Sports Management

Types of Degrees Sports Management Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many sports management graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	4,864
Graduate Certificate	237
Doctor’s Degree	71

What Sports Management Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to sports management and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Sports Management Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in sports management should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Sports Management Majors

A major in sports management prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Abilities for Sports Management Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a sports management student include the following:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Sports Management Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with sports management:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Coaches and Scouts	12.9%	$33,780
Recreation and Fitness Studies Professors	9.7%	$62,620

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Sports Management?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 65% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of sports management majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	92
Black or African American	887
Hispanic or Latino	467
White	2,627
International Students	388
Other Races/Ethnicities	403

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Sports Management. About 8.0% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Sports Management

Some degrees associated with sports management may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to sports management have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	1.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	4.9%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	11.3%
Some College Courses	3.8%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	13.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	28.0%
Master’s Degree	15.1%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.3%
Doctoral Degree	21.3%

Online Sports Management Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	23	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	2	0
Associate’s Degree	95	10
Bachelor’s Degree	48	19
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	211	79
Post-Master’s	7	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	5	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	2	1
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	1

Majors Related to Sports Management

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to sports management.

Major	Number of Grads
Exercise Science and Kinesiology	32,325
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness General	12,809
Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness	1,269
Physical Fitness Technician	1,232
Sports Studies	616

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.