Top 15 Online Bachelor's in Sports Management Programs for 2019
With an online sports management degree, you can channel your passion for sports into an exciting career. By leveraging your management, finance, and communication skills, an array of career choices await you across several fields and industries. Students who pursue a sports management degree online can expect to find employment in fields which are growing at faster than average rates. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the number of coaching and scouting jobs to increase by 13%. Read on to learn how an online sports management degree applies general management principles to the sports industry, while teaching students to navigate leadership, legal, and marketing challenges in sports.
What are the Best Online Bachelor's in Sports Management Programs?
Top 15 Online Bachelors in Sports Management Programs for 2019
Admissions Rate
46%
Graduation Rate
56%
Online Enrollment
60%
Retention Rate
78%
Default Rate
11%
Located in Midway, Kentucky, this private university offers a bachelor of science in sport management . The online sports management degree covers instruction in socio-cultural dimensions, financial applications, legal issues, events, and marketing. The program is offered entirely online in most states . The curriculum includes a business internship. Courses are asynchronous. Students have the opportunity to customize their studies through the 44-credit elective requirement.
Students must earn at least 120 credits. The major has a credit requirement of 39-42 credits. Transfer students can bring up to 80 earned credits from other regionally accredited institutions. This program does not require students to learn a foreign language. Midway University is associated with the Disciples of Christ, an interdenominational Christian group. Online learners have access to student resources, including health services.
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What Will I Learn in an Online Sports Management Program?
Students in sports management apply general management principles to the sports industry. While courses vary across programs, students should check with their school to learn the exact curriculum. However, a student can generally expect to complete some of these courses as a part of an online sports management degree.
Financial applications and accounting This course introduces finance and budget decision-making processes. Students learn analytical techniques for interpreting financial statements and explore the economic impact of sports in society.
Legal and ethical issues An introduction to theoretical and concrete understandings of how the sport industry interacts with law, ethics, moral reasoning. Legal concepts include regulation, compliance, liability, contracts and antitrust, and commercial law.
Management and leadership This course provides a foundation in the principles of decision-making in the field. Through case-studies, students explore sports business planning, organizing, and skills in supervising and leading personnel.
Sport marketing and communication Students apply marketing principles like targeting, pricing, and communication to the sports industry. They evaluate marketing research and learn to create marketing plans for international and domestic sports.
Facility and event management This course covers on-the-ground operations in areas like the box office, concessions, and merchandise. Students learn the mechanics of event design and planning, and how to manage liability and risk in sports venues and at sporting events.
What can I do with an Online Sports Management Degree?
Graduates with online sports management bachelor degrees are employed with many different organizations, including professional sports teams and associations, colleges and universities, fitness facilities, sport venues, and sporting goods businesses. Many careers allow graduates to apply their passion for sports to their job while also receiving a great salary. The following is just a sample of possible careers for sports management graduates. Others tracks may include sports information directors, sports analysts, coaches, and marketing and sales managers.
As leaders of athletic programs, athletic directors oversee events and staffing in athletic departments. They also manage program budgets and fundraise through promotions or marketing. In academic settings, athletic directors help ensure that student athletes are meeting academic and coursework requirements, and that the program is complying with school and government regulations.
Median Salary: $58,809
Job Outlook and Salary for Sports Management Graduates
Students who complete a sports management degree online gain management, finance, and communication skills that apply to careers in the sports industry and beyond. These graduates are particularly suited for careers that involve building partnerships with communities, but this can also lead to more specialized positions in the sports industry.
While salaries depend on factors like industry and location, graduates find employment in fields that are growing at a higher than average rate. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that by 2026 employment growth athletic directors in post secondary education settings will be 10%; 13% for coaches and scouts; and 10% for meeting, convention, and event planners.
| Employment, 2016 | Projected Employment, 2026 |
|---|---|
| 572,900 | 637,700 |
Salary Growth by Experience for Sports Management Professionals
For some sports management careers — like professional sports scouting or event planning — employees typically move on to other careers after approximately 10 years. For many other fields, a career can last much longer. In all cases, the more experience one has, the higher the pay rate one can expect. Athletic directors, for example, see a moderate salary increase as they gain more experience.
To determine the best online bachelor's in sports management programs, we looked at the most important factors prospective students, mainly common predictors of future success and a school's commitment to online programs. This boils down to admissions rate, student loan default rate, retention rate, graduation rate, and the percent of students enrolled in online classes. All data points are taken from information provided by colleges and universities to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Each factor is weighted evenly in order to give an objective view and determine the best online bachelor's in sports management programs. To calculate our rankings, we looked at a school's ranking when organized by a single factor, and then averaged each category's ranking to find an overall score: Admissions Rate (20%) + Default Rate (20%) + Retention Rate (20%) + Graduation Rate (20%) + Percent of Students Enrolled in Online Classes (20%) = Final score.