, sports does have its own idiosyncrasies--the high-profile nature of sports leagues, franchises, and performers is a special drawing card that can make the competition for jobs especially fierce. A master's in sports management may be one way of gaining a competitive edge.

3. More Job Choices

While a career in sports management often conjures up visions of Jerry Maguire, the field has a wide range of other options from which to choose, including:

• Sports agent
• Front-office management
• On field management
• Collegiate athletic department management
• League official
• Stadium/arena management
• Sports media representatives
• Franchise financial officer
• Money manager for athletes
• Marketing executive

Finding Graduate Sports Management Programs

How can you find out about sports management master's degrees? What type of on-campus and online master's degree programs are there, and where do you find information about them? For starters, what you're looking for is generally called an Master of Science in Sports Management, or something very similar. Another approach can be to earn an MBA with a concentration in sports management.

Now, where do you find out about master's in sports management programs? The following are some helpful sources:

• Online collegiate directories. Online educational resources such as WorldWideLearn.com aren't solely for those who plan to earn a master's degree online; they also list information about on-campus programs. WorldWideLearn.com can be a good place to start assembling a list of graduate sports management programs, as well as to find out about important topics such as financial aid and preparing for standardized tests.
• The U.S. Department of Education. Visit the Department of Education's Web site for definitive information on the accreditation of college degree programs, as well as detailed instructions for how to apply for federal financial aid.
• College review publications. A number of different publications run articles or even special issues about the relative merits of different college and university programs. US News & World Report and Kiplinger's are examples of publications which run comprehensive college reviews.
• Web sites of specific schools. Once you've started to zero in on programs of interest, the web sites of those specific schools should be good sources of detailed information about the institution in general and the sports management program in particular.

Gathering raw information on college programs is a little like assembling a group of players for tryouts to form a new team. It's a starting point, but next you'll have to make some cuts from the list as you start to separate the suspects from the prospects.

Where Should You Pursue Your MS in Sports Management?

There are a variety of different places where you could pursue your MS in sports management, but ultimately you'll have to choose--and preferably, you should at least narrow down your choices before you start applying to schools. To help you decide where to pursue your advanced degree, check out the following criteria:

• Accreditation status. Accreditation is the evaluation of a school or program by an independent agency to certify that it meets certain educational standards. Unfortunately, there are a variety of agencies offering accreditation ratings, so determining a school's accreditation status can be confusing. To find out which accreditation agencies are widely-recognized, and to learn the accreditation status of particular schools, the best source is the U.S. Department of Education.
• Cost. Because education does cost money, make sure you investigate all your financial aid possibilities before drawing any conclusions. Even if financial aid doesn't solve the problem, you still have other options to manage costs. For example, you can earn a master's degree online, and/or attend school part-time while working.
• Admissions standards. Either from a school's Web site or from its admissions department, you should be able to find out some details about their admissions standards. For example, what are the range and average of standardized test scores of applicants who are admitted to the school? What are the range and average of undergraduate grade point averages? What percentage of applicants are admitted to the program? Information like this should give you a sense of whether you have a realistic shot of getting into a program.
• Program reputation. You can get a feel for this by reading up about a program and by talking to recruiters and hiring managers in the field. The bottom line may be to look at job placement statistics for program graduates--this shows how well they were received in the job market.
• Location. If you live near a major metropolitan area, you have an increased chance of finding a suitable program nearby, which might influence your choice. Otherwise, your options are to move, to live on campus, or to earn a master's degree online.
• Scheduling. If you have work or family obligations, you may want to concentrate your search on programs that have evening or weekend hours, and/or an online element.
• Faculty. Look at the professional and academic backgrounds of faculty members. In sports management, faculty members who can help you make contacts in the profession may be especially important. Also consider the ratio of students to teachers.
• Campus environment. Some people prefer small, intimate campuses, whereas others like large schools with more resources and facilities. There are other subjective criteria about a campus that might sway your decision as well, so be sure to visit any school if you plan to attend on campus. In contrast, an online master's degree program can help you eliminate potential distractions from a campus environment.

Use these criteria to narrow down your list to two or three schools, so you can really focus on the application process.

How Do You Apply to Master's Programs?

Every school is a little different, but in general, here are some of the key elements that are likely to be part of the application process:

• Application forms
• Academic transcripts
• Standardized test results
• Financial aid applications
• Letters of recommendation

Review each school's application requirements carefully, and make a note of all the relevant due dates. Then make a calendar of these dates so you can plan your work accordingly. Keep in mind that some of these items can require a substantial amount of lead time and involve factors beyond your control, so make sure you get an early start.

How Do You Make the Most of Your MS in Sports Management?

In addition to earning an MS in Sports Management, things you can do to advance your career include:

• Round out your reading list. Chances are you are already following sports, but add some business publications to your regular reading so you become conversant in business jargon and practices.
• Gain relevant experience. Whether it's an internship or a part-time job, get some employment with a sports organization on your resume. Even if there isn't a major sports team in your area, consider opportunities with minor league or college teams. In this regard, attending a college with a substantial sports program can be a good opportunity to gain some meaningful experience.
• Write your papers and master's thesis on real and current situations. This can be an opportunity to demonstrate to potential employers that you understand the current environment of sports business, and have some valuable insights into it.
• Network, network, network. In a field that involves acquiring and managing clients, WHO you know can be just as important as WHAT you know. Whether through alumni associations, rotary clubs, charity events, or fundraisers, it can pay to have a full list of contacts.

Making it to the big time in sports is never easy--whether on the field or off. However, success tends to favor those who are the best prepared.

Sources

• Forbes Magazine, North America's Most Lucrative Stadiums, 1/6/2010
• Forbes Magazine, The Most Valuable Teams in Sports, 1/12/2010
• University of Colorado Denver
• US Department of Education

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