Could someone suggest some schools that have really great sports management programs? This information through Google searches have proved itself quite elusive… Thanks!
University of Massachusetts Amherst–has a very good program in Sports Management.
Probably most big Div ! schools have this major. Some don’t have it as an undergrad major because a grad degree is often needed for jobs. So, those schools often suggest certain undergrad majors that feed into their grad program.
What state are you in?
What are your stats?
How much will your family pay each year? That will likely determine where you can afford to go to college.
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My parents won’t be able to contribute anything to my college education, so I will need some sort of financial aid. I’d prefer not to have much debt following college.
So everyone can try to determine merit based aid, here are my stats:
ACT: 31 (33 E, 31 M, 33 R, 28 S)
GPA: 4.0 Unweighted (my high school doesn’t weigh or have AP’s, Honors, etc.)
Plenty of just regular ECs (varsity soccer, NHS, Scholar Bowl, see previous post for more
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Also, you mention Dartmouth …another party school.
Your iive in Missouri. You wrongly say that Mizzou is bad at everything but journalism. If Mizzou has a SM major, it’s likely fine.
Since your parents won’t pay anything, you need to take the ACT again, and also take the SAT…you need higher scores for more aid.
You need to ask your parents if they’ll give you the tuition tax credit they’ll get ?
Why do you want to study Sports Management?
I often tell people not to major in Sports Management even if you 100 percent know you want to work in sports. The easiest way to break into the industry is to have a skillset for an entry level position. Sports is just a subset in the entertainment industry. And for the most part, the major is not well respected because it is so broad that graduates don’t develop any solid skills. Remove the sports portion from any job you want to do and study whatever would best prepare you for the same position outside of sports.
Here are some examples…
If you want to work in:
-sports analytics, study math, statistics, or economics.
-the front office (ticket sales, accounting, etc), study marketing, graphic design, computer science, accounting, or finance.
-video production, study mass media, film, graphic design, or visual arts.
-sponsorships or fundraising, study finance, marketing, or law.
-labor negotiations or licensing, study law or economics
Entry level jobs in sports are very low paying as a whole. If you want to get a good job, you need to have skills that fill a need within the organization. They don’t want people that have studied how to be the president or CEO but rather who can add value as a worker in their entry level position.
Also, as a result of entry level jobs being low paying (and often seasonal), you will want to carry little debt after graduation so a great aid package from a private school or going to a state school may be the best decision in the long run.
Once you are in the industry, or any organization, it is easy to move around to another areas and move up to other positions. But you want to be in the best position to contribute right out of the gate and a generic business degree or a sports management degree will make you just another applicant.
Edit: Also would like to add that it can be a real asset if you go to a school that has underfunded sports. A lot of large state schools have good programs but they also have large professional staffs working in their athletic department which leaves less opportunity for students to cut their teeth by taking on real responsibilities. For instance, a Texas or Florida, isn’t going to have a student take an too much responsibility but a Kent State, St. Cloud State, St. Bonaventure, or Maryville may all welcome a student with open arms and give them a lot of responsibilities if they prove themselves worthy. Additionally, a lot of people use these schools as stepping stones to better jobs so when they move on to other positions you will have contacts at these new places.
Thanks for the advice everyone! I’m not entirely sold on going into the sports Industry, I’ve just been looking for more info. Thanks everyone