Getting an Online Sports Management Degree
What is an online sports management degree?
An online sports management degree allows its holder to pursue a career as a sports manager, which encompasses careers such as head coaches, scouts, agents, athletic directors, marketing directors, facility/operations managers, fitness managers, public relations directors, sports information directors, corporate sponsorship directors, and sports officials.
In addition to a sports management degree, candidates for jobs in the sports management field are also expected to have completed internships, externships, or have otherwise volunteered in sports organizations or companies.
What types of online sports management degrees are available?
Online sports management degrees are available at the associate, bachelor, master’s, and doctorate levels.
Anyone with a strong interest in business and sports may seek to pursue a bachelor’s degree in sports management; those who pursue graduate level sports management degrees often have undergraduate degrees in related disciplines such as business or marketing.
What are online sports management degree programs like?
Although bachelor level programs often have other general requirements as well, sports management degree programs focus on those skills necessary to be a successful sports manager, and therefore often include courses such as:
- Accounting
- Athletic Management
- Business Administration
- Economics
- Leadership in Sports Management
- Marketing
- Media and Technology
- Promotion and Sales
- Public Relations
- Sports Business Management
- Sports Law
- Sports Management
In addition to academic training, many sports management degree programs also include built-in opportunities for internships or externships to give students the opportunity to learn as a trainee on the job before jumping into the highly competitive field of sports management.
What do those with sports management degrees do?
The duties of those with sports management degrees vary greatly by position, but generally they oversee and direct athletes or other professionals with the goal of running a successful sports-related enterprise. Accordingly, those with sports management degrees are expected to have strong knowledge of both sports and business and marketing principles.
What qualities should sports managers have?
Sports managers should first and foremost have a passion for sports as it will be the center of their careers; a strong interest in and an aptitude for business and marketing are also helpful.
As with any managerial position, sports managers are expected to be organized and dependable and have excellent written and oral communication skills. They should also be willing to work long hours as the job often calls for work weeks well in excess of 40 hours.
What is the salary and job outlook for sports managers?
According to PayScale.com data from April 2009, those with bachelor degrees in sports management make between $30,000 and $61,500 per year; salaries can be much higher, though, depending on experience, advanced educational qualifications, managerial level achieved, and the team’s or company’s earnings.
Many fields related to sports management are expected to grow with the increased popularity and marketability of major sporting organizations and events. The sports industry is an extremely competitive workplace, however, so those interested in pursuing a career in sports management are advised to get as much educational training and practical experience as possible-and be ready to start at the bottom.
An online degree in sports management is an excellent way to begin pursuing this exciting career path.
