Finding a career you love is important, and if sports are your passion, you have likely considered a career in sports management. Few people have the ability or luck to become professional athletes. Fortunately, a graduate degree in sports management can allow you to work with pro athletes and be directly involved with the world of sports, even if you don’t have what it takes to excel in sports yourself. A job in this profession can be the most fun you’ve had in your life!
If you’ve considered working in this field, you likely already have a great deal of technical knowledge about many sports. You are probably good at math and science. You should also have excellent leadership and management skills and enjoy working with people. Combine your various facets of knowledge to succeed in graduate schools.
Generally, a career in sports management will require an MBA or MS, though this depends on your ultimate goals. There are even PhD programs in sports management. First, however, you’ll need to have completed a Bachelor’s degree in sports management, business, or a related major. Any additional achievements or internships will better your chances of being accepted into a competitive sports management graduate program.
There are now more graduate programs in this discipline than ever before, thanks to the growing popularity of this field. You’ll have many program options, so choose carefully. Some programs focus only on the business, financial, and administrative side of things, turning out sports managers and executives. Other programs offer curriculum geared to future coaches and trainers. If you want to get involved in sports medicine or sports law, seek out programs that offer these tracks. With so many options available, Grad Schools has a lot to offer you.
The majority of these programs focus on graduate-level, intensive business theory, with topical courses related to various facets of sports management. You’ll study financing, economics, marketing, and management within the sports industry in most of these graduate programs. An excellent program will also provide opportunities to learn outside of the classroom, incorporating practical, hands-on learning. This is particularly important if you wish to be a coach or trainer.
Depending on your area of study within the degree, you’ll have a variety of career options. Many graduates of sports management Master’s programs become coordinators of marketing or administration for a team or company. You might even become a team manager! Another option would be to work as a sports agent, presenting professional athletes. You could be the athletic coordinator for a college or work in sports finances. The options are numerous.
The graduate program you choose should have rigorous standards for acceptance. If the program is not reputable, you will find it difficult to be taken seriously in the competitive field of this industry. Make sure the program that you ultimately choose has the approval of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM), the Sport Management Program Review Council (SMPRC), and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE). These organizations ensure that sports management education programs are both legitimate and concerned with students’ professional development.
If getting a graduate degree in sports management is your dream, you have many opportunities available to you. Finding a great program and excelling in your studies will likely lead a rewarding and exciting career in this profession. Finding quality graduate programs in sports management should be a top priority. Grad Schools Online can direct you to resources that will help you achieve your career goals.