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2022-23 Undergraduate Academic Catalog | School of Business | Majors

Sports Management & Marketing, B.S.

[Sports Management and Marketing - 0599.00] 

The Sports Management and Marketing major is designed to prepare students for a profession in a wide variety of sports industries and organizations (including non-profits), as well as prepare them with a business degree that allows them to also work in a non-sports-related business if they so choose. For example, the business guru, Peter Drucker, stated, “the business enterprise has two, and only two, basic functions: marketing and innovation.”   All else, he implied, was detail. In any enterprise, marketing is the driving force for success. Business skills are vital to any business or organization in today's competitive global economy - business skills, creativity, originality, and communication skills are essential.

The Sports Management and Marketing major builds on a strong general education foundation and coursework in each of the core business disciplines (management, accounting, marketing, economics, finance, and information systems), with focused management and marketing courses that address the primary functional concerns of sports commerce, industry, and non-profit organizations. The program prepares students to be effective leaders in multiple organizational contexts (entrepreneurial ventures, non-profit organizations, and small and large corporations). Students will also be familiarized with e-commerce, social media, and digital marketing.

To prepare students and develop their capacity to operate successfully in a wide variety of career opportunities, the program stresses academic preparation in sports management and marketing concepts and skills, problem-solving, and hands-on real-life experience through class projects and an internship in the sports field.

SPECIFICS OF THE SPORTS MANAGEMENT AND MARKETING B.S. DEGREE

Minimum Total Hours: 124

Total Liberal Arts Hours Required: 62

General Education Requirements: Per Core Curriculum Requirements list (see General Education Council). Exceptions:  only one fine arts course is required (ARTS 2700 recommended); must take PSYC 2600 for the behavioral science requirement; must take ECON 2010 for the history, economics, or social sciences requirement; Mathematics requirement is met through the major;

Minimum Requirements: Overall and major GPA of 2.5; no grade less than C- in the major; minimum grade of C- in COMM 1105, COMP 1010, and COMP 1020, and MATH 2400.

Transfer Requirements: See institutional transfer policies.

Application to Major: Application to Major can be secured from the Undergraduate Business Department and submitted during the second semester of the sophomore year.   A minimum grade of C- in MATH 2400 and in all business courses within the major is required for acceptance to the major.  A minimum overall and major GPA of 2.5 is required to be accepted and to remain in the major.  Falling below an overall or major GPA of 2.5 removes students from the major and precludes them from taking upper-level courses. 

Major Requirements: 68 hours as follows:

  • Common Professional Core (44 hours):

o   ACCT 2010-Principles of Accounting I;
o   ACCT 2010L-Principles of Accounting I Lab;
o   ACCT 2020-Principles of Accounting II;
o   ACCT 2020L-Principles of Accounting II Lab;
o   SPMM 1010-Introduction to Management and Marketing ##;
o   SPMM 2100-Legal Issues in Sports ##;
o   BUAD 3210-Corporate Finance;
o   BUAD 3800-International Business;
o   CSCI 1030 - Introduction to Microsoft Excel;
o   CSCI 1510-Introduction to Management Information Systems;
o   ECON 2020-Principles of Macroeconomics;
o   ECON 2050-Personal Economics;
o   SPMM 2020-Principles of Sports Management ##;
o   MGMT 4200-Strategic Management;
o   SPMM 2010-Principles of Sports Marketing ##;
o   MATH 2400-Statistics;
o   BUAD/SOCS 3410-Organizational Leadership;

Note: ## These courses also meet the requirement for the Business Department Common Core.

  • Sports Management and Marketing Additional Requirements (24 hours):
    • SPMM 2500-Emerging Issues in Sports Management and Marketing;
    • SPMM 3500-Internship Preparation;
    • MRKT 3650-Integrated Marketing Communication OR COMM 3304-Foundations of Public Relations;
    • SPMM 4010-Marketing Research;
    • SPMM 4020-Marketing Management;
    • SPMM 4500-Internship Experience;
    • Additionally, any three of the following courses must be completed:
      • SPMM 4500 Internship Experience (a second internship is encouraged);
      • MGMT 4020 Managerial Toolbox;
      • MRKT 3600-Creative Problem Solving;
      • MRKT 3400-Advertising & Branding;
      • MRKT 3450-Consumer Behavior;
      • MRKT 3550-Personal Selling/Sales Management;
      • SPMM 4950-Independent Study;
      • SPMM 2000-Sports Business on Location;
      • PPE 225 Administration Interscholastic Athletic;