Best Online Master’s in Sports Management

Best Online Master’s in Sports Management

Find top-ranked online master’s degree programs in sports management for students who want to further their careers as coaches, sports agents, facilities managers, and more.

Top 10 Online Master's in Sport Management Degrees

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Frequently Asked Questions About Sports Management Degrees

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

In as few as two years, students can earn their master’s degree in sports management either online or in person.

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What will you learn while getting a master’s in sports management?

This roughly 30-credit degree can help working professionals expand their network, fine-tune their industry knowledge, and advance their careers. Courses in this degree cover topics like sports finance, human resources in sports organizations, and strategic management. Programs also typically have an internship or professional experience component, which can help students network and gain relevant workplace skills. Additionally, a thesis or final project may be required. Specializations, like sports marketing, allow students to align their advanced degree with their immediate career goals.

Related ranking: Best Online Master’s in Coaching and Athletic Training

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

Graduates may qualify for careers as sports agents, contract negotiators, coaches, and facilities managers.

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Learn more about what you can do with a master’s degree in business administration (MBA).

Best Online Master's in Sports Management

Related ranking: Best Online Master’s in Coaching and Athletic Training

Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes Salaries by Percentile in the U.S.

The following graph depicts the average salaries of Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes for each percentile in the U.S.

Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

SVG Attribution: Wikipedia

Total Employed: 12480
10%
15%
50%
15%
10%
bell-curve
473706116078410162930N/A
10th Percentile25th Percentile75th Percentile90th Percentile

Best Online Master’s in Sports Management Degree Programs

  1. #1

    University of Miami

    Coral Gables , FL
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $55K

    Acceptance

    28%

    Graduation

    84%

    Student body

    15K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1335/30

    Online Degrees

    MEd in Sport Administration
    • Required Credits: 30
    • Completion time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  2. #2

    University of Cincinnati

    Cincinnati , OH
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $12K

    Acceptance

    85%

    Graduation

    73%

    Student body

    34K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1225/26

    Online Degrees

    MS in Sport Administration
    • Required Credits: 30
    • Completion time: 1 year
    • Format: Online
  3. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $15K

    Acceptance

    63%

    Graduation

    56%

    Student body

    20K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1100/23

    Online Degrees

    MA in Sports Administration
    • Required Credits: 30
    • Completion time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  4. #5

    University of Louisville

    Louisville , KY
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $12K

    Acceptance

    75%

    Graduation

    62%

    Student body

    17K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1160/24

    Online Degrees

    MS in Sport Administration
    • Required Credits: 36
    • Completion time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  5. #6

    University of Memphis

    Memphis , TN
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $10K

    Acceptance

    95%

    Graduation

    54%

    Student body

    17K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1095/22

    Online Degrees

    MS in Sport Commerce
    • Required Credits: None Reported
    • Completion time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  6. #7

    Adelphi University

    Garden City , NY

    Tuition + fees

    $42K

    Acceptance

    77%

    Graduation

    71%

    Student body

    7K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1155/24

    Online Degrees

    MS in Sport Management

    Concentrations

    • Collegiate Athletic Administration
    • Sport Marketing
    • Required Credits: 36
    • Completion time: 2-3 years
    • Format: Online
  7. #8

    Hampton University

    Hampton , VA
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $29K

    Acceptance

    80%

    Graduation

    57%

    Student body

    3K

    Online Degrees

    MS in Sports Administration

    Concentrations

    • Intercollegiate Sports
    • Sports Business Leadership
    • International Sports
    • Required Credits: 33
    • Completion time: 1.5 years
    • Format: Online
  8. Tuition + fees

    $9K

    Acceptance

    79%

    Graduation

    54%

    Student body

    8K

    Online Degrees

    MBA in Business Administration

    Concentrations

    • Sport Management
    • General Management
    • Health Administration
    • Required Credits: 33
    • Completion time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  9. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $11K

    Acceptance

    96%

    Graduation

    49%

    Student body

    19K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1065/21

    Online Degrees

    MS in Sport Management
    • Required Credits: 36
    • Completion time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  10. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $15K

    Acceptance

    92%

    Graduation

    39%

    Student body

    102K

    Online Degrees

    MS in Sport Management
    • Required Credits: 36
    • Completion time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    MBA in Business Administration

    Concentrations

    • Sport Management
    • Accounting
    • Business Intelligence
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Finance
    • Human Resources
    • International Business
    • Leadership
    • Marketing
    • Operations and Supply Chain Management
    • Project Management
    • Public Administration
    • Required Credits: 36
    • Completion time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  11. #14

    Western Kentucky University

    Bowling Green , KY
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $11K

    Acceptance

    98%

    Graduation

    54%

    Student body

    14K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1080/22

    Online Degrees

    MS in Recreation and Sports Administration

    Concentrations

    • Sports Media and Branding
    • Intercollegiate Athletic Administration
    • Athletic Administration and Coaching
    • Facility and Event Management
    • Required Credits: 33
    • Completion time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  12. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $9K

    Acceptance

    96%

    Graduation

    52%

    Student body

    13K

    Online Degrees

    MS in Sport Management
    • Required Credits: 33
    • Completion time: 1-3 years
    • Format: Online
    MS in Sport Coaching Education
    • Required Credits: 36
    • Completion time: 1-2 years
    • Format: Online
  13. Tuition + fees

    $9K

    Acceptance

    76%

    Graduation

    53%

    Student body

    8K

    Online Degrees

    MS in Sport Management
    • Required Credits: 30-33
    • Completion time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  14. #17

    Arkansas State University

    Jonesboro , AR
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $7K

    Acceptance

    63%

    Graduation

    54%

    Student body

    12K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1110/23

    Online Degrees

    MS in Sport Administration
    • Required Credits: 36
    • Completion time: 1 year
    • Format: Online
  15. #19

    Georgia Southern University

    Statesboro , GA
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $6K

    Acceptance

    91%

    Graduation

    54%

    Student body

    24K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1081/21

    Online Degrees

    MS in Business

    Concentrations

    • Sports Management
    • Required Credits: 36
    • Completion time: 14 months
    • Format: Online
    MS in Medical

    Concentrations

    • Kinesiology
    • Coaching Education Concentration
    • Required Credits: 36
    • Completion time: 14 months
    • Format: Online
  16. #21

    Goucher College

    Baltimore , MD
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $48K

    Acceptance

    82%

    Graduation

    59%

    Student body

    1K

    Online Degrees

    MEd in Athletic Program Leadership and Administration

    Concentrations

    • Athletic Program Leadership and Administration
    • Required Credits: None Reported
    • Completion time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
  17. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $9K

    Acceptance

    87%

    Graduation

    51%

    Student body

    12K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1055/23

    Online Degrees

    MS in Business

    Concentrations

    • Sports Management
    • Required Credits: 36
    • Completion time: 12 months
    • Format: Online
    MS in Medical

    Concentrations

    • Sport Science & Coach Education
    • Required Credits: 36
    • Completion time: 12 months
    • Format: Online
  18. Tuition + fees

    $9K

    Acceptance

    86%

    Graduation

    52%

    Student body

    6K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1085/21

    Online Degrees

    MS in Education in Recreation

    Concentrations

    • Sports Management
    • Recreation Management
    • Therapeutic Management
    • Required Credits: 30
    • Completion time: 12 months
    • Format: Online
  19. Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $7K

    Acceptance

    65%

    Graduation

    31%

    Student body

    3K

    Median SAT/ACT

    960/21

    Online Degrees

    MEd in Sports Administration
    • Required Credits: 33
    • Completion time: 1-1.5 years
    • Format: Online
  20. #25

    Mississippi College

    Clinton , MS
    Other Rankings

    Tuition + fees

    $20K

    Acceptance

    49%

    Graduation

    63%

    Student body

    4K

    Median SAT/ACT

    1200/25

    Online Degrees

    MS in Athletic Administration (Intercollegiate)
    • Required Credits: 37
    • Completion time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
    MS in Communication

    Concentrations

    • Professional Communication in Sports
    • Required Credits: 32
    • Completion time: None Reported
    • Format: Online
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Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require some adjustment. While you’ll generally learn the same content and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, the medium will likely require you to manage much of this experience independently. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, your ability to harness the technology at your fingertips, and your ability to focus on the lectures, lessons, and assignments at hand. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take it upon yourself to build 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 is actually getting there. Taking the commute out of the equation means getting to class should be a lot more manageable. But that’s where it ends. In general, your online courses will incorporate the very same materials, concepts, and testing methods as would a traditional classroom.

And 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 or working with remote learning technology for the first time, online college may even be a little more challenging for you. For a few insights on how to manage this new 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 institutions and less-than-reputable for-profit schools. Accreditation gives you the power to differentiate between the two. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency which indicates that a college or university is meeting standards of quality, credibility, and currency. 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 which is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. When seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that students 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.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited, 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. In many cases, you will be required to navigate a bureaucracy in which some of your credits will be transferred and others will be jettisoned. However, provided that you have attended an online school with the proper regional accreditation, you should have plenty of options for transfer.

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 resume 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.

While some employers may express concern about making the adjustment from online education to in-person workplace collaboration, many other employers will 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 require some adjustment.

While there is much that can be supplanted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing which can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual classroom setting. As you make the adjustment to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face is overcoming this difference in order to the get the most out of your classes. Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

The advantages of online classes are many. First and foremost, 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 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.

Resources for Prospective Grad Students

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.