Program Overview
The Master of Arts in Sport Management is composed of 36 semester credit hours and builds on the college’s successful Bachelor of Arts in Sport Management. The program will be delivered in an entirely online format and is intended for working adults who wish to advance in their careers in sport management. The program includes core coursework in applied sport management skills; research methods for sport management; fitness and health promotion/management; sport in a diverse society; sport ethics and law; sport finance and economics; strategic sport marketing. Students will also be able to choose electives from administrative, sport media and human resources tracks. The program culminates in a capstone project. Students will have the option to complete a research thesis or in-depth case study. Regardless of the final product, students will be required to pull information from various sources, generate a thorough report, and present their findings publicly.
Degree Requirements
To complete the Master of Arts degree in Sport Management, students are required to complete a total of 36 graduate credit hours and to fulfill the specific course and writing requirements for the program. Required courses include courses focused on applied skills in sport management, research methods, legal issues and risk management, sport finance and economics, sport marketing, the promotion and management of fitness and health-related programs/facilities, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in sport. In addition to these courses, students must complete at least 9 credits of graduate elective coursework and a capstone project. Elective coursework can consist of courses in sport management or other areas (MAIS, trauma-informed education, etc.), as approved by their sport management advisor.
Core Courses
(8 courses – 24 credits)
- Applied Sport Management Skills
- Research Methods for Sport Management
- Administration of fitness/wellness programs
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Sport
- Legal Issues and Risk Management
- Sport Finance and Economics
- Strategic Marketing
- Capstone
Electives
(4 courses-12 credits)
Electives for the master’s degree include three tracks depending on the interest of the student:
Administrative track:
- NCAA Compliance
- Governance and Policy in Sport
- Sport Analytics
- Psychology of Coaching
Sport Media track:
- Strategic Communication
- Sports Journalism
- Sport Media Production
HR track:
- HR Management Strategies
- Conflict Management and Negotiation Strategies
Pathway
Fall entry (students may begin at any semester)
8-week courses of 3 credits each
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| Applied Sport Management Skills | 3 | |
| Strategic Sport Marketing OR Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Sport | 3 | |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| Sport Finance & Economics | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Summer | ||
| Fitness Administration and Organization OR Elective | 3 | |
| Legal Issues and Risk Management | 3 | |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Research Methods in Sport Management | 3 | |
| Strategic Sport Marketing OR Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Sport | 3 | |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| Capstone | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Summer | ||
| Fitness Administration and Organization OR Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 36 | |
Course Descriptions
Applied Sport Management Skills
This course emphasizes empowering students to become strong leaders in the world of sport by addressing the central management functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling, using a theory-to-practice approach. Students will develop important management skills and learn to integrate theory and research into their decision-making processes. This survey course will address a wide range of topics, including problem solving and strategic planning, legal liability and risk management, leadership, media, and sport culture.
Research Methods for Sport Management
As the sport management industry continues to grow and evolve, so do the methods for gathering and applying research findings to drive successful sport organizations. In this course, students will develop their ability to find, read, and understand research in sport management – including conducting a thorough literature review, key elements of research designs, and methods for analyzing data and reporting results.
Fitness and Health Promotion/Management
This course is designed to equip students with a series of promotion, management, and other administrative tools necessary to operate fitness and/or health related programs. Students will become familiar with the assessment of certifications, proper group exercise instruction, and exercise leadership skills. In addition, students will also become familiar with current standards to organize fitness facilities and exercise programs in a variety of settings such as public and private sport facilities, recreation complexes, corporate fitness centers, and hospital wellness programs.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Sport
The topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion continues to be of growing importance across all businesses. To that end, this course will provide an in-depth assessment of what diversity, equity, and inclusion mean within sport organizations and an overview of DEI issues across the sport industry. This content will be provided with a focus on critical thinking and application of concepts to real case studies to empower students and develop their ability to lead with vision and compassion.
Legal Issues and Risk Management
Sports-related litigation continues to escalate in America year after year, due at least in part to increased pressure in the multibillion-dollar sport industry for all who are involved in the operation of sport. This course provides an extensive overview of legal principles and issues (Federal Amendments, torts, contracts, labor relations, etc.) as they relate to sport and how to mitigate associated risks. A key component of this course will be developing a detailed understanding of safety principles and risk management decisions that assist sport managers to provide reasonably safe environments. Various theories of risk management will be examined as managerial functions in modern sport organizations.
Sport Finance and Economics
This course is designed to use sports to deepen our understanding of economics and financial markets and to use economics and financial markets to deepen our understanding of sports. Topics may include attendance modeling, salary structure, salary caps, financing of stadiums, tournament structure, competitive balance, doping in sports, and gambling markets. Key economic principles covered may include supply and demand, industrial organization, price theory, labor markets, salary determination and discrimination, tournament theory, Coase Theorem, and game theory. Financial principles covered include the financing of sports teams in different leagues, public vs private financing of stadiums, efficient markets hypothesis, and behavioral finance. We will cover historical topics and address current events.
Strategic Sport Marketing
Those in the sport industry – athletes, coaches, fans, media, and other business professionals – are connected in new ways that have made sport marketing more accessible than ever. This class takes a modern look at the dynamic industry of sport marketing with an integration of theoretical and practical approaches. Topics covered may include video streaming, fantasy sports, social media, data analytics, targeted marketing to engage Generation Z, and modern sales and ticketing practices.
Governance and Policy in Sport
This course explores the managerial activities essential to good governance and policy development and looks at the structure and functions of individual organizations within the larger context of the global sport industry. The course will examine governing bodies at the youth, interscholastic, intercollegiate, and professional levels. Reflecting the latest industry changes, the course will draw on fresh selection of real-world examples to demonstrate the types of dilemmas that sport managers face every day. Other topics explored are current topics, such as sport and human rights, refugees, social media, and the evolution of eSports. The course will also develop policy writing skills for sport organizations.
Advanced Topics in Leadership
Description: This course is designed to guide students to critically examine the concept of leadership as it applies to sport teams and organizations with the aim of developing the critical awareness and skills to cultivate inclusive and collaborative teams. Students will apply theories of power proposed by critical and cultural studies scholars to explore traditional and contemporary approaches to leadership. In doing so, students will identify and develop strategies through which they, as leaders, can disrupt marginalizing systems of power and promote diversity, equity, justice, inclusion and belonging on their teams and in their organizations.
Sport Analytics
“Big data” has revolutionized the sport industry – from player health and performance to ticket sales and facility operations, important decisions are being made using a data-driven approach. This course will explore how these data are obtained, analyzed, and presented on topics including athlete health and performance, talent management, marketing, finance, law, and facility and event management.
Psychology of Coaching
In this course, students will learn practical information about sport psychology as it applies to the role of a coach. Background research and theoretical foundations will be discussed, but the emphasis in this course will be on how coaches can use this information to create an atmosphere that empowers athletes and promotes personal growth and performance excellence.
Strategic Sport Communication
In this course, students will explore the three main components of sport communication –personal and organizational aspects of communication, mediated communication in sport, and sport communication services and support systems – and how each is integral to sport management. Special consideration will be given to modern trends and industry demands, such as customer-centric marketing, influencer marketing, digital public relations tools, and the use of data analytics in marketing communication.
Sports Journalism
This course is a hands-on look at the field of sports journalism. This course examines the various elements necessary to bring a sporting event or story to the public through online storytelling and reporting, video, and social media. Topics include the evolution of media and coverage of sports, the role of sports department personnel, coverage of the sporting event, developing contacts, gaining access to sports figures, and interviewing. The course focuses on developing effective writing skills by approaching sports writing and coverage as a multi-media enterprise.
Sport Media Production
This course serves as a complete guide to the production of sports media – including television, radio, streaming, podcasting and more. While each aspect of the process will be addressed, the focus of this course will be on the production aspects of various types of sport media; topics may include camerawork, lighting, audio, graphics, editing, and managing crew members.
Sports Broadcasting
With the thrill of the game and the excitement of documenting captivating moments for sports history, sports broadcasting is one of the most desired jobs among sports and journalism professionals. This class takes a hands-on approach to help students develop the skills needed to be a successful sportscaster, including conducting in-person and remote interviews of coaches and players and writing for broadcast versus writing for other channels such as web and mobile devices. Students will learn about the process of preparing for and delivering a live sports production from different formats, including play-by-play for radio and television, color commentary, and sideline reporting. The impact of social media will also be explored with attention to creating an effective social media presence and best practices for using social media as a sports broadcaster.
HR Management Strategies
Management of human resources is critical in the success of all organizations, including those focusing on sport and recreation. In this course, students will explore the dynamic ways in which sport and recreation organizations navigate the process of managing paid workers, volunteer workers, as well as the clients they serve. Special consideration will be given to how human resource management strategies are related to overall organizational considerations.
Conflict Management and Negotiation Strategies
Negotiation and influence skills are key components of everyday life. We negotiate daily with potential employers, co-workers, bosses, landlords, merchants, service providers, partners, parents/children, friends, roommates, and many other people. Although we negotiate often, many of us know very little about the strategy and psychology of effective negotiation. The purpose of the course is to develop expertise in managing negotiations and to understand the influence tactics so often used to persuade us. This course uses a hands-on approach to increase students’ competence and confidence in negotiation and influence opportunities Students will develop their own personal style, evaluate its impact, experiment with different styles and strategies, and identify areas for development.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion continues to be of growing importance across all businesses. To that end, this course will provide an in-depth assessment of what diversity, equity, and inclusion mean within sport organizations and an overview of DEI issues across the sport industry. This content will be provided with a focus on critical thinking and application of concepts to real case studies to empower students and develop their ability to lead with vision and compassion.
Capstone
This course is intended to be the culmination of the master’s program. Students will have the option to complete a research thesis or in-depth case study. Regardless of the final product, students will be required to pull information from various sources, generate a thorough report, and present their findings publicly.
Admission to the Program
The Sport Management department will conduct holistic reviews of applications to the program to ensure that admitted students will benefit from the program and be likely to succeed. There is no single set of fixed criteria that solely determines admissibility to the program and Hiram College reserves the right to make the final determination of a student’s admissibility to the College.
Applicants for admission are required to submit the following to via the Hiram College Admission web page for consideration:
- Completed online application
- Official transcripts from all schools attended previously (undergraduate and graduate)
- Two letters of recommendation describing the student's motivation, intellectual ability, and accomplishments
- Personal essay in which the student discusses their personal and professional goals and the objectives for wanting to enroll in the program. This essay is used to assess the student’s writing ability and education objectives, and to determine whether those objectives can be achieved through the program. Essays vary, but they might address the following questions:
- Why did you choose the SPMT program at Hiram College?
- What are your personal motivations, interests, and goals for study?
- How has your background prepared you for this program?
- What skills do you bring to the program?
- How will this program enable you to fulfill your life goals?
Acceptance to Hiram College is conditional upon receipt of all final official transcripts showing completion of an undergraduate degree. The Office of Admission reserves the right to withdraw or amend its offer of admission based on a review of any and all additional or updated documents until the start of matriculation.