Sport Management

Master's Program

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

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.

Program Overview

Our Master of Science in Sport Management program attracts quality students from around the globe. Led by a world-class faculty, we offer our students a unique educational experience by exposing them to a wide array of information required to manage the sport enterprise, such as: entrepreneurship, urban planning, finance, economics, diversity, social justice, corporate social responsibility, marketing (sponsorship, sales, and consumer behavior), law, globalization, and organizational behavior.

In addition to having faculty with expert knowledge of sport business and an unparalleled commitment to our students’ learning process, we also expose our students to the unique insights of leading sport industry executives – affording them ‘one-of-a kind’ opportunities to participate in valuable ‘real-life’ projects, activities, and experiences. As such, we equip and empower our students for the wealth of leadership opportunities in the youth, community, collegiate, professional, and international sectors of the multi-faceted sport industry, and in related corporate entities. The features of our Sport Management master's program, combined with the unparalleled resources of our university, allow us to redefine the Business of Sport… with the Michigan Difference!

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Sport Management Master's Curriculum

The Master of Science in Sport Management program is appropriate for individuals who have a desire to learn about the nuances of managing the sport enterprise. The program is suitable for students in various academic disciplines including but not limited to: sport studies, business/management, marketing, finance/economics, health sciences, and social sciences. It is also appropriate for individuals seeking to improve their marketability for a career in the sport industry, and for sport industry professionals seeking knowledge for career advancement. Students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours, including:

Core Curriculum (15 hours)

  • SM 503 Legal Aspects of Sport (3 credits)
  • SM 509 Financial Management for the Sport Industry (3 credits)
  • SM 532 Organizational Behavior & Human Resources (3 credits)
  • SM 514 Strategic Management in Sport (3 credits)
  • SM 550 Marketing Management for the Sport Industry (3 credits)

Other Requirements (15+ hours)

  • KINESLGY 615 Philosophy of Science and Research (3 credits)
  • Sport Management elective(s) (3+ credits)
  • Graduate-level statistics (3-4 credits)

Note: The remainder of the 30 credits will be from appropriate graduate-level courses offered by the School or by other U-M graduate programs.

The courses you take will vary, depending on your educational goals.  Courses taken for graduate credit will carry SM or KINESLGY program codes, and are numbered 500 and above.

Sport Management Graduate Faculty

Our Sport Management graduate faculty are leaders in their fields, and have a variety of interests and specialties. Here's a list:

  • Ketra Armstrong, PhD: Sports marketing; sport consumer behavior; impact of race and/or gender on sport consumption; sport behaviors of women and consumers of African descent.
  • Kathy Babiak, PhD: Sport and social impact, corporate social responsibility, organizational theory, interorganizational relationships, strategic alliances.
  • Rod Fort, PhD: Sport economics; regulation; microeconomics.
  • Kathryn Heinze, PhD: Organizational and institutional change, sport and social issues.
  • Dae Hee Kwak, PhD: Sport Consumer Behavior, Sport Consumer Psychology, Sport Media Behavior, and Cognitive Biases and Emotion.
  • Judith Grant Long, PhD: 1) The intersection of sports, tourism, city planning and economic development; 2) Finance and delivery of sports and touristic infrastructures via public-private partnerships; 3) Planning for sports and tourism mega-projects, with a current focus the Olympic Games; 4) Assessing and improving host city experiences and outcomes; 5) Fieldwork-based teaching models, studio pedagogy.
  • Mark Rosentraub, PhD: Economic, community, and social development; urban policy, management, and administration; public finance; the economics and management of sports; tourism, amenities, social and economic development; regional and local governance.
  • Stacy-Lynn Sant, PhD: Sport event impact; destination marketing; media discourse; event-based strategies for social and economic development.
  • Stefan Szymanski, PhD: Sports management and economics; sport history, culture and society; European sport and the internationalization of sport; international sports federations and the governance of sport.
  • Wenche Wang, PhD: Sports Economics (Two-Sided Markets, Antitrust), Analytic, Research Methods, Game Theory, Industrial Organization.

Forms & Bulletins

Bulletins contain important information about graduate study at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology. They provide key information about academic program requirements, rules, and regulations of our School. Please also consult U-M’s Rackham School of Graduate Studies website at rackham.umich.edu for more expansive and detailed information.