Studies & Degrees in Sports Management
Sports Management Study Programs
Sports management is the business side of sport. It deals with how clubs, leagues, federations, events and sports facilities are run, financed, marketed and regulated. Graduates do not train athletes; they manage the organisations around them, from a professional club's commercial department to a municipal sports service.
A programme is essentially a business degree applied to one industry. The Sports Management MBA at San Diego State University, for instance, teaches statistical analysis, organisational behaviour and leadership, financial management and business strategy, along with sports economics and marketing. Other common subjects are sports law, sponsorship, event and facility management, media rights and, increasingly, data analytics. Most programmes include an internship or a consultancy project with a sports organisation.
Qualifications and levels
- Bachelor's degrees. In Spain the Universidad Europea de Madrid teaches a bachelor's degree (grado) in Gestión Deportiva: an official degree of four years and 240 ECTS credits, with classes in Spanish or English, that combines business management and sports science. In Canada, the Bachelor of Sport Management at Camosun College lasts four years and includes a co-op or internship. In the United States, Temple University offers a Bachelor of Science in Sport and Entertainment Management, and high-achieving students can complete a bachelor's and a master's degree there in five years.
- Master's degrees. Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Examples are the Máster Universitario en Marketing Deportivo of the Escuela Universitaria Real Madrid Universidad Europea (60 ECTS credits, in Spanish or English) and the Máster Universitario en Gestión Deportiva Municipal of the Universidad Católica de Valencia (60 ECTS credits, hybrid, in Spanish). IE Business School runs an 11-month Master in Sports Management & Innovation in Madrid, full-time and in English. In the United States, Temple's Master of Science in Sport Business has 36 credits and four concentrations, and San Diego State's Sports Management MBA has 12 months of classes followed by four months of supervised consultancy.
- Sports law. The Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economía (ISDE) offers a Máster en Derecho Deportivo Internacional from its Madrid centre, taught in English on campus, online or by streaming.
- Vocational training. Spain's vocational training (FP) has no sports management title as such; the physical and sports activities family includes Técnico Superior en Enseñanza y Animación Sociodeportiva and Técnico Superior en Acondicionamiento Físico, which lead to coaching and activity jobs rather than management.
Business schools also sell their own master's programmes in this field. Before enrolling, ask the school what recognition the qualification has. The Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA), a US-based specialised body, accredits sport management programmes at bachelor's, master's and doctoral level.
Where to study it
SpainExchange lists 76 active schools for sports management. More than half, 42, are in the United States. Spain follows with 13 and the United Kingdom with 8; Australia has three, France and Switzerland two each, and Canada, Argentina, China, Germany, Colombia and Japan one each.
In the United States the list includes Temple University, San Diego State University, the University of Florida, the University of Michigan, The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Miami. In Spain it includes the Escuela de Estudios Universitarios Real Madrid of the Universidad Europea, IE Business School, ISDE, ESERP and the Universidad Católica de Valencia. Elsewhere there are London Metropolitan University, the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia, Camosun College in Canada, EU Business School Munich and the Universidad de Antioquia in Colombia.
Teaching is in English in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. In Spain, programmes are taught in Spanish, in English or in both, so check the language of each one.
Careers
Graduates work for professional clubs and leagues, federations, university athletic departments, event organisers, sports marketing and sponsorship agencies, sports facilities and public sports services. Temple University names professional sports, college athletics, public recreation and park agencies and youth sport agencies as destinations.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not publish a separate occupation for sports managers. It projects overall employment in entertainment and sports occupations to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations from 2025 to 2035. For two related occupations, coaches and scouts and meeting, convention and event planners, it projects growth of 6 percent over the same period.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be an athlete to study sports management?
No. These are business programmes. Knowledge of sport helps, but admission is based on academic requirements, and the courses cover finance, marketing, law and management.
What is the difference between sports management and sports science?
Sports science studies the body: training, physiology and performance. Sports management studies the organisations: finance, marketing, law and operations. Some degrees mix the two; the grado en Gestión Deportiva of the Universidad Europea combines business management and sports science.
How long does a master's degree in sports management take?
About one year in the examples on this page: 60 ECTS credits for official master's degrees in Spain, 11 months at IE Business School, and 12 months of classes plus four months of consultancy at San Diego State University.
Can I study sports management in Spain in English?
Yes. IE Business School's master's programme is taught in English, ISDE's international sports law master's programme is in English, and the Universidad Europea offers classes in Spanish or English.