Building Leaders in the Business of Sport

As a Sport Management major, you’ll discover the social, economic, and operational impacts of sport business from the inside out and how you can make a real difference in the field. You’ll not only learn from top faculty and industry leaders, you’ll benefit from opportunities provided by Michigan’s elite athletics program and our vast network of successful alumni.

Undergraduate program:

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Graduate programs:

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Degrees

Sport Management students visit Manchester United in the UK

Undergraduate Program

Through our undergraduate program, you'll actively learn about the field through close interaction with faculty, academic advisors, and alumni mentors, as well as dynamic internships and professional development activities.

Sport Management master's students on the floor in Yost Arena

Master's Program

As a master’s student, you’ll explore a wide array of topics required to manage the sport enterprise: entrepreneurship, urban planning, finance, economics, diversity, social justice, corporate social responsibility, marketing, law, globalization, and organizational behavior.

PhD Program

Our doctorate program is the right path for you if you intend to build a career as a scholar, teacher, researcher, or professional in economics, marketing, philanthropy, and urban development, focused on sport business.

Doctoral Program in the Country

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF KINESIOLOGY, 2023

College for Sport Management in the US

Niche, 2024

Student-Run Sport Management Groups & Organizations

SoK Spotlights

KeJuan Wilkins (SM '98)

Executive vice president and chief communications officer, Nike

Sports are really about building community. What happens when a team is formed? What happens when a team is representing a university or country or city? Those are moments that can build connections with people. Those are moments that can break down barriers.

Read More About Aydin Oelzturk

Aydin Oelzturk in a suit in front of a car outside

Student Organizations

Careers in Sport Management

First Destination Career Plans

Many of our graduates work at national sport organizations; big agencies; and industry-leading organizations like ESPN, the NCAA, The New York Times, Under Armour. Others pursue post-graduate studies in business, law, accounting, and urban planning.

WHAT OUR GRADUATES DO

69%

Employed Full-Time

Undergraduate Class of 2022; 90% reporting (110 graduates)

24%

Continuing Education

Employed Part-Time / Internship / Service

Michigan Center for Sport & Social Responsibility

Research

SPORT MANAGEMENT

Our SM centers research how sport can promote economic and urban development and positive social change. They also also bridge theory and practice with innovative research in the business of sport, including marketing, sponsorship, new media, gaming, and sport industry organizations.

Learn more about our research

News

Media Hits

Olympic returns matter more for Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, and Sha'Carri Richardson

Their transparency about their needs and challenges is key to reshaping the perception of responsibilities for Black women, says Center for Race & Ethnicity in Sport director Ketra Armstrong.

Members of the UnitedHealth Group sponsorships team before a Patriots game with famed ESPN reporter Sal Paolantonio

Cool Jobs

You don’t have to work for a sports team to get into sports

Sophie duPhily (SM ’17), UnitedHealth Group’s associate director for sponsorships and growth, found an unusual pathway into sports marketing, thanks to an early-career job with a health care client — and her dad.

Inside the Research

What's behind the pickleball boom?

SM clinical assistant professor Nikolas Webster looks into pickleball’s growing attraction.

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