Last Updated: November 13, 2025

Study Sports Management in Georgia

Being involved in sports is a dream for many kids. It’s an opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people, and experience the joys of teamwork and achievement. For some children, that dream turns into a career as an adult. Working in sports, recreation, wellness, and related industries can be incredibly rewarding, both personally and financially.

But before you can work in the sports world, you need an appropriate education. Many lower-level jobs require a bachelor’s degree, with management and administrative roles often requiring a master’s degree. In Georgia, both types of degrees are readily available at schools throughout the state.

This guide introduces you to some of the popular sports management programs in Georgia—both undergraduate and graduate. Explore each below to see which school and program align best with your future goals.

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

Sports Management Programs in Georgia

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

  • Georgia Southern University
  • Kennesaw State University
  • Georgia State University
  • University of West Georgia
  • Georgia Southern University
  • University of Georgia
  • St. Thomas University
  • Keiser University
  • American Public University
  • Purdue Global

Georgia Southern University

Bachelor of Science in Sports Management

The Bachelor of Science in Sports Management from Georgia Southern University prepares you for entry-level careers in all aspects of sports, from front-office positions to on-field management and everything in between. Whether you are using this degree to start your career or prepare for graduate studies later on, you will find that your education and training are both comprehensive and relevant to today’s sports industry.

This traditional on-campus degree requires 124 credits to complete. Provided you study full-time, you can finish this program in four years. However, you can trim a semester or two off that timeline by taking extra classes each semester or studying in the summer. Alternatively, you can take additional time to finish this degree if your schedule requires you to study part-time.

The initial 42 credits of study are what’s called Core Impacts. These general education courses encompass broad topics, such as the following:

  • Physical Sciences
  • Social Sciences
  • Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning
  • English Language Arts

Another 18 credits of requirements in the business field are required. These courses are at the introductory level and provide an overview of topics like accounting, public speaking, and macroeconomics. You will also take courses like Elementary Statistics and Advanced Business Applications.

You are also required to take a course entitled Introduction to Sports Management. This class is your first taste of learning about management issues in sports. You will discuss the foundations of sports management, its scope, and the future of this industry. Likewise, you will learn about some of the critical responsibilities of sports managers in various applications.

Once you complete the initial coursework in this program, you will begin to take sports management-specific classes. These classes are divided into two parts: sports management core and sports management concentration classes.

The core sequence in sports management examines many different issues in this field:

  • Social Issues of Sports
  • Financial Management of Sports
  • Management of Sports Organizations
  • Facility and Event Management
  • Legal Aspects of Sports

Meanwhile, the concentration courses give you advanced training in an area of sports management of your choosing. For example, let’s say you choose the Sports Marketing and Revenue Generation Concentration. Doing so requires you to take four classes, starting with Sports Promotion and Marketing. This course introduces you to key applications of marketing techniques in the sports industry.

Then, you will take Brand Management in Sports, which highlights the tools and practices you can employ to help create identifiable brands for sports teams, individual athletes, and products. This class leads into Data-Driven Sales in Sports Organizations, which analyzes how to use data and statistical analyses to improve the sale of game tickets and sponsorships. You will expand on that knowledge in the Sports Ticket and Sponsorship Sales class.

The remaining coursework is a collection of different classes:

  • 3 credits of non-sports management
  • A foreign language class or a class with significant international content
  • 6 elective credits

There are two additional requirements: a Sports Management Practicum and a Sports Management Internship. The practicum is an 80-hour field experience during which you will work in an entry-level position. Doing so provides you with on-the-job training while also giving you networking and mentorship opportunities in this industry.

The practicum prepares you for the internship, which is a more detailed experience at 480 contact hours. You will work full-time for a sports-related organization, during which you will be asked to participate in organizational activities involving marketing, management, and financial decision-making. You will work closely with a mentor and a faculty advisor to ensure you maximize your learning and make progress toward your learning goals.

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

  • Be a current high school student or high school graduate. You can also apply if you have a high school equivalency.
  • Submit official high school transcripts or equivalency scores.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university from which you’ve earned credit.
  • Submit official ACT or SAT scores. You do not need to submit test scores if your cumulative high school GPA is 3.2 or higher.

Kennesaw State University

Bachelor of Science in Sports Management

Kennesaw State’s Bachelor of Science in Sports Management is another popular four-year program worth your consideration. This degree is interdisciplinary in nature; as such, you will take classes in a broad range of sports-related and non-sports-related fields. You can choose to complete this degree on campus, online, or in a hybrid format—whatever suits your needs.

You must complete 120 credits to graduate. Usually, students take 12-15 credits each fall and spring to graduate within four years. However, Kennesaw State offers start dates in the summer, too, so you can take classes year-round if you wish. Doing so might allow you to graduate a semester or even a full year ahead of schedule.

Just like at Georgia Southern, Kennesaw State requires you to complete 42 credits of Core Impact courses. As noted earlier, these introductory classes explore many different topics. For example, you are required to take classes focusing on critical thinking, quantitative skills, political science, and U.S. history. Likewise, courses in arts, humanities, ethics, and communications are required, to name a few.

The next portion of this program is an 18-credit sequence of core coursework. These classes help you build a solid foundation of understanding of key sports management and business-related topics. For example, you will take the following:

  • Introduction to Sports Management
  • Sports Information and Media
  • Principles of Accounting I
  • Principles of Microeconomics
  • Public Speaking

Another core course is History and Contemporary Aspects of Sports. In it, you will discuss the changes the sports industry has undergone over the years. Likewise, you will examine how the U.S. sports industry is alike and different from sports around the world.

You must also complete 33 credits within the sports management major. These classes—all of which are 3000 and 4000-level—form the bulk of your major-area studies and encompass topics like Legal Aspects of Sports, Sports Sociology, and Sports Economics. You will also take a Sports Finance class and complete a course on Sports Event Management.

Furthermore, your training includes a Sponsorship and Fundraising in Sports class. You will learn how sponsors are an integral part of sports organizations. You will also focus on the role of public relations and media campaigns in securing sponsorships for sports organizations.

Another key class is Sports Facility Design and Management. On the one hand, you will learn essential theories of facility design and explore how planning and implementing events must take advantage of the facility’s amenities to enhance the fan experience. On the other hand, you will also discuss facility operations and management and how proper care can extend the life of a sports facility.

Much of the remaining coursework is electives. You must complete 21 electives within the sports management major as well as six credits of free electives from any undergraduate field of study.

As is typical of undergraduate sports management programs, you are also required to complete a practicum and internship. The practicum—which requires you to complete at least 60 hours of fieldwork—will take place in a sports-related setting, such as a collegiate athletic department. Typically, your practicum work is introductory in nature because it’s your first taste of working in a real-world sports organization.

The internship, though, is meant to be more detailed and rigorous. You will work full-time in a sports management setting where you will take part in developing marketing plans, contacting sponsors, and working with team members on projects like rebranding and fan outreach. Together, the internship and practicum provide you with the necessary hands-on experience to be ready for an entry-level position upon graduation.

You must meet the following criteria to be considered for admission:

  • Have a 2.5 cumulative high school GPA or higher with qualifying test scores.
  • Submit official high school transcripts or equivalency scores.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
  • Submit official ACT or SAT scores.

Georgia State University

Master of Science in Sports Administration

The Master of Science in Sports Administration at Georgia State University is an interdisciplinary advanced degree that combines studies in sports, business, kinesiology, and health. This varied training qualifies you for many different positions in areas like event management, collegiate sports, professional sports, and international sports, too.

This degree requires 36 credits to complete. Most students complete these credits in 1.5-2 years. However, depending on your class load, you might be able to finish this program in as little as one year. You can also take more time if you need—three or more years as a part-time student.

The curriculum is divided into several components. First, you will complete 15 credits of required courses. These classes explore essential topics in sports management and administration, including:

  • Sports Organizational Behavior
  • Cultural Aspects of Sports
  • Sports Law
  • Sports Marketing
  • Sports Management and Leadership

This degree has a research requirement, too. You must select one three-credit research class to meet this requirement. You can choose from the following options: Research Design, Marketing Research, and Methods of Research in Education. Whichever course you choose, you will learn how to gather data, analyze it, interpret it, and use it to make informed decisions.

There is a significant elective component in this degree as well. You are free to choose four electives that address areas of interest for your future career. The program offers a dozen elective options, including Sports Marketing Field Research, Sports Communication and Media, and Sports Stadiums and Urban Development. Other elective options include the following:

  • Budgeting and Finances in Sports and Recreation
  • Development and Revenue Generation in Sports Business
  • Sports Facility Management
  • Cinematic Representations of Sports and Culture
  • Sports Entrepreneurship and Consulting

Furthermore, you can choose to enhance your research skills by taking an elective called Directed Readings and Research. This class pairs you with a faculty member who helps you devise an independent study project. You will conduct research and create a project or paper communicating your findings.

Alternatively, you can take the Practicum in Sports Administration elective if you prefer to focus on real-world experience in this field. The university will work with you to find an appropriate placement in a sports administration, information, coaching, or related field, where you will accumulate hours working with a mentor on a part-time basis.

The final aspect of this program is your choice of an internship or a thesis. The internship is an excellent vehicle for getting more on-the-job experience. Much like the practicum, you will be placed in a sports-related organization where you will work with an experienced mentor who helps guide your development as a sports administrator. Unlike the practicum, however, you will have more responsibilities and more opportunities to work independently in a full-time position.

If you choose the thesis option, your work will focus on research in the sports administration field. For example, you might pose a significant research question, such as “How effective is data analytics in sports management?” You might then spend a semester investigating how modern analytics (e.g., predictive modeling) influence management-level decision-making.

Be sure you meet the following criteria prior to applying:

  • Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
  • Have a 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
  • Provide a current resume.
  • Submit one letter of recommendation.
  • Submit a goals statement in which you discuss why you are applying for this program, your experiences with sports, and the problems that concern you about modern sports.

University of West Georgia

Master of Science in Sports Management

At the University of West Georgia, you can complete a Master of Science in Sports Management that offers two primary focuses: sports analytics and intercollegiate athletics administration. Both of these areas are becoming increasingly important in the sports world, which makes this program timely for addressing the challenges of modern sports.

Unlike the other programs on this list, this graduate degree is fully online. In fact, it is only offered online, so there are no requirements to attend classes at the University of West Georgia Campus. This flexibility allows you to work on your degree with less impact on your daily work and social schedule.

You will begin your training by completing a sequence of required core courses. For example, you will take classes such as:

  • Social Issues in Sports
  • Revenue Generation in Sports
  • Sports Law
  • Strategic Management of Sports Organizations
  • Research and Assessment in Sports

Furthermore, a course on Applied Communication and Technology in Sports is required. This class focuses on tools like digital platforms to gather, create, organize, and distribute information. You will learn how to use these tools to connect with different audiences. You will also discuss how changes in technology change the ways that sports organizations communicate with the public.

You must also take a core course in Strategic Sales and Marketing for Sports Organizations. The primary purpose of this class is to shed light on how products and services are used to generate revenue. You will learn how ticket sales operations work, how to market products and services at events, and how to engage fans with high-quality sales materials.

You must also take one elective—Special Topics in Sports Management. As a student in this class, you will analyze important issues in this field that aren’t discussed in the other courses you take. As a result, this class is on the cutting edge of the industry and gives you insights into critical issues in sports now and in the near future.

Assuming you choose the Intercollegiate Athletics track, you will take four classes that prepare you for an administrative role in a college or university athletics program. These classes include the following:

  • Intercollegiate Athletics Management
  • Student-Athlete Development
  • Compliance and Eligibility
  • Advanced Event Management and Operations

These classes focus on different aspects of an administrative career, thereby giving you a well-rounded education that helps you address many different issues in modern college sports. This includes the emerging landscape of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and how it is impacting programs financially, on the recruiting trail, and on the field of play.

However, if you are interested in analytics, the Sports Analytics track offers you the opportunity to learn more deeply about how data can be used to alter the sports management landscape. The required coursework for this option includes the following:

  • Introduction to Sports Analytics
  • Big Data and Statistical Analysis in Sports
  • Analytics in Sports Business
  • Applied Network Analysis in Sports

Regardless of the track you choose, you must pair it with either a Sports Management Research Project or a Sports Management Capstone. The former is an intense review of current research in sports management. You will also examine current professional practices in this field. Over the course of the semester, you will acquire advanced research skills, including the ability to evaluate large quantities of information, analyze it, and present your findings.

The capstone option also requires a great deal of research. In fact, the capstone requires you to spend a semester working on a research project or professional project of your choice. Your project will examine a critical issue in sports management and must highlight your mastery of the content presented in the program and the skills you’ve acquired in your studies.

The graduate application to the University of West Georgia is available online. The admissions criteria are as follows:

  • Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
  • Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.7 or higher.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
  • Provide a personal statement.
  • Provide a current resume or curriculum vitae.

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

As of May 2025, sports management professionals in Georgia earn an average annual salary of approximately $90,227. More experienced professionals in Georgia earn well over $170,000 per year.

Related Reading