Major Code BS8199*

College of Business  
Sports Administration  
514 Copeland Hall
Athens, OH 45701
Phone: 740.593.4666
dsa@ohio.edu
www.ohio.edu/business/

Lamar Reams, Chair/contact person
lreams@ohio.edu

Program Overview

Sport management is an applied field of study based on the integration of the special nature of sport endeavors and management theory, and administrative principles applied to sport involvement. Sport management includes any combination of skills related to planning, organizing, leading and evaluating within the context of an organization or department whose primary product or service is related to sport. The undergraduate sport management program at Ohio University is designed to provide students with the academic preparation and practical training required for success in the sport industry. The program leads to a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and a minor, certificate, or additional major in an approved sport or business-related field.

*This program was previously BS8167 which awarded the Bachelor of Sport Management. Pending Board of Trustees approval (anticipated June 2024), the new program code will be BS8199 and will award the Bachelor of Science effective the 2024-25 catalog year.

Program Learning Outcomes

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

• Understand broad sports business knowledge across disciplines.
• Understand how to operate a venue and event.
• Understand how to generate revenue in the sports industry.
• Explore issues, ideas, and events before implementing an activity or formulating conclusions.
• Reason and solve sports business problems in an array of contexts and create sophisticated arguments supported by evidence.
• Develop and deliver multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
• Lead and collaborate with people of different backgrounds to form new sports business ideas, strategies, and conclusions.

Admissions Information

Freshman/First-Year Admission

Freshmen will be admitted to the Sport Management Major on a selective basis. Successful candidates are generally in the top 20 percent of their high school classes, with a strong college preparatory curriculum. They are expected to have above-average high school GPA (3.0 or better) and also have demonstrated leadership potential through participation in extracurricular activities or work experience. 

Students indicating an interest in the Sport Management major, which leads to a Bachelor of Science degree, who do not meet the requirements for direct admission that are described above, will be admitted to the College of Business as a “Pre-Sport Management Major” and will be admitted to the Sport Management major only after having completing the requirements for transfer described in the “Transferring into the College of Business from within Ohio University” section of this catalog.

Any student considering transfer to the College of Business is strongly encouraged to contact the CoB Office of Student Services as early as possible. A student must be enrolled in the College before his/her senior year to allow for the College’s 32-hour residency requirement. A student must earn at least 50 percent of the business credit hours required for the business degree and major courses at Ohio University.

Change of Program Policy

Any student who is interested in the sport management program can apply for transfer into the program. The information relevant to this process can be found on the College of Business website: www.ohio.edu/business/resources/future-students/transfer-students/internal-policy.

External Transfer Admission

Any student from another institution who is interested in the sport management program at Ohio University can apply for transfer into the program. The information relevant to this process can be found on the College of Business website: www.ohio.edu/business/resources/future-students/transfer-students.

Opportunities Upon Graduation

The undergraduate sport management program prepares students for careers in professional sports, college athletics, amateur sports, youth sports or corporate positions with a sport-related component. Job functions in the sport industry include facility management, sport analytics and innovation, sport promotion and marketing, sport media, customer or community relations, sport sponsorship, licensing, sport information and sport law. Common job titles include marketing and promotions director, academic services for student athletics, corporate sales director, director of ticketing and finance, sporting goods sales representative, facility coordinator, athletic director, compliance director, athletic business manager, fitness manager and program director of community sport programs. Job responsibilities vary with the type of organization, area of sport industry and level of management. Job duties may involve working with corporations in special-event promotions and sponsorship. They may also include accounting, ticketing, and financial operations of a sporting event or program. The sport manager may be involved in facility and event management, sport broadcasting and media relations, or the sales of sporting goods and licensed sport products. Alumni of the undergraduate sport management program at Ohio University can be found throughout the country. Graduates of the program are employed with professional sport teams, college athletic departments, sport marketing and event-management firms, etc.

Requirements