Best Online Bachelor’s in Sports Management Degree Programs for 2025

Badge for BEST ONLINE BACHELOR'S IN SPORTS MANAGEMENT

By Dr. James Barham
Reviewed By Chloe Dembski

Updated: Oct 25, 2024

An online bachelor’s in sports management degree program is a great choice for students who are looking for a career as a coach, events coordinator, athletic scout, or promotions manager in the US.

Key Takeaways

Sports management is one of the fastest-growing career fields across the US, which equates to more demands for professionals in the industry.
Sports management is a job that many come to naturally, specifically for former professional athletes or college sports players, and one that most professionals can start without a degree.
The online bachelor’s in sports management gives you the business foundations you need to pursue various jobs across the sports industry.

Table of Contents

Top 10 Online Bachelor's in Sport Management Degrees in 2025

University of Iowa
University of Louisville
Florida International University
University of Memphis
University of Alaska Fairbanks
+4
Liberty University
+8
Southeast Missouri State University
+1
Webster University
–3
Regent University
+6
Southern New Hampshire University
–3

2025 Ranking Update

Our Influence Ranking Engine™ leverages machine learning to track the real-world influence of colleges and universities over time. Below you’ll see which schools gained or lost ground for the 2025 school year.

In 2025, the top ten schools in our ranking of the best online bachelor’s in sports management degrees saw a substantial amount of movement. Liberty University gained the most ranking positions as the university expanded its online Bachelor’s in Sport Management program to include more specialized courses that focus on current industry trends, like digital marketing in sports and esports management. They’ve also introduced virtual internship partnerships with sports organizations, enabling students to gain practical experience remotely.

Additionally, the program now offers enhanced career support services tailored specifically for sport management students, including networking events and career guidance with industry professionals. These updates provide a more dynamic and relevant learning experience for online Sport Management students.

Learn more about how to major in business.

Featured Programs

Best Online Bachelor’s in Sports Management Degree Programs

Career Outlook for Students with Sports Management Degree

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Sport And Fitness Administration/Management

Degree Level: Bachelor's

Location: The U.S. (Private Schools)
Avg. Cost of Degree*: $11,655
Avg. Expenses*: $17,158
Avg. Starting Salary*: $31,407
Avg. Salary after 4 Years*: $45,732
Avg. Cost Recoup Time**: 12 years
Job Growth: 11.13%
Number of Jobs: 709,200
* denotes ‘annually’
** denotes ‘at 15% of annual salary’

Career Salaries

Career	Job Growth	Avg. Salary
Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary	3.09%	$75,770
Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling	10.89%	$73,460
Athletes and Sports Competitors	10.76%	$70,280
Athletic Trainers	12.83%	$57,930
Exercise Physiologists	10.23%	$54,860
Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors	13.60%	$46,480
Coaches and Scouts	8.76%	$45,910

Top Industries

Industry	Avg. Salary
Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary	$75,770
Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling	$73,460
Athletes and Sports Competitors	$70,280
Athletic Trainers	$57,930
Exercise Physiologists	$54,860
Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors	$46,480
Coaches and Scouts	$45,910

Data from The Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Department of Education College Scorecard, The Department of Education NCES, and The Council for Community and Economic Research.

Online Sports Management Degree: A Top College Degree Option

If you’re both business-minded and passionate about sports and fitness, earning an online bachelor’s in sports management is the first step toward a lucrative career. As a student in sports management, you will learn a lot about finance, marketing, and risk management, and how these things apply to recreation and sports.

Public relations, coupled with a solid understanding of sports administration, will prepare you for careers in athletics at different levels in this booming industry. Because of the notable increase in sports participation at both college and high school levels, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said there is a 20% growth for careers in sports coaching, scouting, and the like, in the next ten years.

A bachelor’s in sports management degree online offers you so many advantages over the conventional on-campus program. The main benefits include schedule flexibility and lower cost. Most of the students who are attracted to a degree in sports management are working in the field already.

And since they need a bachelor’s degree to advance their careers, the online classes will provide them the flexibility needed to earn their degree and keep their respective jobs.

Online Bachelor’s in Sports Administration Career Paths

Sports Agent: Sports agents network with endorsers and sports teams to negotiate contracts for players and athletes. Although there is no formal education, professional licensure, or training needed to become a sports agent, having a bachelor’s degree in sports management will teach you how to lobby for clients effectively.

Event Coordinator: In a sports event, there is always an endless amount of work to make the event smooth sailing, and event coordinators are the ones that manage everything behind the scenes to ensure a successful and seamless production. Event coordinators handle an expansive list of tasks, including guest relations, security, and transportation.

Athletic Director: As an athletic director, you are responsible for managing the entirety of a sports program. You manage budgets, facilities, and personnel as well. Athletic directors usually work at colleges and high schools and can sometimes take on additional coaching roles.

Sports Marketing Professional: These sports professionals promote athletes, leagues, and teams to fans. Sports Management programs equip students with the right public relations methods, events and appearances, and advertising campaigns to advance their “products” through broadcasting, social media, and other digital platforms.

Sports General Manager: They are responsible for the big personnel decisions every sports team makes. Sports general managers are also the ones that hire players and coaches, manage a team’s budget, and negotiate player contracts.

Common Courses in an Online Bachelor’s in Sports Management Program

Sports Marketing: This course is an expansive introductory survey to sports marketing. Degree seekers will have topics in the marketing planning process, consumer demographics, segmentation and target marking, and psychographics.

Personal Management: Students will learn how to effectively use communication techniques while highlighting the value and importance of nurturing and supporting business relationships. They will also understand more deeply how efficient leadership can shape sports organizations positively.

Ethics in the Sports Industry: This course is designed for students to learn how to make moral and ethical decisions in different sports settings. It provides students with the logical tools to steer tough ethical scenarios while gaining the necessary skills to become efficient role models and leaders within the sports industry.

Organizational Behavior in Sports: You will study the behavior and culture of sports organizations and learn to apply management and leadership theories to various practical problems.

Legal Aspects of Sports: In this course, students are introduced to the legal issues that surround professional and intercollegiate sports. This is beneficial for students who wish to pursue a law degree. Some of the topics covered include labor relations, contract law, intellectual property law, and collective bargaining.

Frequently Asked Questions About Sports Management Degrees

Who should get their bachelor’s in sports management?

Students who enjoy athletics, business, and competition may enjoy pursuing a bachelor’s degree in sports management.

How long does it take to get a bachelor’s in sports management?

With classes available both online and in person, students can complete the 120 required credits for this degree in about four years.

What topics do courses cover?

Courses cover a variety of business and sports-related topics, ranging from leadership and laws to marketing and management. Students will also typically take classes in finance and explore ethical issues in the industry. Students can also narrow their focus to concentrations like event management, coaching, and sports law.

What can you do with a bachelor’s in sports management?

Graduates can find careers as coaches, athletic scouts, promotions managers, and event coordinators at various levels within the sports industry. Students should note, however, experience and additional licensure may be required for some careers.

Online Sport Management Programs Looking for You

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require a time of adjustment. Although you’ll typically learn the same material and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, going online will require greater independence and responsibility than going in person. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, for harnessing the online educational technology that you’ll need to use, and for completing the course requirements, such as listening to lectures, learning lessons, reading texts, and handing in assignments. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take the initiative in building relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

No. The only part of online education that’s easier than campus-based education is ease of access: all you need is a computer and an internet connection for online education. But even this seeming advantage of online education can be misleading: what’s easier, studying online with your computer and internet connection from your home where you need to cook, clean, pay rent, and maintain a job? Or studying on campus in a dorm where all your living needs are handled by the school, and college staff are there to help you every step of the way?

If you take the commute to campus out of the equation, campus-based education is easier. All the support structures available on campus for students, especially with real people to help you in person, are not there online. The demands on you as an online student will largely be the same as for your campus-based counterpart, but without the same helps.

In general, your online courses will present the same material and test you in the same way as traditional in-person courses. In many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning with remote educational technology for the first time, online college may be considerably more challenging than campus-based college. For a few insights on how to manage this new online experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.

Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable non-profit institutions on the one end and less-than-reputable for-profit institutions on the other end. Accreditation gives you the power to identify the more reputable actors in online education. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency indicating that a college or university is meeting standards of quality and credibility. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.

Attending a college or university that is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. For students seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that they opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree. For more on this important topic, check out our What is Accreditation and Why Does It Matter? College & University Accreditation Guide.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited (see the previous point), you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer of credits. In many cases, you will encounter some bureaucratic haggling in which some of your credits will be transferred and others may be refused. However, provided that you have attended an online school with recognized regional accreditation, you should be in good shape in transferring your credits earned online.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript, or resumé differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

Some employers may express the concern that because you did your degree online, you may need to transition from an online education experience to in-person workplace experience. But in an age of Covid, that concern seems much diminished. The fact is that much employment these days is remote. And collaboration increasingly happens online over Zoom. Many employers will therefore view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will be less than ideal for you (though depending on your circumstances, it may also be the only viable option).

While there is much in traditional campus-based education that can be substituted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing that can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual in-person classroom setting. As you transition to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face in getting the most out of your online classes is overcoming this difference between “real reality” and “virtual reality.” Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

The advantages of online classes are many. Above all, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete at your own pace and on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.

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Best Online Bachelor’s in Sports Management Degree Programs for 2025

Key Takeaways

Top 10 Online Bachelor's in Sport Management Degrees in 2025

2025 Ranking Update

Featured Programs

Best Online Bachelor’s in Sports Management Degree Programs

Last Year’s Ranking:

Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at University of Iowa

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at University of Louisville

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at Florida International University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at University of Memphis

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at University of Alaska Fairbanks

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at Liberty University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at Southeast Missouri State University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at Webster University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at Regent University

Online Degrees

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Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at Southern New Hampshire University

Online Degrees

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Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at Eastern Kentucky University

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Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at University of Illinois Springfield

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Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at Keiser University

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Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at California Baptist University

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Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at Franklin Pierce University

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Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at Northwood University

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Concentrations

Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at Wilmington University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at Southeastern Oklahoma State University

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Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at Mercy College

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Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at Maryville University

Online Degrees

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Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at Upper Iowa University

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Concentrations

Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at McKendree University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at Bellevue University

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Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Sports Management degree at Davenport University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Students with Sports Management Degree

Sport And Fitness Administration/Management

Degree Level: Bachelor's

Career Salaries

Top Industries

Online Sports Management Degree: A Top College Degree Option

Online Bachelor’s in Sports Administration Career Paths

Common Courses in an Online Bachelor’s in Sports Management Program

Frequently Asked Questions About Sports Management Degrees