English 
Build leadership skills for success on and off the field.
Skilled professionals are needed to handle every aspect in the giant world of sports, from the management of players, teams, facilities and events to the marketing and advertising of tickets, games, products, and experiences.
Sport Management students graduate prepared for careers in every segment of the billion-dollar global sports industry, including professional leagues and organizations, governing bodies, K-12 and higher education, community recreation, non-profits, media companies, as well as non-sport entities that partner with various sport sectors.
Career positions can include marketing managers, athletic directors, business operations managers, development officers, event managers, and sales roles. A minor in Business Administration can further strengthen career potential.
Program Highlights
- Highly skilled faculty with real-world experience
- Two-internship model for greater hands-on experience
- Service-learning opportunities with on-campus and local sporting bodies
- Opportunities to work with NAIA Athletics staff on class projects
- $1.3 million state-of-the-art Center for Human Performance
- Plus One program; earn an MBA or Master of Organizational Leadership (MAOL) with one additional year of study, saving time and money
Major Requirements
Core Credits: 54.00
| An introduction to the principles underlying accounting information. The course will focus on the role that accounting information plays in planning, evaluating, and recording operating activities of businesses. An introduction to financial statements is also included. In this course students will summarize financial data and construct basic financial statements using various software tools such as Excel and QuickBooks. credits: | Principles of Accounting I | 3 |
| This course introduces students to fundamental concepts of financial management, which include basic financial statement and ratio analysis, leverage and capital structure, risk and return, time value of money and discounted cash flow valuation, working capital management, valuation of securities and capital budgeting. credits: | Introduction to Finance | 3 |
| This course will build on prior management and behavioral concept and theory to explore individual and group processes involved in management/employee relationship, group dynamics, conflicts management, change management, motivation, moral, job design, organizational culture and development. The course will provide a strong understanding for productive organizational results focusing on the interactions of employees, employers, and the organization. credits: | Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| This course introduces students to the practical and scholarly domain of Sports Communication. We will examine contemporary issues related to communication, sport, and culture. The course will introduce students to the nuanced ways sport reflects and actively shapes culture and society. We will cover topics ranging from how sports organizations function through the integration of athletes, managers, and audiences through communication. Additionally, the course will address the changing shape of sports media institutions, fan identities, the politics of race, class, gender, and sexuality that are revealed and struggled over within sports cultural contexts. Finally, the course will explore how the sports industry has evolved and continues to grow as a cultural phenomenon. credits: | Sport Communication -Q | 3 |
| You may be an athlete, sports fan, or just a casual sports observer. If you are interested in sports media, this class is for you. This class will introduce students to the role sports media plays in shaping cultural and social attitudes of sports. Students will learn to identify the issues which have contributed to the significance and impact of sports on America and the world. Topics covered include, but are not limited to, how sports media communicates about gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, nationalism, identity, capitalism/consumerism, citizenship, disability, and locality. Students will leave this class with a comprehensive knowledge about the changing and shifting landscape of sports media and its impact on society. credits: | Sports Media | 3 |
| This course will focus on both practical and theoretical knowledge about social media. Students will learn about the effects and influence social media has on people, societies, and groups. credits: | Social Media | 3 |
| An analysis of the significance of physical activity in society and culture. Motivation and self-concept as applied to play, game, sport, and athletics are examined. credits: | Social Science in Sport-U | 3 |
| An introduction to the theoretical concepts and current research in the psychology of sport and exercise. credits: | Sports Psychology | 3 |
| This course is an introduction to the field of sport management (SMG). A survey of SMG topics, including key issues, career development & critical thinking will be presented. credits: | Introduction to Sport Management | 3 |
| The purpose of this course is to introduce students to current ethical problems in sport. Emphasis will be placed on having students analyze, evaluate, & articulate positions on issues related to sport. Topics include Fair Play, The Limits of Being Human, Gender Equity, & Race/Social Justice. credits: | Sports Ethics -Q | 3 |
| This course is an exploration of the relationship of the law and various sport industries. Future sport professionals will be provided practical examples & opportunities to research content areas ranging from negligence, to licensing to labor unions among others. credits: | Sport Law | 3 |
| This course will analyze how sport is used to market various non-sport products, the marketing of products used in sport, the marketing of the participants of sport, & the marketing of sport itself. credits: | Sports Marketing | 3 |
| This course will address the management principles and techniques of facility and event management operations, including but not limited to communication, risk management, planning and personnel management. Students will also analyze the various trends in facilities and events across the sport landscape. credits: | Event & Facility Management | 3 |
| This first internship in Sport Management (SMG) is designed to offer students the opportunity to learn more about various SMG professions, as well as gain experience by transferring in-class content into the real world. Students must complete a minimum of 120 contact hours with their internship supervisor. credits: | SMG Internship I | 3 |
| This course will advance student knowledge & understanding of various management aspects & requirements within the sporting community. credits: | Management of Athletics | 3 |
| This course will address the vast nature of sport beyond the borders of the US. Content areas will include international sport governing bodies, the production and consumption of sport on the world stage (e.g. Olympics, World Cup), the process of the global expansion by leagues in the US and how international sports have pushed through the US borders. credits: | Global Sport Environment | 3 |
| This course will advance student knowledge & understanding of the financial & economic aspects of various sport settings. Prerequisites: SMG100 credits: | Economic and Financial Management of Sport | 3 |
| This second internship in Sport Management (SMG) is designed to offer students an off-campus opportunity to refine more specific skills gained previously during their first internship & academic career with a mentor/supervisor. Students must complete a minimum of 120 contact hours with their internship supervisor. credits: | SMG Internship II | 3 |
Upper Level Business Elective - 3 Credits
| This course analyzes the relationship between management and the workforce. The perspective of employers, employee and employee representatives will be analyzed across a variety of issues found in the modern workforce. Areas of consideration may include compensation, benefits, job classification, legal principles of the employment relationship and training and development. Additionally, students learn how to deal with contemporary issues confronting the employer/employee relationship. credits: | Management and Labor Relations | 3 |
| A study of retail marketing encompasses all of the ways a consumer business attracts customers and generates sales of its goods and services. Retail marketing strategies touch virtually everything in a company’s operations, including signage, store layout, sales and promotions, pricing strategies, advertising, checkout processes and customer services. Students will implement retail marketing strategies via ”real-world businesses and/or clients. credits: | Retail Marketing | 3 |
| Selling is a vital part of marketing and our marketing economy. Students will assess and apply the concepts of selling (prospecting, demonstrating, questioning, handling objections, and closing) to create and construct an industrial sales’ presentation based on those selling methods which are successful and socially desirable. credits: | Salesmanship | 3 |
| This course will cause the future entrepreneur and manager to consider business transactions from the viewpoint of the customer. The will explore the role that customer service plays on the future of any business and what an effective leader can do to develop customer service policies and procedures that benefit all parties involved. credits: | Customer Service | 3 |
| This course will teach students how to analyze and evaluate organizations and industries from a psychological perspective. Student will cover such topics as employee motivation, personality, organizational behavior and mental health issues in the workplace. credits: | Industrial and Organizational Psychology | 3 |
| An application of concepts from the field of marketing of consumer demand in relation to marketing procedures, functions, methods, policies, including issues of marketers from a marketing perspective. credits: | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| This is a course designed to provide students with the reasoning skills for ethical decision making in business. Students will study the framework for the concepts, processes, and best practices associated with successful business ethics. The emphasis is on critical, informed, and systematic thinking about situations where good arguments can be made on both sides of a question. Students will study two major Western codes of ethical conduct from the field of normative ethics (teleology and deontology) and analyze and apply these to business situations and case studies. This course addresses the complex environment of ethical decision-making in any type of organization where the burden of ethical behavior relates to the organization’s values and traditions, not just to the individuals who make the decisions and carry them out. credits: | Managerial Ethics -U | 3 |
| Formulate and develop the business/management communication process and its functions in a business environment. All types of business communications will be analyzed, practiced, and assessed credits: | Business Communications | 3 |
| Fundamental principles of law in relation to business including court systems, torts, contracts, and sales. credits: | Business Law | 3 |
| In this course students will examine ways to identify the content of a job such as the activities involved and the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to perform the job activities. Students will understand what the important tasks of jobs are and the qualities employees need to successfully complete their jobs. credits: | Job Analysis | 3 |
| An investigation of management concepts with an emphasis on the four basic managerial functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling, including the application of decision making, group dynamics, communication, and the business environment. credits: | Principles of Management | 3 |
| The non-profit environment requires that managers be able to perform as chief executive, marketer, fundraiser and grant writer if necessary. This course will explore the unique challenges that managers of non-profit organizations encounter. The differences between for profit and non-profit entities will be examined closely including a focus on revenues vs. resources and expenses vs. expenditures. credits: | Non-profit Management | 3 |
| Negotiations are necessary whenever you are not able to attain your goals without the assistance or cooperation of others. Every individual is a negotiator and we learn to do so early in life. Thus, negotiations are a way of life. This course will develop your understanding of the principles, strategies, and tactics of effective negotiation and professional relationship management. This course will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental components of the negotiation process and the challenges that face negotiators through the use of theory, research and practice. credits: | Negotiations | 3 |
| This course connects the principles of financial managerial decision to a broader management process linking the firm with external markets in which it must raise funds, purchase inputs and sell products. The student will be expected to apply the concepts of financial analysis and planning, investment risk and time value of money, cash flows and capital budgeting, and cost of capital. Each students will construct a stockholders’ report that analyzes the real world financial markets. Prerequisites: ACC 240 and MAT 114 credits: | Corporate Finance | 3 |
| An application class that reinforces and creates various aspects of public relations models that connect policies, strategies, and procedures to include marketing, communication, and designing public relations models for ”real-world’ businesses and/or clients. Prerequisites: BUS 321 credits: | Public Relations | 3 |
| Students will apply the concepts of advertising and marketing to create an advertising campaign for a new brand of a product category. Students will analyze both the industry (of the product category) and the desired market segment and then select the appropriate media to boost the awareness and generate consumer demand for their brand. credits: | Advertising | 3 |
| This is a senior capstone course which synthesizes the student’s academic experience in various professional business subjects taught in the business administration degree program. This course gives a special emphasis on the creative, analytical and critical challenges experienced by contemporary business managers. Students will connect their business knowledge to international and ethical issues in business. The course stresses a case study approach. Prerequistes: Senior Standing credits: | Business Policy and Procedures | 3 |
| This course is an applied approach to the field of marketing research with practical applications. Students are expected to design a research project and analyze their qualitative and/or quantitative results. Student will formulate hypothesis and connect their statistical analysis using a formal research report format. Prerequisites: MAT 114 and BUS 321 credits: | Marketing Research | 3 |
| Various tools will be discussed that are available to the Human Resources professional such as job analysis and job design. Students will analyze administrative and legal issues that pertain to the functions of a Human Resources department and demonstrate their comprehension by applying the principles they have learned to solve these non-routine issues. credits: | Human Resources Administration | 3 |
| Students choosing to complete an independent research study will work under the supervision of a faculty mentor. The independent research study is designed to allow the student to work independently on a theory/research project relevant to the broader field of business. A goal of this course is for students to submit their completed work to an appropriate academic conference for presentation consideration or to a professional or academic journal for publication consideration. Prerequisites: Requires permission of the faculty member the student wishes to work with and the Director of the School of Business and Technology. credits: | Independent Research Study | 3 |
Economics Elective Requirement - 3 Credits
| This course is an introduction to the nature, method, and scope of economic analysis regarding the macroeconomic performance of nations. Indicators of a nation’s macroeconomic performance include the economic growth rate, the tendency toward inflation, and the level of unemployment. This course introduces students to the process of monetary and fiscal policy, and also introduces students to each policy’s impact on national economic performance. Students also are introduced to the nature of global trade and economic development. credits: | Macroeconomics -Q | 3 |
| This course introduces students to the principles and theories of microeconomics. The course stresses identification of fundamental economic concepts, essential forms of business organization, and introductory theory regarding exchange and price determination under various market conditions. Students additionally learn about distribution of income, the economics of agriculture and labor, and the role of government in business. credits: | Microeconomics -Q | 3 |