Description
Students in the Devos Sport Business Management Program gain hands-on experience in the business of sports management, work in teams with fellow students on sports business projects from conception through implementation, and develop a network in the sports industry. This program is the only sport business management program emphasizing diversity issues in sports, moral and ethical issues in sports, sports and social issues, and sports leadership.
Graduates of the program will understand the relationship between sport and social issues, the business of sport both nationally and internationally, and how the legal system impacts sports business. They will understand and embrace the strengths and complexities of a diverse workforce as an actual component of overall business strategy and will be prepared to lead organizations to be corporate good citizens in the community. Graduates will also be able to develop and implement integrated business and marketing plans, optimize the use of the technology, develop and implement fundraising strategies, and design and carry out research necessary to make successful management and business decisions.
Job opportunities for graduates in sport management include areas such as intercollegiate and professional sport, Olympics, event and facilities management, sport law, corporate and international sport, and marketing.
The Devos Sport Business Management Program develops professionals who have critical sports business management knowledge and skills, a commitment for using sport to improve life in society, well-developed leadership abilities, and uncompromising ethical standards.
Degrees OfferedMaster in Sport Business Management Admission
For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s).
In addition to the general admission requirements, applicants to this program must provide:
- Official score of at least 540 on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).
- Evidence of prior GPA of 3.0; foreign transcripts must be evaluated.
- Three letters of recommendation.
- Essay (for details, see www.bus.ucf.edu/sport).
- Resume.
- For applicants from countries where English is not the official language, or for an applicant whose bachelor’s degree is not from an accredited U.S. institution, an official score of at least 230 (computer-based test; or equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required.
Application Due Dates
All students applying for fellowships or assistantships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date.
U.S. Applicants
| Program(s) |
Fall Priority |
Fall |
Spring |
Summer |
| Master in Sport Business Management |
Feb 1 |
Apr 15 |
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International Applicants
| Program(s) |
Fall Priority |
Fall |
Spring |
Summer |
| Master in Sport Business Management |
Jan 15 |
Jan 15 |
|
|
International Transfer Applicants
| Program(s) |
Fall Priority |
Fall |
Spring |
Summer |
| Master in Sport Business Management |
Feb 1 |
Mar 1 |
|
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Master in Sport Business Management
Minimum Hours Required for M.S.B.M.—46.5 Credit Hours
Students in the master’s program in sport business management will be full-time students who are part of a cohort group. This is a non-thesis program where the internship serves as a capstone experience. Students will complete 46.5 credit hours if they were undergraduate majors in business or 57 credit hours if they did not have the undergraduate courses.
The two-year full time curriculum includes the College of Business Administration’s foundation core (for those who did not previously have these courses as undergraduates); selected required courses from the college’s professional core for solid business skills and knowledge; and required sports management courses that will create a unique knowledge base for our students. There will also be a series of elective sport business management courses that will combine existing courses from the college and new courses specifically created for the sport business management degree.
Students entering the program must complete the foundation core first. Students will complete 19.5 credit hours of professional core, 24 credit hours of sport business management core, 3 elective credit hours from sport business management courses, and a 6 credit internship.
Foundation Core—10.5 Credit Hours
The foundation core is defined by the course requirements listed below, and its completion is a prerequisite to entering the professional core. Note that all or part of the foundation core requirements may be satisfied through advanced standing given in view of a student’s prior equivalent course work at the undergraduate or graduate level provided such course work has been satisfactorily completed at a regionally accredited college or university, preferably one accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
- ACG 5005 Accounting Foundations (1.5 credit hours)
- ECO 5006 Economic Foundations (1.5 credit hours)
- ECO 5414 Statistical Foundations (1.5 credit hours)
- FIN 5407 Financial Foundations (1.5 credit hours)
- ISM 5020 MIS Foundations (1.5 credit hours)
- MAN 5021 Management Foundations (1.5 credit hours)
- MAR 5055 Marketing Foundations (1.5 credit hours)
Professional Core—19.5 Credit Hours
The professional core consists of 19.5 credit hours of advanced course work that substantially extends and applies knowledge developed in the foundation core.
- MAN 6245 Organizational Behavior and Development (3 credit hours)
- ISM 6407 Decision Support Systems (1.5 credit hours)
- ISM 6367 Strategic Information Systems (1.5 credit hours)
- ACG 6425 Managerial Accounting Analysis (3 credit hours)
- FIN 6406 Strategic Financial Management (3 credit hours)
- ECO 6416 Applied Business Research Tools (3 credit hours)
- GEB 6895 Business Analysis (1.5 credit hours)
- MAN 6721 Applied Strategy and Business Policy (3 credit hours)
Sport Business Management Core—16.5 Credit Hours
The sport business management core consists of 16.5 credit hours of course work in the related areas of sport.
- GEB 6442 Moral and Ethical Issues in Sport (1.5 credit hours)
- GEB 6XXX Diversity and Social Issues in Sport Business Management (1.5 credit hours)
- MAN 6127 Leadership in Sport (1.5 credit hours)
- MAR 6710 Strategic Sport Marketing (3 credit hours)
- BUL 6581 Sport Law (3 credit hours)
- GEB 6936 Business of Sport Media (3 credit hours)
- ECP 6006 Economics of Sport (3 credit hours)
Elective Sport Business Management Courses—4.5 Credit Hours
The elective may be taken in any of the following courses.
- MAR 6407 Professional Selling in Sport (3 credit hours)
- PET 6455 Facilities and Event Management (3 credit hours)
- GEB 6367 The Global Environment of Sport (3 credit hours)
- GEB 6XXX The Professional Sport Industry (3 credit hours)
- GEB 6XXX The Intercollegiate Sport Industry (3 credit hours)
Internship—6 Credit Hours
An internship equivalent to six credit hours with a designated sport organization is required. It would normally be a full-time, 10-week internship taken after the completion of all academic courses.
MBA with Sport Business Management Track
Students in the Sport Business Management program have the opportunity to apply to the MBA program and receive an additional degree and diploma for an MBA, Sport Business Management track. This MBA track is only open to Master in Sport Business Management students who apply and who meet MBA admission criteria. Upon successful completion of two additional, adviser-approved, graduate courses (6 credit hours), these students will earn an MBA degree, Sport Business Management track, and receive an MBA diploma, in addition to a Master of Sport Business Management diploma. MSBM students who are interested in applying to this special MBA track should consult with the graduate program coordinator upon admission. MSBA students cannot elect to pursue the MBA track at any point during the MSBM program; an application deadline for the MBA track is enforced by the College of Business Administration.
Financial Support
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource. The Devos Program website lists some unique scholarship opportunities.
Key points about financial support:
- If you’re interested in financial assistance, you’re strongly encouraged to apply for admission early. A complete application for admission, including all supporting documents, must be received by the priority date listed for your program under "Admissions."
- You must be admitted to a graduate program before the university can consider awarding financial assistance to you.
- If you want to be considered for loans and other need-based financial assistance, review the UCF Student Financial Assistance website at http://finaid.ucf.edu and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form, which is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Apply early and allow up to six weeks for the FAFSA form to be processed.
- UCF Graduate Studies awards university graduate fellowships, with most decisions based on nominations from the colleges and programs. All admitted graduate students are automatically considered in this nomination process. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. University graduate fellowships are not affected by FAFSA determination of need.
- Please note that select fellowships do require students to fill out a fellowship application (either a university fellowship application, an external fellowship application, or a college or school fellowship application). For university fellowship applications, see Financing Grad School.
- For information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program director of your major.
Contact Info
Richard Lapchick, Ph.D. , Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-4887
ppirolo@bus.ucf.edu
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Graduate Students
