Develop skills that prepare you for various career paths including coaching, athletic administration, marketing, recreational programming, sports information, officiating, sport law, and more. Learn about critical issues in the sports world, develop solid communication skills, integrate your faith with your work, and acquire experience in your field.
The perfect internship is out there for you, and we’ll help you find it! Students in GU’s sport management program have interned or job-shadowed with the St. Louis Cardinals, the San Diego Padres, the St. Louis Blues, minor league teams, parks and recreation facilities, the YMCA, summer sports leagues, and the East St. Louis track and field summer program.
Awards
As a GU sport management major, you could earn the John Strahl award for academic achievement in sport and kinesiology.
Growing field
The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects various fields within sport management to grow by 10% or more by 2026.
Why GU
Unique education. Learn from adjuncts like Brady Bruhn, a GU grad who now works for the St. Louis Cardinals as the Manager of Ticket Development.
Why wait? Hear from over a dozen speakers in the field, gain hands-on experiences, and learn from experienced professors starting your freshman year.
Deepen your education. We’re a liberal arts school. That means you get a holistic education that introduces you to many subjects and ideas, helping you grow your interests and skills.
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Success Stories
Greenville University and the sport management program provided me with the necessary tools to succeed in the world of intercollegiate athletics. The curriculum allowed for growth in all aspects of the industry, allowing you to find what niche you want to fall into. The professors go above and beyond to find alumni and professionals in the field to speak and give great insight into the field. I would recommend this program for anyone that is serious about sport management.
Nature and purpose of accounting; basic accounting concepts and procedures, double entry bookkeeping, methods of processing, summarizing and classifying financial data; balance sheets and income statements. (Offered every semester.)
What makes some for-profit businesses and not-for-profit organizations excel while other fail to thrive? Often its due to the quality of management within the organization. Management of people is a distinct skill set that is critically important and these skills can be studied, understood, and practiced. In this course, students will learn the elements of business management, the theory behind them and practical tools with which to apply them. Key topics such as communication, leadership, teamwork, conflict management, change and more will be covered. No matter where a person works or volunteers, they will be able to contribute to the success of any organization when they have a clear understanding of management theory and techniques. Meets the general education social science or business management requirement. (Offered every semester.)
This course explores digital media as an experimental cultural practice, with an emphasis on critical approaches to art and technology. Experiments in digital imaging, digital audio, digital video, and multi-media authoring will be conducted. Students will produce independent digital media production projects, individually and in groups. Course meetings include seminar-style discussion of reading and other materials, critiques of student work, tech workshops, production studios (session in which we brainstorm, research ideas, and work on projects), and screenings. (Offered every semester.)
Administration of PE/Athletics is a study of administration of athletics and physical education as it pertains to budget, liability, policy making, public relations, facility management, and other administrative responsibilities. (Offered Spring semester of even calendar years.)
This seminar will provide a capstone experience that includes integrating faith into a sport and kinesiology setting, enhancing professional and careers skills, and requiring students to demonstrate basic research techniques. Meets the general education upper division writing intensive requirement. (Offered fall semester.)
Students will be introduced to a broad range of priority issues and/or topics in sport management such as: career opportunities and myths, finance, communication, facility management, event coordination, marketing, governance, etc. This course provides an overview of major components in the sport industry and delivers a comprehensive study of key elements in the sport management field. Students will reflect on their own personal strengths and weaknesses in an attempt to move forward in choosing a career path. (Offered fall semester.)
This course is designed to help students recognize sport as a microcosm of a larger society and the ways in which sport is influenced by cultural traditions, social values, and personal experiences. The course will explore topics including, but not limited to, race, gender, social class, youth sport, and violence. (Offered spring semester of odd calendar years.)
This course provides the process for effective communication in the sports setting. Students explore sports communication strategies and messaging, along with conveying critical information inside the field of sport. This includes, but is not limited to social media platforms, journalism, e-mail, verbal, and mass communication within sports contexts. Students will gain experience in the basics of news gathering and reporting, and emphasis will be placed on the day-to-day practice of sports communication. Lab included.
Prerequisites: DMDA 120 and ENGL 105. (Offered every semester.)
This course will cover the primary principles of marketing with an emphasis of application in the sport industry. Topics covered include environmental scanning and planning, market research, consumer behavior, market segmentation and the development of integrated marketing communication using the 4 Ps (product, price, placement, and promotion). Guest speakers, research projects, and case studies will allow the student opportunities to apply concepts learned. (Offered fall semester of even calendar years.)
Prerequisite: SMGT 101.
Sport law is the frame of legal issues in both amateur and professional sports. It overlaps with labor law, contract law, competition or antitrust law, and tort law. This course is designed to provide students the vital understanding of legal issues in sport. Topics included cover major areas of law within the sport industry. Case studies are used to help students apply the material.
Prerequisite: SMG101. (Offered spring semester of even calendar years.)
"Show me the money!" is a well-known phrase from the sport movie Jerry McGuire and this course covers two important money topics in Sport Management: financial principles and fundraising. The comprehensive financial overview will include topics such as budgeting, financial structures, analysis, stocks, bonds, capital expenditures and current trends. Concepts and best practices in fundraising, needed at all levels of sport, will also be covered. Topics will include donor relations, annual funds, priority benefits, and sales skill development.
Prerequisite: SMGT 101. (Offered spring semester of even calendar years.)
Game Day. It's what fans and participants live for. But making the experience a positive one for all involved takes detailed planning and execution. In this course, students will learn how to plan, staff, budget, market, promote and manage an event. Venues are also key factors for all events and programs, whether at the recreational, club, collegiate or professional level. Therefore, facility management topics covered will include facility development, budgeting, staffing, and managing.
Prerequisite: SMGT 101. (Offered fall semester of odd calendar years.)
Students will explore the important concepts in the field of Sport Management: Sponsorship, Sales, and Ticketing. Students will understand the potential career path in ticketing, as well as but not limited to, effective sales techniques and the criteria for finding a great marketing niche through sponsorship. (Offered spring semester of even calendar years.)
The internship experience will provide students with an opportunity to test theory and practice in a functioning industry/business experience. The internship is also intended to provide students additional confidence and further practice to aid in their career development.
