Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Sports Business
Learn Sports Management with a Sports Business MBA
The business of sports has enjoyed substantial growth. The global sports industry is a multi-billion-dollar giant that encompasses events, sporting goods, training, management and infrastructure. This industry offers many opportunities for future business leaders who hold an MBA with an Emphasis in Sports Business. The Colangelo College of Business at Grand Canyon University (GCU) offers sports business MBA candidates the option to specialize in sports management.
This MBA in Sports Business degree allows candidates to blend keen business acumen with a passion for sports. In this program you will explore key concepts in management and operations and examine sales, marketing, finance and revenue generation through the lens of the sports industry.
Earn Your MBA in Sports Management Online at GCU
GCU’s MBA in Sports Management is designed to fit the needs of working professionals. You can earn your advanced degree within an engaging online classroom environment. Participate in intelligent peer discussions and benefit from exposure to a diverse range of perspectives and viewpoints. Study the theories and current research regarding the business of sports under the guidance of leading experts in their fields. You will examine core concepts in courses such as the following:
- Sports Business Analytics
- Sports Business Revenue Generation
- Strategic Management
- Applied Business Probability and Statistics
- Leadership and Organizations
The MBA in Sports Business online degree program requires 54 credits for completion. Most online MBA classes are eight weeks in length.
While working toward your sports business MBA, you will explore a number of current issues in modern sports management. Examine digital technologies, like social media platforms, and how they are applied to the global business environment. Explore emerging trends in analytics, revenue generation, marketing and sports business sales. Other learning objectives include:
- Maximizing value for brands, rights holders, media and agencies
- Managerial accounting concepts like internal reporting, cost systems and performance evaluation
- Market environmental analysis, marketing planning and pricing strategy
There is an emphasis on the values of servant leadership. As a Christian university, the GCU community embraces ethical decision-making for the greater social good.
What Can I Do with an MBA in Sports Management?
Sports management is a dynamic career field that offers high-level opportunities for MBA graduates. Upon graduation with an MBA in Sports Business, you may be able to pursue positions working for professional sports organizations, athletic representation agencies, universities or media entities. Some of the sports careers that may be related to this degree include the following:
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- Facilities manager
- Social and community service manager
- Entertainment and recreation manager (except gambling)
- Project management specialist
- Management analyst
- Industrial production manager
- Human resources specialist or manager
- Training and development manager
- Personal service manager
- Business operations specialist
Candidates in this sports business MBA program will develop core competencies that are essential in the business of sports and are transferrable to other industries. Organizations value job applicants who have demonstrated that they possess the drive and perseverance necessary to complete an MBA program. Critical thinking, ethical decision-making and problem-solving are all skills that are valuable in any industry.
Graduates of Grand Canyon University may qualify for placement assistance. GCU is an institutionally accredited, private university. Core programs within the Colangelo College of Business have achieved additional approval by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).
MBA in Sports Management Degree FAQs
The sports management field covers a wide range of topics, so it’s best to try and narrow down what you’d like to do post-graduation. An MBA in Sports Management takes a more macro approach to the operations and processes of running a business in sports, while a master’s (MS) in sports management is more multidisciplinary. An MS in Sports Management may include topics like sociology and human performance, as well as leadership and kinesiology. An MBA in Sports Management may include building-block topics like finance, marketing, accounting, statistics and human resources directly related to sports.
A doctorate (PhD) in sports management is becoming a more popular option for ambitious future managers, executives and entrepreneurs. Students who pursue a PhD in Sports Management develop their analytical reasoning and research skills for a career as a business executive, researcher or an educator.
A sports management MBA degree can prepare you for a career as a top executive, which are in high-demand in nearly every industry, including sports management. As of May 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook estimates job growth for general and operations managers to increase by about 9% from 2020 to 2030, faster than average, accounting for an estimated increase of 226,300 jobs in the field.1 An MBA in Sports Business is well worth the investment for those equally involved in sports and business, as it offers a great deal of leadership strategy and franchise management.
1 COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 may be atypical compared to prior years. The pandemic may impact the predicted future workforce outcomes indicated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as well. Accordingly, data shown is based on September 2021, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Top Executives, retrieved on April 4, 2022.
Core Courses
Course Description
This course is designed to prepare students for the graduate learning experience at Grand Canyon University. Students have opportunities to develop and strengthen the skills necessary to succeed as graduate students in the College of Business. Emphasis is placed on utilizing the tools for graduate success.
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the College of Business, key concepts of leadership, and an overview of how the science of organizational behavior contributes to effective leaders and managers.
Course Description
This course is designed for students who are preparing for more advanced coursework in business but who have not had accounting in undergraduate work. Topics covered include the principles and practices of financial accounting, including the fundamentals of revenue recognition, the components of the balance sheet, and financial statement analysis. ?The course explores accounting theories using publicly traded companies and case studies.
Course Description
This course is designed for individuals who are preparing for more advanced coursework in accounting and is designed for students who have not had finance in undergraduate work. Topics covered include financial analysis, financial planning, asset evaluation, capital structure, and working capital management.
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to prepare students in mathematical, probability, and statistical concepts for their upcoming studies in quantitative methods. The course is intended for those students who have not had any prior statistical education, although students who have had statistics should also consider taking the course as a refresher.
Course Description
This course introduces microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts that are relevant to contemporary business. Emphasis is placed on using economic data for business decision making.
Course Description
This course is a study in the quantitative tools and techniques used to model business functions and applications. Emphasis is placed on how to set up models, and how to interpret and apply their results. Prerequisite: SYM-506.
Course Description
Management of the marketing function, market environmental analysis, and marketing planning, strategy, and control are fundamentals of marketing management. The course examines the marketing process, marketing research, product development innovation and diffusion, pricing strategy, distribution value drain, advertising and promotion, and strategic marketing issues. Emphasis is placed on case study analysis and current academic research with a marketing plan as a significant curriculum component.
Course Description
This course covers managerial accounting concepts and procedures for internal reporting, including the study of cost behavior, cost systems, budgeting, and performance evaluation. Coursework includes case studies, group projects, and class discussion. Prerequisite: ACC-502.
Course Description
Operations Management examines managerial concepts and strategies relating to the management of operations in both manufacturing and service environments. Emphasis is placed on methods to streamline and drive inefficiencies out of a firm’s internal processes to build a highly efficient organization. The course also focuses on external processes by examining ways to achieve greater supply chain integration with suppliers and customers. Quantitative and qualitative methods and tools are introduced and applied. Prerequisite: SYM-506.
Course Description
This course discusses elements of business financial decisions, including financial forecasting and development of proformas, management of working capital, capital budgeting, capital structure, and raising funds in capital markets. Prerequisite: FIN-504.
Course Description
This capstone course focuses on preparing and conducting a strategic analysis of a selected publicly traded firm to produce actionable intelligence used to formulate recommendations to promote the creation of a value-adding strategy. Based on the results of their strategic analysis, students are then required to prepare the framework of a strategic plan that creates significant value for the selected firm. Prerequisites: MGT-605, MKT-607, ACC-650, and FIN-650.
Course Description
This course discusses the principles and strategies associated with generating revenue in the sports business industry.
Course Description
This course emphasizes sports marketing research with the focus on teaching students how to obtain the data, insights, and intelligence needed in every area of sports marketing, sports media, and sponsorship in order to most effectively maximize value for brands, rights holders, agencies, and media.
Pursue a next-generation education with an online degree from Grand Canyon University. Earn your degree with convenience and flexibility with online courses that let you study anytime, anywhere.
Grand Canyon University’s evening programs cater to the demands of working professionals who prefer an in-person learning environment. Our night classes meet just once per week and offer the interaction and discussion of a typical college classroom.
* Please note that this list may contain programs and courses not presently offered, as availability may vary depending on class size, enrollment and other contributing factors. If you are interested in a program or course listed herein please first contact your University Counselor for the most current information regarding availability.
* Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Programs or courses subject to change.