Degree Title and Name:  Master of Business Administration & Master of Sports Administration

Program Name and Number:  MBA – MB6141; MSA – MS8149

Department/Unit:  Sports Administration & Graduate Programs, College of Business

Delivery Mode:  Athens campus

Term(s) of Entry:  Fall

Program Overview:  The mission of the MBA and MSA dual program is to prepare students for leadership positions in the sport and entertainment industry by combining the academically rigorous One-Year MBA program with the sport-specific knowledge of the MSA program. The curriculum addresses the growing complexity of the sports, facility, and entertainment industries, and helps our students develop the essential skills in communication, collaboration, and teamwork that are critical for success.

The MBA/MSA dual program combines a business foundation with a sport-specific focus to create a program that uniquely prepares students to enter the sport and entertainment industry. The curriculum facilitates the connection of classroom knowledge to professional experiences and provides students the opportunity to apply these skills through hands on projects.

The One-Year MBA program provides holistic business knowledge through rigorous core classes, professional development seminars, on-site company tours and networking, an intensive capstone seminar, and an international immersion experience. Students expand knowledge in areas like organizational behavior, strategic marketing and supply chain management, and prescriptive analytics. Learning to be a better leader and a more effective teammate are some of the many skills students learn in and outside the classroom.

The MSA program provides a great range of learning options to specialize the degree. The required courses provide a strong foundation in sports administration, while providing the students with opportunities to enhance the degree with elective offerings. Through practicum, independent study and focused experiential assignments, students have the opportunity to partner with industry experts to solve real-world sport industry problems.

Program Learning Outcomes:

MBA

At the conclusion of this program, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of business knowledge across business disciplines.
• Use analytical thinking skills to solve business problems.
• Exhibit leadership skills relevant to the business profession.
• Demonstrate effective communications skills.

MSA

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of sport business knowledge across business disciplines.
• Develop professional skills and abilities relevant to the sports business profession

Link to Program: https://business.ohio.edu/academics/graduate-degrees/master-of-sports-administration-and-mba-dual-degree/

Graduation Requirements:  

The MBA program curriculum is a 42 credit hour, lock-step program. 

• MBA 6315 - Accounting for Executives
• MBA 6320 - Descriptive Analytics
• MBA 6325 - Prescriptive Analytics
• MBA 6335 - Managerial Finance
• MBA 6340 - Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management
• MBA 6350 - Strategic Marketing
• MBA 6360 - Strategic Use of Information Systems
• MBA 6370 - Operations Management
• MBA 6380 - Strategy
• MBA 6525 - Ethics in Leadership
• MBA 6900 - Leadership
• MBA 6900 - New Venture Planning
• MBA 6900  -Consulting Capstone Seminar
• MBA 6900 - International Immersion

Seminars will include leadership and professional development, company visits, team cultivation, and an international immersion experience.

The MSA program curriculum is a 36 credit hour program. 

Required Courses

• BUSL 5650 - Law of Sports
• SASM 5000 - Diversity and Inclusion in Sports
• SASM 6100 - Leadership in Sports Administration
• SASM 6480 - Management of Public Assembly Facilities
• SASM 6501 - Integrated Media
• SASM 6580 - Revenue Generation
• SASM 6800 - Research Methods in Sport Administration
• SASM 6900 - Seminar I Sports Business Introduction
• SASM 6900 - Seminar II Professional, Collegiate & Not for Profit Sports
• SASM 6900 - Seminar III Career Development
• SASM 6990 - Capstone Seminar

Students will round out their program with elective courses.  Below is a sample of elective courses:

• SASM 6110 - Sports Business Foundations
• SASM 6550 - Consumer Behavior
• SASM 6910 - Internship
• SASM 6900 - Special Topics (including Collegiate Sports Seminar & Professional Sports Seminar)
• SASM 6920 - Practicum
• SASM 6930 - Independent Study

Culminating Experience:  At the end of the MBA program, students will synthesize MBA course learnings (including strategic marketing, prescriptive analytics, accounting, data analysis, organizational behavior, operations, managerial finance, strategy, and strategic use of information systems) to create specific, actionable deliverables aligning tactics to a client’s strategy in an intensive consulting capstone seminar in Ohio. Students will then complete the program by traveling abroad to work with international companies on two-weeks of international consulting projects.

At the conclusion of the MSA program, students take part in a week-long capstone trip, conducted in a major city working on consulting projects with relevant and significant sports organizations, to create specific, actionable deliverables to advance the objectives of significant real world sports sector partners. New York has been the regular site for this capstone component and sponsoring organizations include: major professional sports leagues; professional sports franchises; major sports marketing and representation firms; university athletic departments; sports broadcasting networks; and public sector organizations.

Admission Requirements:

• Regionally accredited bachelor’s degree.
• Cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• GMAT or GRE scores
• Three letters of recommendation from professional or academic references. 
• Official transcripts from all degree bearing institutions at the bachelor’s level or higher and unofficial transcript for any additional college coursework.
• A professional plan statement discussing your career goals, how the master’s degree will help you achieve those goals, areas or competencies that you expect the program will help you strengthen and what you plan to contribute to the learning community.
• Current resume.
• TOEFL or IELTS for non-native English speakers.

Transfer credits are not accepted for the MBA portion of this program. Up to 6 transfer credits from prior graduate study may be applied to the MSA portion of this program.

International Students:  This program permits full-time enrollment in residence at Ohio University, and an I-20 may be issued based on admission to this program.