Business Administration - Sport Management, B.S.

What is a sport management degree?

The Nathan M. Bisk College of Business sport management degree program prepares professional business managers for exciting, fast-paced careers in the sports industry.

The core business curriculum is enriched with specialized courses in sports economics, sports finance, sports marketing, and facilities and event management. Whether you want to be a team manager, an athletic program director, or a sports information specialist, a sports management degree from Florida Tech develops a strong background in leadership and gives you unparalleled experience in modern sports management strategies.

Gain Practical Experience

Our sport management degree starts with courses in your first year such as Introduction to Sports Management and Sport Psychology. Our low student-to-faculty ratio encourages close collaboration and mentorship with professors, providing experienced guidance and leadership.

As a senior, you’ll complete the practicum in business, a professional internship course for applying your sport management skills and savvy within a dynamic local company. This provides practical experience, an expanded professional network, and perhaps even a pre-graduation job offer.

Florida Tech differentiates itself from other sports management colleges by incorporating business principles into its program and applying them to the general sports context. Sport management students gain a strong background in leadership, receive practical experience in modern management strategies, learn sports industry best practices, and become professionals who have a deep knowledge of sports.

Real-World Sport Management Internships

As one of the leading sport management colleges, Florida Tech students can:

• Interact with industry leaders in numerous real-world business settings
• Gain valuable insights through business seminars and workshops sponsored by the Women’s Business Center
• Learn the fundraising process through Sporting Affair, the university’s largest fundraiser for athletics scholarships
• Participate in various intramural sports on campus
• Attend a Major League Baseball spring training game in nearby Space Coast Stadium
• Participate in business networking opportunities

An Emphasis on Ethics and Leadership

The Nathan M. Bisk College of Business is dedicated to fostering ethical decision-making and educating leaders who make thoughtful decisions, set high standards, and promote corporate accountability. Key initiatives include ethical practices from personal, professional, and societal perspectives; intercollegiate ethics competitions; ethics and leadership conferences that encourage students to learn from business, community, and government leaders; and class projects and individual service related to corporate social responsibility.

Make Your Mark On Florida Tech’s Athletics Program

Another reason we’re a popular sport management college is because Florida Tech athletics programs are something that any athlete or student can be proud of and support. 

Like many top sport management colleges, the Panthers compete in intercollegiate sports as NCAA Division II teams and in the highly competitive Sunshine State Conference.  Florida Tech also prides itself on maintaining one of the top Title IX compliance rates in the country.

Located in the Heart of Florida’s High-tech Corridor

Florida Tech is the perfect place for a sport management degree. The 130-acre campus is located on the Space Coast (so named because of the presence of NASA and the Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral just north of us), minutes away from the Indian River Lagoon, the most diverse estuary in North America.

The area has the fifth largest high-tech workforce in the country, with more than 5,000 high-tech corporations and government and military organizations located nearby. This workforce also provides an abundance of internship and employment opportunities.

Florida Tech is just over the causeway from the Atlantic Ocean with its 72 miles of beautiful beaches, and a short trip to the Florida Keys or the Orlando theme parks. We also have a rich campus life that includes a wide range of intramural and collegiate sports, clubs, and social activities.

Build Lasting Professional Relationships through Campus Organizations

Beyond the classroom, students interested in a sport management degree build leadership experience through exciting internships and participation in academic organizations like Delta Mu Delta (national business society), the Society for Advancement of Management, our own athletics program, and over 100 other student organizations.

The Entrepreneurs Club is a group of students from all disciplines who comes together to share ideas and explore business opportunities. Guest speakers frequently lecture to share their experiences and expertise to help members make better business decisions in the real world. Clubs are also a way to find out about sports management internships and job opportunities.

Peerless Study and Internship Opportunities

Sport management careers span marketing, facility and stadium management, hospitality and tourism, youth and community recreation, and intercollegiate athletics. Florida Tech students seeking sport management internships have a variety of opportunities on campus for first-hand experience.

Our athletics department provides sport management internships that include:

• Advertising and promotion
• Events and facilities management
• Public relations
• Recreation and leisure
• Hospitality and tourism
• Youth and community sports

This wide range of options for sport management internships allows students to choose a topic that appeals to their career interests.

Take Part in the Business Plan Resource Course or Business Practicum

In addition to sport management internships, students can gain experience in the Business Plan Research Course. This course challenges students to create a business plan for a start-up company or a new division of an existing company. The course is designed to explore entrepreneurship opportunities for all majors, including those in the sports industry, and focuses on creativity, communication, and innovation.

Students also take part in a 150-hour practicum experience where they perform a “live business analysis” on a business of their choosing. This thorough analysis provides students an opportunity to better learn about the field of sports management.

Students with exceptional business plans may be invited to be a part of the Student Business Incubator, a unique program that allows students to take their startup ideas from concept to reality. Office space, computers, supplies, and seed funding help nurture these student startup companies into potential growing businesses.

The mere words “sports management career” conjure up images of a professional life filled with excitement and success. Florida Tech’s sport management program prepares professional business managers for exciting, fast-paced careers in the sports industry.

Gaining a strong background in leadership and hands-on experience in modern management strategies and sports industry practices, you will be ready for a sports management career as a team manager, athletic program director, or sports information specialist, to name a few. If law school is on your radar, a sport management degree will provide the basis for specialization as a sports attorney or agent.

Get Recruited Upon Graduation

Employers that have recruited Florida Tech students for internships and careers include:

• Soccer Success
• Board Sports
• YMCA
• Baytree National Golf Links
• Clear Channel Communications
• Merrill Lynch
• Enterprise-Rent-A-Car
• Boston Red Sox

Career Outlook

The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, provides detailed information about hundreds of careers, including, entry-level education, overall working environment, and employment prospects.

According to the Bureau, employment for sport management careers such as a coach or scout is expected to grow a whopping 29% through 2020, due to the continued population growth and interest in participation in organized sports for entertainment, recreation, and physical conditioning. As a result, the demand for coaches and sports instructors is tremendous.

Other Career Options

To get a better idea of the availability of a sport management career, here are some numbers that may surprise you:

• The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) governs 23 different college sports at schools in Divisions I, II and III, which include approximately 1,200 schools.
• The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) governs approximately 350 small-college athletics programs in the United States.
• There are 50 state high school athletic/activity associations plus the District of Columbia that govern high school athletics for over 7 million students.
• There are, at any given time, approximately 20 professional sports leagues in the United States that include the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, National Lacrosse League, UFC, and US Open Tennis.

A degree from Florida Tech in Business Administration—Sport Management gives graduates an educational foundation that allows them to succeed in a variety of sport management and related careers such as:

• Advertising, promotions, and marketing manager
• Team manager
• Human resources manager
• Sports agent
• Project manager
• Public relations specialist
• Training and development manager
• Coach/scout

Graduate and Doctoral Programs

After receiving their sport management degree, many Florida Tech students go on to graduate school to pursue their MBA. Nathan M. Bisk College of Business students are eligible for entrance into Florida Tech’s FastTrack MBA. Students must maintain a 3.25 cumulative GPA and complete 95 credits to be considered for the program.

In addition to studying for an MBA, grad students often attend law school.