The Master of Arts in Sport Management is designed to serve the needs of today's busy students. The 36-unit interdisciplinary graduate curriculum is structured in such a way that courses meet one evening a week so that working adults who have professional goals in the sports marketplace may complete their Master's Degree in 23 months.
The Master's Program is designed for both working professionals who seek graduate education to facilitate career advancement and for those with an undergraduate degree whose objectives are to pursue careers in Sport Management through graduate study.
The Master's Program is designed to facilitate management and marketing skills that lead to long term professional growth in an interlinked and expanding sports marketplace that includes professional, intercollegiate, and recreational sports and the wide variety of private and public organizations that promote and organize fitness and health programs.
The Sport Management Master's Program has been designed to provide an integrated student experience to a diverse group with wide-ranging professional responsibilities and interests. Each entering class of The Master's Program offers a richness in the multifaceted and complementary backgrounds of its students.
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Students in The Master's Program come from a wide range of undergraduate majors. While some students come with an undergraduate background in Exercise Science and Physical Education, many others come from business, the social sciences, the natural sciences, communications and the liberal arts. This diversity of undergraduate majors complements the interdisciplinary nature of The Master's Program. In addition, students admitted to The Master's Program bring a breadth of undergraduate extracurricular experiences to our courses.
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Students come to The Master's Program with a wide variety of professional and work experiences. While some students are currently employed in the sport industry, others come from professional or business backgrounds in other sectors. Included in the student mix are managers with professional sports teams, intercollegiate athletics programs, corporate marketing/sponsorship firms, fitness and health clubs, and corporate wellness and fitness programs. We also see coaches and administrators in youth and scholastic sports programs in The Master's Program. Other students bring professional backgrounds in financial management, law, marketing and sales, teaching, social service and other areas. Students who recently graduated from a college or university may have played varsity or club sports, or may have worked or volunteered in a sport-related area.
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Students come to The Master's Program to develop management and marketing skills that lead to long-term professional growth in the sport marketplace. Some students come with one area, such as professional sports or intercollegiate sports, as a target. Others come to explore the opportunities in a wide range of areas to develop skills that will help them navigate the increasingly interlinked sport marketplace over the course of a career.
The aim of The Master's Program is to provide professional preparation for management or leadership positions across a range of organizations in the sport industry. These organizations include professional sports teams, large and small colleges with intercollegiate, intramural and recreation programs, amateur athletic organizations, private and public health and fitness clubs, corporate fitness and wellness programs, sports stadia and arenas, and the sports and fitness marketing, management, and communications firms that service the larger marketplace.
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In addition to the teaching faculty, leading professionals in the sports industry are frequent speakers in courses and special events sponsored by The Master's Program. This group of professionals keeps our students connected to the pulse of current developments in the sports industry.
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More than just classes, your residency in The Master's Program is a two-year adventure in building a network of professional contacts that can serve as the foundation for lifelong career growth. Faculty, guest lecturers, staff, alumni and fellow students all can provide referrals to key personnel for insight about career strategies, organizations of interest and new opportunities.
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Each class of students begins The Master's Program as a "cohort" — a single group of peers who start together in July or January and finish 23 months later. The cohort serves both as a learning community of scholars and a support network. The cohort model of education allows faculty to tailor practical examples and assignments in the courses to the unique needs and interests of individuals in each cohort.
The blend of students working together on projects and research gives students the opportunity to experience the diverse perspectives of a "quality circle". Complementary strengths within each cohort provide students with the opportunity to learn with, and from, one another throughout the program. The cohort structure also encourages study groups that provide mutual support during the Sport Management program — and encourages graduate students to develop collegial and professional networks that continue well beyond the program.
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The 36-unit Master's Program Curriculum is delivered with courses that meet one evening a week so working adults may complete their Master's Degree in 23 months. Students take one course at a time in a preset sequence of courses.
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The Sport Management Program was established at USF's Main Campus in 1991. Our 52-acre San Francisco Main Campus — just one block from Golden Gate Park — is the home base of the University of San Francisco. The University offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business, the School of Education, the School of Law, the School of Nursing and the College of Professional Studies. The University of San Francisco is fully accredited by the Western Association of School and Colleges and a host of discipline-specific accreditation agencies.
In January 2012 the Sport Management program welcomes Cohort 36 at the main campus in San Francisco.
Students in the Master's Program in Sport Management enjoy the atmosphere and amenities offered at our lushly landscaped hilltop campus situated in a quiet residential neighborhood in the heart of San Francisco. A host of support services enhance the educational experience for graduate students, including:
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The Los Angeles Area Campus of the University of San Francisco has been serving students throughout the Southern California region at its location at the St. Joseph Center in Orange since 1983. The Los Angeles Area Campus is one of six regional satellite campuses of the University of San Francisco. Each of the regional campuses offers select professionally-oriented degree programs tailored to meet the needs of mid-career working adults. These programs also serve traditionally-aged students who are looking for an educational opportunity that will allow them to more conveniently develop professional skills tailored to market niches.
In July 2011 the Sport Management program welcomes Cohort 13 to the Los Angeles-Area campus.
The University of San Francisco's Sport Management Program opened at our Los Angeles Area Campus in August 1999 to serve students aiming to develop management and marketing careers across the sports marketplace in professional sports, intercollegiate athletics, and in fitness and recreational sports. The Sport Management Program offered at the Los Angeles Area Campus has all the features of the program that has been offered at our San Francisco Main Campus since1991. The Program at the Los Angeles Area Campus is supplemented by a distinguished professional faculty who have been working in positions of leadership in the Southern California sports marketplace.
The Los Angeles Area Campus at the St. Joseph Center in Orange features classrooms, multi-purpose facilities, a large auditorium, the St. Joseph Center Library, and administrative offices for the University of San Francisco. Anchored by the headquarters for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, and adjacent to the St. Joseph Hospital, the campus offers students a port to all University of San Francisco services in a centrally-located landscaped retreat. At the site for the Sport Management Program are computer, library and information systems services, all of which are linked to USF Main Campus resources and support services.
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The program consists of 36 graduate units. Each course is either 2, 3 or 4 units. Classes meet one evening a week and the entire program can be completed in 23 months.
The program has three components:
1. Core Courses
2. Internship Program
3. Elective Courses
4. Master's Project
Core Courses
See the Courses for details.
The Internship Program
A key component of The Master's Program is the internship program. Internships are available in a wide variety of sports settings and help the student build professional competencies and a network of industry contacts. The Master's Program maintains an Internship Site Database and helps students arrange Internship opportunities. 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. See the Courses for details.
Elective Courses
See the Courses for details.
Master's Project
In the last semester, students develop and refine The Master's Project. Designed to be a calling card that will demonstrate advanced skills to the professional community, The Master's Project may be a major research paper or a professional document such as a business plan, a grant proposal, or market research report.
Visit Student Perspectives & Achievements for a list of recent Master's Projects.
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Courses listed here are sequential, not concurrent.
Year 1
Leadership and Critical Thinking in Sport Management (3 units)
Sport Marketing (3 units)
Accounting and Budgeting in Sport (3 units)
Sport Economics and Finance (3 units)
Strategic Management in Sport (3 units)
Business Development and Sales in Sport (3 units)
Year 2
Sport Law (2 units)
Managing Sport in a Dynamic Environment (3 units)
Sports Business Research (3 units)
Elective 1 (2 units)
Elective 2 (2 units) or Master's Project in Sport Management (optional, 4 units)
Elective 3 (2 units) or Master's Project in Sport Management (4 units)
Internship in Sport Management (4 units) - Internship class is ongoing and has four meetings spaced out throughout the length of the program.
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