• Bachelors Available
  • Bachelors Available

Sport Management

If you want a career where you'll make a positive change in the way sport is managed and earn your degree from one of the largest and most diversified undergraduate sport management programs in North America, the sport management program is for you.

With one of the country's oldest sport management programs, BGSU is nationally known for producing outstanding graduates in sport management. From sport licensing to sport marketing and sport business, your opportunities are waiting.

Quality classroom experiences

We’ll teach you to critically examine the sport culture and business – one industry that is least impacted during an economic downturn.  

Stand Out in courses like

  • Sport & Event Management
  • Sport & Event Promotion
  • Sport & Public Assembly Facilities
  • Sport Psychology
  • Sport & Gender
  • History & Philosophy of Sport

Curriculum

Your curriculum includes field experience and coursework, with an emphasis on volunteerism, intellectual inquiry, and sound ethics. In addition to your core sport management classes, you’ll choose a minor that allows you to focus on either management, marketing, or communication. Don’t miss the additional opportunities through our student organization, Sport Management Alliance – some of our students even made it to the Super Bowl!

Undergraduate sport management students complete two field experiences prior to graduation.

Internships and Careers

Our alumni sport management graduates hold posts all over the country in the sport industry.  Your career options are as far-reaching as your ambition, from brand management to sponsorship coordination.

You’ll get a jump start with our rigorous internship program. BGSU sport management majors have benefited from internships with such well known organizations as the Special Olympics, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and United States Tennis Association.

Average Starting Salary & BGSU Placement Rate

$33,436* — BGSU Sport Management graduates average starting salary

96% of Sport Management graduates report they're employed, in graduate school or starting a business within six months of graduation

(BGSU data compiled from students who completed the related questions on the graduation survey.)

GO FAR in your career

  • Athletics director
  • Facility manager
  • Event manager
  • Suite and hospitality sales for an arena or stadium
  • Ticket manager
  • Marketing coordinator
  • Director of fan experiences
  • Sport information director or communications coordinator
Sport Management Mudhens

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the baccalaureate degree, students in Sport Management are expected to be able to:

  • Explain that sport is a microcosm of society and is influenced by cultural traditions, social values, and psycho-social experiences;
  • Explain the concepts of management and leadership and describe the various skills, roles, and functions of sport managers;
  • Identify and explain moral issues related to sport in its intrinsic and extrinsic dimensions;
  • Apply fundamental marketing concepts to the sport industry and understand sport as a product, and those unique aspects of the sport consumer and product markets;
  • Apply and evaluate principles of interpersonal communication, mass communications, public relations, and interaction with the public, particularly related to sport agencies;
  • Explain why budget and finance is a critical component of all sport-related industries and evaluate economic principles related to sport's fit in the national economy;
  • Explain the legal concepts within the sport workplace and evaluate the role of sport governance agencies, including their authority, organizational structure, and functions.
Accreditation

Bowling Green State University [BGSU] is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.  BGSU has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 01/01/1916. The most recent reaffirmation of accreditation was received in 2012 - 2013. Questions should be directed to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

The Sport Management program is accredited by the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA) and is in good standing.

More information on accreditation

Professional Licensure

Bowling Green State University programs leading to licensure, certification and/or endorsement, whether delivered online, face-to-face or in a blended format, satisfy the academic requirements for those credentials set forth by the State of Ohio.

Requirements for licensure, certification and/or endorsement eligibility vary greatly from one profession to another and from state to state. The Sport Management program does not lead to professional licensure.

More information on professional licensure

Gainful Employment

Under the Higher Education Act Title IV disclosure requirements, an institution must provide current and prospective students with information about each of its programs that prepares students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation.

The Sport Management program is not a recognized occupation that requires a Gainful Employment disclosure.



* Job placement and salary information was compiled by the Office of Academic Assessment through the Graduation Survey from AY2015-2018. The data are gathered around the time of Commencement and a follow-up survey six months post Commencement. For the salary question, data for programs with fewer than fifteen responses are not included. Salaries for those programs are from the National Association of Colleges and Employers Summer 2019 Survey. For questions regarding the data, contact assessment@bgsu.edu.

Updated: 06/29/2022 03:52PM