Information meetings are held monthly in Northern and Southern California. Complete Information about both the Northern and Southern California Sport Management Programs is provided at all Information Meetings. Click here for a list of information meetings and graduate fairs.
The identical program and curriculum are offered at both campuses. Full time faculty teach at both campus locations.
Applicants must hold a four-year degree with any major from an accredited university-level institution. You may apply during your senior year prior to the completion of your undergraduate degree, however you must have graduated prior to the beginning of the Sport Management Master’s Program. An overall GPA of 2.75 or higher is required.
The application requirements for admission are: Application for Graduate Admission, Sport Management Supplemental Application, application fee, official transcripts, resume, statement of goals and letters of recommendation.
Visit application process for admission requirement details, to obtain a printed application or to apply online.
Application documents for BOTH the Northern California and Southern California campus should be mailed to the Office of Graduate Programs, College of Arts and Sciences, University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton Street, HR 240, San Francisco, CA 94117.
Please DO NOT send any application documents to the Program Offices, this will only delay the completion of your application.
February 1 for summer admission (San Francisco and Los Angeles-Area programs)
September 1 for spring admission (San Francisco program only)
The Office of Graduate Programs must receive all application materials by the stated deadlines. Please DO NOT send any application items to the Sport Management Graduate Program. All application materials MUST be mailed to the Office of Graduate Programs, College of Arts and Sciences, University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton Street, HR 240, San Francisco, CA 94117.
- July applicants should expect to receive an admission decision by April 15th
- January applicants should expect to receive an admission decision by November 15th
The GRE or GMAT are optional and not required for admission. The Admissions Committee has found that an applicant's undergraduate academic record is the best indicator of success for graduate studies. An applicant's professional experience is also given consideration in the admission process. An applicant may want to submit either their GRE or GMAT test score if they believe it might strengthen their application.
The TOEFL, IELTS or PTE score is required for international students.
The USF school code for the GRE and TOEFL is 6966, IELTS and PTE is 4580; GMAT is 91M-7L-93.
Admission to the program is becoming more competitive with each cohort class we admit. We are willing to look at an individual's application if additional documentation is provided. Please see the items below for the additional documentation that may be included with an application.
Completed your undergraduate degree within the last 3 years:
If you have completed your bachelors degree less than 3 years ago, we encourage you to provide additional documentation to strengthen your application. All application items, including the items stated below must be received by the application deadline.
- Take two upper division 3-unit courses. Microeconomics (not Macroeconomics) and a Marketing or Management Course. You can take these courses as a visiting student at any accredited four year college or university. We would be looking for A's in the two courses.
- Take the GRE or GMAT. We would be looking closely at your scores including the Analytical Writing Score.
Keep in mind that if you apply, you will be competing with a competitive group of applicants. Your GPA is still going to be considered and will put you in the lower group of the applicant pool.
Have 4 to 5 years of work experience beyond your undergraduate degree completion:
If you have your bachelors degree and have been out of school for 4 or more years and have professional work experience, we encourage you to provide additional documentation to strengthen your application.
- List your detailed work experience on your resume.
- Provide strong professional letters of recommendation.
- Taking additional coursework (as stated above) could be beneficial to strengthen your application.
Within approximately two weeks after your application form is processed by USF’s College of Arts and Sciences, Office of Graduate Programs, you will receive an email giving you a temporary username and password to check your application status page.
This username/password is for checking your application status only.
For technical assistance, please contact the USF’s IT department at itshelp@usfca.edu or 415.422.6668.
Once an admission decision has been made, you will receive an admission letter from the Sport Management Program by mail. It's imperative that you continue to keep the Sport Management Program updated with your current contact information (mailing address and email address) during the admission cycle as you do not want to miss important admission decisions.
- July applicants should expect to receive an admission decision by April 15th
- January applicants should expect to receive an admission decision by November 15th
Note that applications are not reviewed until after the September 1 and February 1 deadlines.
The Sport Management Program accepts approximately 35 students per cohort. Three new cohorts start each year: one new cohort at both the San Francisco campus and Los Angeles Area campus in Orange in July, and one new cohort at the San Francisco campus in January.
Each class of approximately 35 students begins and completes the Master's Program as a "cohort" or learning community that functions as a support network.
Yes, each admitted student must deposit $700 to hold their position in the cohort to which they have applied. This deposit is non-refundable and is applied to your tuition costs in your first semester of studies at USF.
Prospective students are encouraged to attend the Information Meetings held at the Northern and Southern California campuses. Individual visits can be scheduled by contacting the Sport Management Office.
A distinguished team of professional and academic leaders teaches in the Sport Management Program. The diversity and experience of the faculty from across the sports industry sets a standard of national excellence. Please visit Faculty and Staff for more details.
Alumni go into a variety of positions across the sports industry. Check out our Newsletters to see where some of our alumni are working.
Classes are offered one evening per week in a pre-set sequential order in the cohort model. Visit the July calendar for the San Francisco and Los Angeles-Area programs and the January calendar for the San Francisco spring program.
Students may not take the program part-time and may not accelerate the program. This graduate program does not offer on-line classes.
The Internship Program is an important aspect of The Master's Program curriculum. Students can start an internship as soon as they start classes in the program. Most students do multiple internships during their two years in the program.
Internships are set in a professional setting that enables students to experience the basic concepts and principles of their career specialization. The internship experience often provides a critical event in clarifying the student's professional goals. In order for students to take advantage of the Internship component, the Internship in Sport Management class has four meetings spaced out throughout the length of the program.
A minimum of 160 hours of internship fieldwork experience is required during residency in the program. However, many students exceed this number and do multiple internships. The Sport Management Program works with the students helping them to make connections for internships across the Sports Marketplace.
The 2012-2013 tuition rate for the Sport Management graduate program is $1,130 per unit. The 36-unit Master's Degree Program will have a total tuition cost of $40,680. Students who enter the program and complete required coursework within the scheduled 23-month program calendar are guaranteed that their tuition will remain at the same "flat-rate" that was in effect when they started the program.
The Federal Government provides significant assistance through the subsidized and unsubsidized direct loan program. The majority of our students do take out some form of financial assistance.
You may apply for financial aid on-line through the Federal Direct Student Loan Program at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Questions about financial aid may be directed to USF's Office of Financial Aid.
Students who apply to the Sport Management Master's Program for Summer 2012 admission - and are interested in applying for Summer 2012 financial aid - must file the 2011-2012 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov as soon as possible. In order for the financial aid award to be processed in a timely manner (to cover Summer 2012 tuition), you must complete and submit the FAFSA application no later than June 1, 2012. This deadline ensures that your Summer 2012 aid eligibility can be determined and processed by USF's Financial Aid Office by the beginning of the Summer Semester. Students who are admitted to the program that start in Summer 2012, register for a 3-unit summer course.
Once you are notified of your 2011-2012 loan eligibility for Summer 2012 enrollment, you should then file a FAFSA 2012-2013 renewal as soon as possible so that your aid eligibility can be determined and extended for the entire next academic year: Fall 2012/Spring 2013/Summer 2013.
Students who apply to the Sport Management Master's Program for January 2013 admission must file the 2012-2013 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov as soon as possible in order for the financial aid award to be processed in a timely manner. Students who are admitted to the program that starts in Spring 2013 will register for 6 units.
If you have any financial aid related questions, please contact the University of San Francisco's Office of Financial Aid.
The Sport Management Program offers several merit-based scholarships. These scholarships do not require a separate application, all students admitted to the Sport Management Program are considered for these scholarships during the admission decision process.
Scholarship awards will be indicated in a student's admission letter. These merit-based scholarships are competitive, may vary in amount and will be applied to tuition costs.
Graduate assistantships are only available on the main campus in San Francisco.
The Office of Student Employment maintains a listing of currently offered on-campus jobs, which typically require an in-person interview after enrolling at the university.
Also, you may want to contact the Office of Residence Life at orl@usfca.edu which offers several Graduate Assistantships on the main campus. Experience with managing undergraduate residence life is required for these assistantships.
The Koret Health and Recreation Center and the USF Athletic Department also offer a limited number of graduate assistantships. The individual departments offer these assistantships. A student needs to be admitted to the University before applying for an assistantship.
Yes, there is a required orientation for both US and International students. The Sport Management Program orientation is held the week before the first class meeting and attendance is mandatory by all students accepted into the program. You will receive an orientation package with all the necessary details/information.
If you are an International student, you are also required to attend the International Student Orientation. You will need to contact the Office of International Student and Scholar Services at isss@usfca.edu to find out more information about the International Student Orientation.
USF does offer a health insurance plan. Please visit Health Promotions Services to view requirements.
- Application form and fee of $55 payable to the University of San Francisco. Please submit this form as early as possible in the application process.
- One official transcript from each university or college attended (both undergraduate and graduate coursework)
- Two letters of recommendation from a supervisor or instructor
- Statement of Goals - A three-to-five page essay that describes your professional and educational interests, background and goals
- Current resume demonstrating relevant work experience
- Completed and signed Certification of Finance form, along with supporting documents, that verifies adequate financial support for the first year of studies at the University. (See International Graduate Students to download the Certification of Finance form)
- TOEFL, IELTS or PTE score:
- iBT TOEFL, minimum score of 79, no subscore less than 17
- Paper-based TOEFL, minimum score of 550
- IELTS, minimum score of 6.5, no subscore less than 5.5
- PTE, minimum score of 57 (estimated score)
PLEASE NOTE: Students should not apply unless they have achieved the stated minimum scores and minimum subscore of each section of the exam. An application will be denied admission if a student has not achieved the scores stated above. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this policy for the Sport Management Master's Program.
The TOEFL/GRE school code for USF is 6996 (select "Univ San Francisco Arts Sci Grad")
The TOEFL/GRE school code of 4850 can also be used for USF
Students with TOEFL scores below 100 or 600; IELTS score below 7.0 or PTE score below 73 (estimated score) will be required to take an ESL course in USF's Intensive English Program if admitted to the Program.
You will also find information about Scholarships, Financial Aid, Student Health Insurance, International Student Orientation, Exception Policy for English Language Scores, and F-1 Visas at International Graduate Students.
USF offers limited housing to graduate students on the main campus in San Francisco, mostly in the apartment-style Loyola Village. International students are given first priority to on-campus graduate student housing, but all students are encouraged to apply for on-campus housing in a timely manner. Visit the Office of Residence Life website for more information and for on-campus housing contracts (which detail the costs). USF DOES NOT offer housing at the Southern California Campus.
Off-campus housing in San Francisco:
Please contact Kenrick Ali, the Off-Campus Housing Coordinator, in the Office of Residence Life at 415.422.6824 or by email at orl@usfca.edu . Also, visit the Office of Residence Life website for Off-Campus Living, and click on "Rental Resources".
Non-USF resources for off-campus housing in San Francisco:
Craigslist
Rent Tech - 415.863.7368
San Francisco Chronicle Classifieds
San Francisco Weekly Classifieds
Springstreet - 415.771.0447
Bay Area Rental Guide - 415.929.7777
There are a variety of housing options near the Southern California Campus and throughout the Los Angeles area. Resources for off-campus housing in Los Angeles and Orange County areas:
Craigslist - Click on Orange County or Los Angeles
Orange County Register - Click on OC Real Estate Finder for rental listings
Los Angeles Times - Click on Classifieds for rental listings
All LA Rentals
Springstreet - Search for housing in Orange County or Los Angeles
