Best MBA/MS Programs for Sports Business in Atlanta
Find yourself obsessing over stats and fantasy league team swaps in between required b-school reading? Think you could be the next Jerry Maguire? Perhaps the expansive and—at $300 billion a year in annual revenue—lucrative field of sports management is right for you.
In a nutshell, MBA/MS degrees in sports management prepare students for the business of sports. Whether it’s tackling big issues in a professional league (NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL or PGA), working with a particular team/club or even a particular player, sports management students learn how to negotiate contracts, handle PR matters and navigate industry topics related to organizational behavior, marketing and accounting.
With Strong Team and Entertainment Presence, Sports Business in Atlanta Is Hot
As a major hub for both sports (Braves, Falcons, Hawks) and entertainment (CNN and Turner Broadcasting), studying sports business in Atlanta makes plenty of sense for interested business school students. Let’s take a look at some of the MBA/MS programs the Atlanta metro area has to offer.
The University of Georgia
The University of Georgia (UGA) offers an MS in Sport Management and Policy as part of its Department of Kinesiology. According to UGA, the degree gives students “a full understanding of multiple areas of sport management through interdisciplinary classes that blend business practices with the needs of the sport industry.” Students also examine the “sociological and philosophical dimensions of sport and governmental and industry policies.” Students will learn from leaders with expertise in risk management, social justice and consumer behavior.
Georgia State University
Georgia State offers a 36-credit MS in Sport Administration that helps students “foster the professional knowledge, skills and values for administrative roles with a unique emphasis on entrepreneurship.” Required coursework includes “sport marketing, sport law, marketing research, facility management, sport communication, budgeting, sport media and recreation management.” Georgia State places graduates in positions within “event management, club management, entrepreneurial enterprising, sports tourism, coaching, public relations and broadcasting.”
Clayton State University
Clayton State offers an MBA with a Sports and Entertainment Management concentration that teaches students about “business interactions [specific to] the sports industry, the strategic significance of revenue management and optimal marketing strategies.” Clayton State MBA graduates are trained to “become specialized analysts and contribute to the growth of this industry in Georgia.”
Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern offers a 24-month online MS in Sport Management that blends “academic preparation with practical, hands-on experience” to prepare students for “leading professional teams, collegiate athletic departments, sport facilities, sport marketing firms, sports media, government sports commissions and athletic leagues.”
Belhaven University
Belhaven offers an MBA with a Sports Administration concentration that offers a “focused study of issues and topics related to the management of sports programs.” According to Belhaven literature, the MBA program blends sophisticated academics, practical skills and “the eternal world of Christian faith.”
About the Author
Jonathan Pfeffer
Jonathan Pfeffer joined the Clear Admit and MetroMBA teams in 2015 after spending several years as an arts/culture writer, editor, and radio producer. In addition to his role as contributing writer at MetroMBA and contributing editor at Clear Admit, he is co-founder and lead producer of the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Podcast. He holds a BA in Film/Video, Ethnomusicology, and Media Studies from Oberlin College.
