Best Online Bachelor’s in Sport Management 2021
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If you are business–minded with a love for sports and fitness, an online sports management degree might be the right first step in your career.
As a sports management student, you’ll learn how marketing, finance, and risk management apply to sports and recreation. Understanding sports administration, and public relations will prepare you to work in athletics at all levels of this growing industry. Due to increased sports participation at both high school and college levels, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a growth of 13% for careers in coaching and scouting over the next 10 years.
The Best Online Bachelor's in Sports Management Programs
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University of Florida-OnlineLocation
Gainesville, FL
Tuition$10287
Graduation Rate88%
Launched in 2014, UF-Online has more than 400,000 alumni.
The school offers an online bachelor's in sports management program that prepares students for a career in sports management.
Students will take courses in sport facility design and management, sport and society, business finance, and sport marketing. Students will also participate in an internship in sport management and take a few elective courses, such as the legal environment and business and entrepreneurship.
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Southern New Hampshire UniversityLocation
Manchester, NH
Graduation Rate54%
With an 80-year history providing education to students, SNHU enrolls 135,000 online students annually.
The school offers an online bachelor's in sports management program that prepares students for a career in sports management in positions like promotions manager, athletic director, media relations assistant, and facilities manager.
Students can expect to learn how to make strategic decisions that help a sport business achieve its mission, build relationships between areas of sports business, apply sport management principles in an international context, and understand the role of social responsibility in the sports industry.
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University of Minnesota-CrookstonLocation
Crookston, MN
Tuition$12135
Graduation Rate54%
Established in 1966, the UMC enrolls about 1,800 students every year.
The school offers an online bachelor's in sport and recreation management program that prepares students for a career in sports management, specifically in coaching, facilities management, or sports marketing and promotion.
Some of the required courses include managerial finance, principles of management, legal environment in business, and personal selling. Students will also have to take courses in sport law and governance, sport facility and activities management, sport marketing and communication, and sport ethics and leadership.
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Concordia University-Saint PaulLocation
Saint Paul, MN
Graduation Rate59%
Established in 1893, CSP 5,000 undergraduate students annually.
The school offers an online bachelor's in sport management program that prepares students for a career in sports management, specifically in fitness center management, marketing, and facility and event management.
The program is 45 credits and can be taken fully online. Students can expect to learn business and sport theory and practice bridging theory into practical applications.
Required courses include sociology of sport and exercise, sport management, law & sport, and marketing and fundraising. Other courses students must take include research methods, exercise physiology, biomechanics, and planning & managing sport facilities.
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Shorter UniversityLocation
Rome, GA
Graduation Rate46%
Established in 1873, Shorter is a Christian university that teaches 1,500 students every year.
The school offers an online bachelor's in sports management program that prepares students for a career in sports management in a variety of areas. The program offers a College of Business lecture series, job fair, kickoff even, and career development panel. SU gives students the opportunity to accelerate the program pace and finish both a bachelor's and a master's degree in just four years.
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Midway UniversityLocation
Midway, KY
Graduation Rate37%
Founded in 1847, Midway teaches nearly 1,500 students every year.
The school offers an online bachelor's in sport management program that prepares students for a career in sports management as an athletic coach, athlete agent, athletics administrator, or fitness/recreation manager. Upon completion of the course, students will have developed leadership concepts of team building and human relations.
Required courses include psychology of sport, sociocultural dimensions, legal issues in sports, and facility management and design. Additional courses include communication in sport, sport marketing, financial applications, and principles of management.
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McKendree UniversityLocation
Lebanon, IL
Graduation Rate54%
Established in 1828, McK enrolls 2,200 students annually.
The school offers an online bachelor's in sport management program that prepares students for a career in sport management. The program teaches the basic economic and social environment of sport business, the financing and operations of facilities, and the marketing and management of events. Students must complete an internship and take required courses to graduate from the program.
Required courses include sport marketing, legal aspects of sport management, sport facilities & event management, and budget & financing of sport. Students must also take sport & health psychology.
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University of Southern MississippiLocation
Hattiesburg, MS
Tuition$13773
Graduation Rate49%
Founded in 1910, Southern Miss teaches more than 14,000 students every year.
The school offers an online bachelor's in sport management program that prepares students for a career in sports management, specifically in careers like recreation specialist, event management, entry level management, and assistant athletics director.
Required courses include sport venue and event management, policy and governance, financial management in sport, and socio-ethical issues in sport. Students will also take sport management practicum, sport marketing and public relations, trends and issues in sport, and applied research methods and statistics in sport.
The program takes 33 credits to complete and costs $512.12 per credit.
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Colorado Mesa UniversityLocation
Grand Junction, CO
Tuition$14403
Graduation Rate36%
Founded in 1925, CMU enrolls 11,000 students annually.
The school offers an online bachelor's in sport management program that prepares students for a career in community recreation, college and professional sport or athletic organization, fitness centers and health clubs, and in professional sports management.
The program teaches students the business of sport, including the planning, organizing, leading, and evaluating within the context of a sport organization.
The program also prepares students to take an MBA or master's in sport management in the areas of sport business and business administration.
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Missouri Baptist UniversityLocation
Saint Louis, MO
Graduation Rate36%
Established in 1967, MBU enrolls more than 5,600 students every year.
The school offers an online bachelor's in sport management program that prepares students for a career in sport management in areas like ice arenas, professional teams, youth sports programs, sport foundations, and semi-professional teams. Other places students might gain employment include:
- Theme parks
- Aquatic facilities
- YMCA
- Community centers
Required courses include sport management practicum, sport marketing, sport law, and sport facility management. Students must also take communication in sport, sport sociology, governance and leadership in sport, and a sport management internship.
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Troy UniversityLocation
Troy, AL
Tuition$12114
Graduation Rate43%
Founded in 1887, Troy has awarded more than 22,000 online degrees and has 97 degree programs offered completely online.
The school offers an online bachelor's in hospitality, sport and tourism program that prepares students for a career in sport management.
To apply for admission, students must have 2.5 high school GPA and at least a 17-19 on the ACT or 910 on the RSAT.
Students must submit official high school transcripts and test scores before enrollment. Returning students must submit a new application for admission and transcripts from all past colleges attended must be submitted as well.
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Davenport UniversityLocation
Grand Rapids, MI
Graduation Rate45%
Founded in 1866, Davenport enrolls more than 6,500 students every year.
The school offers an online bachelor's in sports management program that prepares students for a career in sport management in leadership positions in organizations in facility management, community relations, social media, and more.
Required courses include presentation techniques, macroeconomics, advanced composition, professional ethics, and sport management foundations. Students will also take financial analysis for business managers, human resource management, professional selling, and sport management planning.
The program amounts to 120 credits, which takes about four years to complete.
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Keiser University-Ft LauderdaleLocation
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Graduation Rate65%
Established in 1977, Keiser enrolls 20,000 students every year.
The school offers an online bachelor's in sport management program that prepares students for a career in sports management. The program teaches students how to effectively market sports, its products, and services for consumer consumption.
It also teaches students how to apply the best practices in sales, how to identify and use trends in sports consumption, and how to apply ethical principles and critical thinking in the management and leadership of diverse sport organizations.
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Bellevue UniversityLocation
Bellevue, NE
Founded in 1966, BU serves 9,000 students every year.
The school offers an online bachelor's in sports management program that prepares students for a career in sport management, specifically in leadership and team building, professional communication, media and event marketing, sports merchandising, and accounting and finance for athletic organizations.
Students will study finance, marketing, and leadership principles as part of the curriculum.
Required courses include sport marketing, sport finance, financial accounting, sport ethics, and sport public relations and communication. Other courses students must take include American vision and values, tradition and change, freedom and responsibility, and some general education courses.
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Columbia CollegeLocation
Columbia, MO
Graduation Rate30%
Founded in 1851, CC serves 17,000 students every year.
The school offers an online bachelor's in sports management program that prepares students for a career in sport management in areas like scouting, public relations, coaching, athletic training, sports finance, social media coordination, marketing, and event planning.
Students can expect to study sport and event marketing, economics, business analytics, sports and society, sports finance, management, and organizational behavior.
Students can take this degree completely online. Undergraduate tuition costs $375 per credit and military tuition costs $250 per credit.
Online Bachelor's in Sports Management Programs Ranking Guidelines
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Featured Online Bachelor's in Sports Management Programs
Choosing a Program
Students who earn their sports management degree online study everything from ticket operations to player representation. Sports management students can go on to succeed in managerial positions, such as sports agents, athletic directors, and facility managers.
Courses for online sports management bachelor degrees include physical education, leadership, sports psychology, and coaching. Students can choose a specialization within the degree, including finance, facility design, or communication. A sports management degree offers many courses in business to help you build skills in finance, information systems, and marketing. Many programs connect students to internships and networking opportunities that fit the students’ specific career goals. To complete a bachelor’s degree in sports management, students must complete 120 credit hours over approximately four years of study.
Online Bachelor’s in Sports Management Careers
Students who earn their sports management degrees online have many career options. Within the profession, individuals are responsible for coaching, ticket operations, franchise sales, player personnel, venue and stadium management, and community relations.
Working with professional and amateur athletes, coaches provide guidance, training, and practice sessions. They work on fundamental skills to strengthen athletes' abilities in individual and team sports. They instill a solid understanding of teamwork and good sportsmanship in their players.
Scouts find potential athletes who will succeed in competitive sports. In addition to talking to coaches, managers, and team owners, they study a variety of statistics in order to evaluate skills and seek out top athletes.
Sports advertising, promotions, and marketing managers create campaigns and incentives to generate interest in sporting events through various media outlets. Working with sales and finance, they prepare budgets and cost estimates to develop strategic pricing strategies.
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