For many, sports aren’t just a hobby — they’re a lifelong passion. And the sports industry has room for many more careers in addition to professional athletes. Sports marketing, player data analysis, event management and team fundraising are just a handful of the things you can do with a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management (BSM) from Ohio University.
Offered by the College of Business, OHIO’s undergraduate sports management degree program is well-rounded and prepares graduates to work hard and play hard in the sports industry. With a series of core business classes, experiential learning opportunities and continual faculty support, it’s the perfect fit for students who want to join the sports industry and discover careers they never imagined. Read on to discover:
View the Sport Management Major catalog page in OHIO's Undergraduate Catalog to see additional requirements, such as individual core requirements or introductory cluster requirements.
To specialize in your sports management experience, you need to concentrate your business studies into a minor. Students can choose from marketing, finance, business analytics, or advertising and public relations minors depending on their preferences and what future job sector they want to work in.
Alternatively, you can tackle a business certificate in topics like diversity studies, entrepreneurship, and financial planning. This is another great option to help you learn more about the broader world of business or a narrower niche.
Want to maximize your career prospects and open as many professional doors as possible? Co-major in another business subject, like entrepreneurship, finance, or marketing. Students will need to complete extra classes, but they’ll gain additional accolades and internship opportunities and a further boost to their resumes.
All BSM students will complete an experiential learning opportunity, including one of the following:
When you join the BSM program at Ohio University, you’ll also learn from the origin point of all sports management undergraduate programs across the U.S.: Athens. Our Athens residential campus is both welcoming and energizing, and you’ll find that it has everything you need to thrive in your educational journey, including exceptional sports and recreational facilities for games and practicum experiences!
Many of the classes needed to complete a bachelor’s degree in sports management can be tackled at one of Ohio University’s regional campuses. Attend one of these campuses if they’re closer to home before transferring to Athens to finish your education!
As a business degree, the Bachelor in Sport Management (BSM) program prepares you to do so much more than sell tickets. With this degree, you’ll have the specialized and comprehensive knowledge to advance the business objectives of sports organizations, market for sports teams, create and manage sponsorship deals, and analyze sports data, among other things.
Many of our sports management degree graduates take exciting, lucrative jobs such as:
Graduates of the sports management degree program have unparalleled career opportunities and possibilities depending on their preferences, internship and practicum experiences and professional networks.
Many attend graduate-level sports administration programs right here at Ohio University, participating in exciting and intensive programs like:
In 1.5 to 2 years, these graduates bolster their resumes and acquire even more valuable skills that position them to become future athletic development directors, sales specialists for the sports industry, facility managers and more.
Sports management majors at Ohio University get access to tickets and opportunities to attend lots of fun events, ranging from the Kentucky Derby to the Super Bowl. Depending on the event in question, you may help event organizers by selling tickets, organizing marketing materials and much more (but rest assured, you’ll get to view the events, too)!
Since we know that hands-on experience is the best way to learn, our students are encouraged to participate outside of the classroom in a variety of activities.
Students pursuing a sports management degree can participate in the San Diego Sports Consulting Project, where you'll be a business consultant for the San Diego Padres and help drive ticket sales with your own innovative, effective strategies.
Sports management majors can attend the Darren Butler Sport Business Forum, where you'll get an in-depth look at the different professions and futures you can pursue in the sports industry.
Students in the sports management degree program can optionally participate in a double degree program abroad. This is an excellent opportunity to earn two bachelor’s degrees in the span of four years and enjoy time in a foreign country. Participating schools include:
Sport management students can work for the Southern Ohio Copperheads: a wood-bat baseball team providing entertainment throughout Athens. By working for this team, you’ll strengthen your resume with experience in administrative roles and game-day work. This experience fulfills your required practicum credit, as well.
Sports management students may always join various organizations, including Women in Sports, the Association of Multicultural Sports Professionals and the Ohio University Sports Business Association.
Sigma Alpha Sigma Mu (SASM) is the first and only professional Sport Management fraternity in the nation. The purpose of a SASM Chapter shall be to provide a platform for highly involved and academically excellent undergraduate Sport Management students to prepare and develop professionally for a career in the sports industry.
SASM Website, Faculty Advisor: Dell Robinson
The Ohio University Sports Business Association (SBA) helps connect aspiring sport professionals through sport-based opportunities, meetings, and social events. The organization is comprised of individuals who aim to broaden their academic experience through networking and practical experiences within and outside of Ohio University.
SBA LinkedIn, SBA Instagram, SBA Facebook, SBA Twitter, Faculty Advisor: Dell Robinson
The mission of Women in Sports (WIS) provides the resources to prepare undergraduate and graduate students exploring a career in sports by focusing on workshops, networking opportunities, empowering personal development opportunities to better enable students to thrive and succeed in the sports industry.
Faculty Advisors: Melissa Davies
Ohio University's Association of Multicultural Sports Professional (AMSP) was established to support and promote diversity in the sport workforce. It is our duty to build each other professionally through workshops and events to successfully transition into a graduate program or professional sports career.
Faculty Advisor: Brandon Wright
The Ohio Sports Analytics Team (OSAT) meets weekly to discuss and investigate developments in the field of analytics. The organization works with students to develop case studies looking at recent works in sports analytics and encourages members to develop their own insights.
Our vision is to allow Ohio University student members to have a comprehensive understanding of how professionals working in sports agency got their jobs. Through listening to our members’ interests, we will direct, and seek out, information to be learned in each society meeting.
Faculty Advisors: Brandon Wright and Kelley Walton
The purpose of Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) is to help students pursuing a career in sports journalism to become better journalists. We do this through workshops, guest speakers and weekly meetings in order to help our members improve their craft and build connections within the sports journalism field.
Faculty Advisor: Dell Robinson
A sports management degree from Ohio University allows you to take your love of sports and translate it into a mark of meaningful professional expertise. In short, you can immerse yourself in the sports world, work to promote teams, help sports organizations and earn an excellent salary.
But remember that Ohio University is where the study of sports management began! Earning your degree here earns respect from future employers right out of the gate. Along with the practical experience you’ll get from student organizations or learning opportunities, you’ll find that you outshine other job-seekers in this industry from day one.
The faculty members of the Ohio University bachelor in sports management program are 100% dedicated to the success and support of our students. Compared to many other sports administration programs, we have a surplus of faculty members (10 total), all of whom have participated in the sports industry at various levels throughout their careers.
Our staff’s commitment means we provide intense, focused support to each of our students. In addition, OHIO’s advisory board is always available and dedicated to helping students both during their degrees and post-graduation.
After graduation, many of our sports management majors remain friends and professional peers with their professors. We’re all part of the same Bobcat Alumni Network, and that means students graduate with a group of like-minded people already on their team.
85% of our 2021 sport management graduates experienced positive outcomes such as employment or continuing education within six months after commencement. Many students have even accepted offers during their senior year.
Our AECOM Center for Sports Administration connects students to internships, job opportunities and exclusive sports industry experiences. Learn about some of the unique on and off-campus opportunities that we offer.
Our Business Academic Advising & Career Services center is ready to help you understand how to use good career marketing strategies beginning in your freshman year. We’re ready to help you find the perfect internship or job. In addition to business career fairs and career coaches, you’ll have access to Handshake and Teamwork Online, web-based systems where employers post positions, review resumes, and connect with candidates. Plus, participate in workshops, seminars, and even one-on-one coaching to make sure you’re presenting yourself the right way and achieving your career goals.
Classroom lectures and assignments are vital, but the best learning — like the best sports training — happens “in the field.” That’s why all bachelor of sports management students complete not just one but many internships, practicums and consulting opportunities for partner organizations and worldwide brands.
At Ohio University, we believe a strong foundation of practical knowledge is key to graduate success. That’s why our BSM degree is taught at the College of Business: it allows students the opportunity to acquire a robust range of skills that will serve them well in any industry. Join the bachelor of sports management program, and you’ll acquire in-demand skills like:
These foundational skills are applicable to any career, but the BSM curriculum tailors their content to the sports industry. It’s an excellent example of how we provide best-in-class academic value to our students.
OHIO's undergraduate and graduate sport programs are accredited by the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA), a specialized accrediting body that promotes and recognizes excellence in sport management education in colleges at the baccalaureate and graduate levels.
Contact department chair Lamar Reams at lreams@ohio.edu or 740.597.2169 to learn more about OHIO's Sport Management program.