Last Updated: November 13, 2025

Study Sports Management in California

Getting a degree in sports management allows you to combine your passion for sports and recreation with expertise in business, management, and marketing. For many, this type of career is a dream come true, with days spent working for collegiate or professional organizations and getting a front-row seat to the action of sporting events.

But you have to get the appropriate education before you can enjoy the benefits of a career in this field. In some cases, a bachelor’s degree is all you need to get your foot in the door. But having a master’s degree can get you even further.

In either case, California colleges and universities offer many different programs at the bachelor’s and master’s levels that are worth your consideration. The programs outlined below are some of the most popular degrees, so let’s dive in and learn all about sports management!

Accredited Sports Management Programs in California - Best Sports Management Degrees in California Online

Sports Management Programs in California

Listed below are some of the popular schools offering sports management programs in California:

  • California Lutheran University
  • California Baptist University
  • University of San Francisco
  • San Diego State University
  • California State University Long Beach
  • Southern New Hampshire University
  • Grand Canyon University
  • Arizona State University Online
  • American Public University

California Lutheran University

Bachelor of Science in Sports Management

At California Lutheran University, you can learn all about the business side of sports by enrolling in the Bachelor of Science in Sports Management program. This four-year degree offers a broad introduction to all aspects of managing a sports organization, from marketing to business principles to effective communication. Since this program was developed with the assistance of professionals from teams like the LA Galaxy and Los Angeles Rams, you can rest assured that the education you get is aligned with the needs and goals of the biggest sports organizations.

The bulk of your studies will be general education courses. These classes, like Introduction to Biology, Introduction to Psychology, and English Composition I and II, help you build the skills necessary to be a solid student and a well-informed and well-trained professional. Other areas of study include the following:

  • The arts and humanities
  • History and government
  • Philosophy
  • Physical Education
  • Mathematics

Roughly half of the 120 credits needed to graduate fall under the realm of general education requirements. The other half of the required credits come in the form of sports management classes and electives.

As noted earlier, sports management is a blend of studies in the business, marketing, and sports worlds. As such, your required classes touch on all these areas. For example, you will take Introduction to Sports Management, which discusses everything from marketing and promotion of sporting events to the roles and responsibilities of sports managers. Likewise, you will learn how legal considerations, the market system, and the overall health of the economy impact the bottom line of the sports industry.

You are also required to take Sports Analytics and Research Methods. The purpose of this class is to inform you of the role of analytics in sports and how to harness the information gathered through analytics to help the organization perform better. Additionally, you will explore the use of analytics and research to improve player performance in an effort to make the on-field product better for fans.

Yet another class you are required to take is Ethical and Legal Aspects of Sports. As the name indicates, this class explores the critical legal and ethical issues facing sports organizations today. You will discuss labor relations, torts, and contracts. You will also analyze philosophical issues as they relate to sports and your role as a future administrator in making ethical and moral decisions.

Other sports management courses you will need to take as part of this degree include the following:

  • Sports-Related Marketing
  • Global Aspects of Sociology and Sport
  • The Business of Sports
  • Sports Management Capstone

Your studies of sports management are supplemented by general business courses that help you build a solid foundation of business skills. For example, you will take Principles of Accounting and Financial Information in Business Organizations to help you become an expert in managing the money-making side of sports.

Likewise, you will take Behavior in Organizations, which examines how individuals and groups within a sports organization can help or hurt the overall goals of the company. For example, you might explore how positive behavior interventions made at the employee level can encourage higher productivity and make achieving long-term goals for the organization and the team a more likely reality.

As noted earlier, you must complete an elective component to finish this degree. The program offers a number of possibilities to fulfill this requirement. For example, the Sports Facilities, Design, and Management class analyzes sports fields, arenas, and stadiums and how they are much more than a place to watch a game. Instead, these venues are full-blown entertainment districts designed to enhance the fan experience. In this class, you will learn about the processes involved in designing, building, and managing these modern-day coliseums.

Other electives you might take include the following:

  • Information Systems and Organization Design
  • Event Planning and Management
  • Sports, Media, and Society
  • Broadcast Sports Production
  • Sports Psychology

This program’s final component is an internship. Getting real-world experience in sports management not only helps you synthesize what you’ve learned throughout the program, but it also helps you make valuable connections in the industry. What’s more, you will have opportunities to apply what you’ve learned, which makes your education and training all the more valuable.

The application requirements for first-year students are as follows:

  • Have a high school diploma or its equivalent.
  • Submit official high school transcripts or equivalency scores.
  • Provide recommendations from teachers, counselors, or employers.
  • Demonstrate maturity, initiative, and a commitment to co-curricular activities.
  • Demonstrate a commitment to making positive contributions to your home, school, and community.

California Baptist University

Bachelor of Science in Sports Management

Another undergraduate option you might consider is the Bachelor of Science in Sports Management from California Baptist University. This degree isn’t just for a future career in sports, though. Instead, you can use this program to prepare for a career in the recreation, tourism, or fitness industries, too.

The curriculum is broken down into two primary areas: general education requirements and major-area coursework. As discussed earlier, general education requirements are introductory-level classes that explore essential academic topics. No matter your major, you must take the required number of credits in areas like math, science, social science, the humanities, and physical education, to name just a few.

As a traditional 120-credit undergraduate program, this degree requires about four years of full-time studies to complete. During that time, you will take upper and lower-division classes in the sports management field. For example, courses like Anatomy and Physiology introduce you to the structure and functions of bodily systems, including the nervous, skeletal, endocrine, and muscular systems. This class is part lecture and part lab, where you can use hands-on activities to reinforce your classroom learning.

As another example, you will take a Movement Anatomy class, which explores the bone structure and musculature of the human body. You will learn detailed information about how these two systems work together to allow people to move freely. You will examine these topics in even more detail in the Applied Movement Anatomy class, which emphasizes not just the skeletal and muscular systems, but also the biomechanical laws of movement.

Other lower-division classes you must complete within this major include the following:

  • Weight Training
  • First Aid and Safety
  • Walking and Running for Fitness
  • Orientation to the Discipline
  • Media and Society

You are also required to complete one of the following electives: Lifesaving or Swimming.

The upper-division requirements focus on more specific topics in sports management. Some of these classes, like Human Resources Management, explore business-related topics pertinent to this field. However, most of the upper-division courses for this degree are more specifically focused on sports management.

For example, You will take an Applied Sports Management class that explores essential management principles and how they can and should be applied in an athletic setting. Similarly, you will take Sports Governance, which analyzes how organizations should be structured and governed to maximize on-field success. This course discusses other topics, too, such as non-profit sports organizations, international sports, and educational aspects of athletics.

This degree requires you to have a basic understanding of behavior as well. On the one hand, you will take a Behavioral Aspects of Sport class that examines the psychological effects of physical activities on people. You will discuss topics like the nature of competition, motivation, and cooperation among team members. On the other hand, the Industrial and Organizational Psychology requirement takes a look at how psychology and business principles can be used together to enhance everything from individual motivation to organizational leadership in a sports organization.

The remaining upper-division courses continue this theme of focusing on athletics, kinesiology, and business:

  • Organizational Communication
  • Care and Prevention of Athletic Injury
  • Organization and Administration of Physical Education

You are also required to complete a practicum for this degree. The practicum is a supervised field experience in which you gain real-world knowledge of working in a professional sports management setting. For example, you might complete your practicum by working with a local youth sports organization where you are responsible for developing and organizing activities, creating marketing plans, and managing finances for local events.

Apply to California Baptist University online if it seems like a good fit for your needs. The requirements to apply are as follows:

  • Have a high school diploma or its equivalent.
  • Submit official high school transcripts or equivalency scores.
  • Submit ACT or ACT scores if desired.

University of San Francisco

Master of Science in Sports Management

If you want to advance your education and career further, the Master of Science in Sports Management from the University of San Francisco is a worthy option. This program got its start in 1991 and is one of the top graduate programs in this field. You will learn how to be a master manager while also adhering to strict ethical principles.

This program requires you to complete 36 credits to graduate. Your classes convene once per week from 6:00 to 10:00 pm to have as minimal impact on your work and social lives as possible. Most students complete this degree in less than two years.

Broadly speaking, this program explores topics ranging from social science to analytics to quantitative theory to management. You will gain expertise in these and other areas by participating in traditional coursework and an internship. You can also participate in an optional business research project that examines management principles in professional, collegiate, amateur, and recreational sports settings.

The curriculum includes 30 credits of sports management classes and six credits of electives. The following list is a sample of some of the elective options you can pursue:

  • Entrepreneurial Brand Building
  • Sponsorship Activation
  • Social Media in Sports
  • Strategic Communications
  • Sports, Society, and Culture

Other potential electives include Event Management and Marketing, Marketing a Professional Team, and Directed Reading and Research.

As far as the sports management classes go, you will explore topics ranging far and wide in this field. For example, you are required to take Sports Law, which examines the foundations of organizational regulations as well as state and federal laws governing sports. You will discuss tort liability, contract law, negligence, and constitutional law, among many other pertinent topics.

Furthermore, the Sports Commerce and Innovation class examines everything from the production and promotion of athletic events to the consumption of sports-related goods. You will learn about cutting-edge promotional techniques, digital experiences that enhance the fan experience, and ethical considerations in this industry as well.

Other key courses in this degree focus more specifically on management-related issues. For example, Strategic Management and Human Resources in Sports allows you to evaluate the competitive business strategies of existing sports organizations. This evaluation includes a strategic analysis of market data, national trends, and global trends, too. Furthermore, you will design action plans to help the firm improve its competitive standing against competitors.

Additional classes discuss topics such as:

  • Sports Law
  • Sports Economics and Finance
  • Quantitative Analysis in Sports
  • Accounting and Budgeting in Sports
  • Analytical Business Development and Sales

As mentioned earlier, you are required to complete an internship as part of your training. The internship requires you to complete 160 hours in a sports-related industry. Your work will be supervised by a faculty member and an experienced professional at your internship site. The  program must approve the location of the internship prior to starting your work. During the internship, you will learn the ins and outs of managing an organization, from developing marketing plans to working with human resources to improve employee performance to conducting financial analyses of the organization.

You must meet the following requirements to apply:

  • Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
  • Submit transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
  • Submit a statement of purpose in which you explain your desire to complete this degree at the University of San Francisco.
  • Provide a current resume or curriculum vitae.
  • Provide two letters of recommendation.

San Diego State University

Sports Management MBA

At San Diego State University, you can complete a Sports Management Master of Business Administration that prepares you to work in a professional sports setting. Your training isn’t just in sports business and management, though. Instead, you will take classes that explore everything from economics and marketing to organizational behavior and leadership. The program requires 39 units to graduate. Since it’s an accelerated program, you can finish these requirements in just 12 months of full-time studies followed by a semester-long internship.

Your studies begin with sports business classes focusing on topics like Financial and Managerial Accounting, Financial Management, and Managerial Marketing. You are required to take a Statistical Analysis class as well. This course examines critical issues facing sports organizations, such as how to reduce fan wait times to enter venues. You will learn how to examine problems like this using SPSS, Microsoft Excel, and other powerful analytical tools.

This program also requires you to complete a Sports Economics class that highlights how economic concepts and analytical tools can be used to make better business decisions. You will learn how to analyze sports business models, apply organizational theories, and calculate the value of different sports organizations. Likewise, you will discuss topics like team relocation issues, athlete representation, stadium financing, and ticket pricing, among others.

Another critical course for your development is Marketing Analytics. This class explores broad marketing topics but focuses mostly on digital marketing techniques. For example, you will learn techniques for producing content for digital platforms while also learning how to analyze consumer behavior in digital realms.

The remaining required courses examine sports management issues and business topics such as:

  • Business Analytics
  • Sports Law
  • Business Ethics
  • Marketing
  • Strategic Thinking

This program also has an experiential component. For example, you will participate in consulting projects that allow you to work with real sports organizations. You might conduct an organizational analysis, present ideas for new corporate sponsorships, or evaluate the organization’s marketing plans to identify areas for improvement.

You also have the option of participating in an International Case Study Trip. This 10-day trip enhances your understanding of sports as a global industry. You will see how Dominican baseball is organized and carried out while also learning how the Dominican culture influences the administration of athletics.

Lastly, after your coursework is complete, you will work full-time for a sports organization for a four-month period. This final semester of work allows you to apply what you’ve learned in a supportive mentorship setting. You will have opportunities to conduct management activities with your host organization and provide consultation services that directly impact their day-to-day operations. You must also complete your thesis during this time. The thesis is a detailed research project on a topic of your choice. You will complete an academic paper and must present it to a committee prior to graduation.

Be sure you meet these requirements before applying:

  • Have a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university.
  • Submit unofficial transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
  • Submit two letters of recommendation.
  • Provide a current professional resume or LinkedIn profile.

How Much Can You Earn With a Sports Management Degree in California?

As of May 2025, sports management professionals in California earn an average annual salary of approximately $62,068. More experienced professionals earn well over $160,000 per year.

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