Master of Sports Administration

Sports Administration (Professional) – MS8161

Delivery Mode: Online

Term of Entry: Fall, Spring

Terms of Entry Requiring Program Permission: None

Program Overview

The mission of the Online MSA program is to provide professionals in the sports industry with a foundation in leadership, critical decision-making skills and sport business-specific knowledge to immediately add value to their organizations and prepare them for the next step in their career. 

The Online MSA program is on the cutting edge of the sports industry. The curriculum facilitates the connection of classroom knowledge to professional experiences and provides students the opportunity to immediately apply learning to their professional context.  

The Online MSA program is delivered through online courses and virtual classes. Core courses are offered in a seven-week condensed format. The curriculum is centered on three major components: a sports administration core, special topics, and a capstone seminar. The sports administration core allows students to develop foundational knowledge in critical sports business functions, including leadership, revenue generation, sport marketing, analytics, DEI, sport law, sport governance, human resources, facility/event management and finance. In addition to the core, students will take 5 special topics courses that will cover a variety of topics that either are not covered in the core curriculum or provide a more in-depth examination into topics covered at the foundational level in core courses. Special topics may include: Esports, sports betting/gambling, sports media, public relations, digital media, development, international sport business, consulting projects, and experiential conference options (ex. National Sports Forum). In their final semester, students will complete a Capstone course that provides a culminating experience as students prepare to graduate and take the next step in their career. 

An important component of the program is the opportunity to participate in live residencies. Residencies provide an opportunity to connect with others in the OMSA program and with Sports Administration faculty and alumni. A crucial residency is the Fall residency that is held in Athens. All students are highly encouraged to attend the OMSA Fall residencies. All residency opportunity details and dates will be shared with students as they enter the OMSA program. Residencies are not required, but are students are encouraged to attend so they are able to get the most out of the program and the Ohio University Sports Ad network. 

Expected time to complete the degree is 21 months. 

Program Learning Outcomes

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

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

Further Information

Link to Program:  https://business.ohio.edu/academics/graduate-degrees/professional-master-of-sports-administration/

Admission Requirements

• Regionally accredited bachelor’s degree. 
• Minimum of two years of post-graduate professional experience in the sport industry is preferred. 
• Two letters of recommendation from professional or academic references. At least one letter from a supervisor is strongly recommended. 
• Official transcripts from all degree bearing institutions at the bachelor’s level or higher and unofficial transcript for any additional college coursework. 
• Undergraduate degree GPA of 3.0 or above (or demonstrated work experience to show potential for academic success) 
• 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 this program.  

International Students

This program does not permit full-time enrollment in residence at Ohio University, and an I-20 cannot be issued based on admission to this program.

Graduation Requirements

The program curriculum is a 36 credit hour, lock-step program. Students will take the following courses over the course of five semesters: