Inside’s 2024’s Best Online Sports Management Master’s Degree Programs

You love sports, and the idea of leading an athletic organization intrigues you. Earning a sports management master’s degree online can prepare you to lead recreational, amateur, college, and professional teams, as well as commentate sports from the press box, manage community fundraisers, and represent professional athletes as agents. The one- to two-year degree focuses on interdisciplinary subjects including program development, staff leadership, finance, marketing, human resources, and sports law. But which schools have the best master’s degree programs in the field, as well as the quality and affordability you need? Start with our list of the best online master’s programs in sports management for 2024.

As the sports industry changes, a specialized management education is crucial for aspiring industry professionals. Our 2024 rankings spotlight the best online master’s programs in sports management, ensuring that enthusiasts and future leaders have access to the training and insights needed to navigate this field successfully. Find this year’s top program that aligns with your passion for sports and equips you with the business acumen to thrive in the competitive landscape.

Before choosing a program, it’s important to take a look inside. See which classes you’ll take, what you’ll learn, and even what you’ll do after graduation. To help, we’ve researched and written about three online master’s programs in sports management. See if a master’s in the field is right for your career.

The master’s in sports management online prepares students for leadership roles in the sports industry. Many online programs allow students to choose between a thesis or a non-thesis track. The thesis track focuses on research toward a capstone paper on your chosen niche in the profession. In non-thesis tracks, students might be required to take additional coursework or take a qualifying test.

The curriculum for a sports management master’s degree online covers aspects of sports finance, professional ethics, data analysis, sports marketing, laws and regulations, and organizational behavior. Internships or fieldwork may be required.

Accreditation is a formal, independent verification process that universities and individual programs pursue. Accreditation assures that the university and sports management master’s degree online meets academic quality standards set by the Department of Education-approved evaluators. You should check with each prospective school to find university and program accreditations. This is important because students attending non-accredited universities are not eligible to receive federal financial aid. And those who consider returning to college later will not receive credit for their degree if it is not accredited.

Sports management programs should be accredited by The Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA) or The National Committee for Accreditation of Coaching Education (NCACE). Universities gain accreditation through one of six regional bureaus: Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).

While you can enter the sports professions with as little as a bachelor’s degree, only job applicants holding a sports management master’s degree can qualify for leadership or management roles in a college or professional athletic organization. Master’s graduates are hired by colleges, professional sports teams, amateur teams, individual athletes, sporting venues, sports media, and promotion departments. Work advancement and higher salaries come along with advanced degrees.

Here’s a sampling of sports management careers:

Paying for college requires a substantial financial commitment. Before enrolling in any program, determine if you can afford the degree and how you plan to pay for it. Explore the range of student aid options at each university on your list. Resources include federal and private student loans, research grants, scholarships, fellowships, work-study programs, and graduate assistantships. Grants and scholarships from national organizations universities do not need to be repaid.

Tuition and fees vary by institution and the total cost depends on the total number of credits required to complete the degree. Another key factor is whether the university is a public or private institution. Higher fees are usually charged for out-of-state students. University prestige is also part of the equation. In our survey, we found affordable programs and those requiring a fat wallet. Tuition ranged from $19,000 for the total program to over $40,000. Here are three programs to illustrate the array of costs: