Program Overview

Program Overview

The Graduate Certificate in Sports Management is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and aptitude to succeed in the sports industry. This interdisciplinary professional certificate program offers a range of core courses and electives, enabling students to focus on their areas of interest.

Graduate Certificates

• Sports Management
  • Course Schedule
  • Faculty
  • Tuition

Admission Information

A variety of factors are considered when an application is reviewed. Background and experience vary from student to student. For a complete list of requirements, see the Graduate Certificate Admission page.

Registration Information

Course registration policies and procedures are available for students who have been accepted into the program.

Graduate Certificate in Sports Management

The certificate curriculum offers a range of core courses and electives to enable students to focus on their areas of interest. Sports administration courses are taught by faculty members who share their insights and practical knowledge based on extensive professional experience in sports.

Build Skills for Career Success in Sports Management

This program provides students with the opportunity to learn the knowledge, skills, and aptitude to:

• Lead enterprising sports organizations within an evolving environment
• Synthesize data to support evidence-based decision making
• Evaluate revenue streams and risk mitigation
• Create effective business plans to set strategic direction of a sports entity

Graduate Certificate in Sports Management Curriculum

Students are required to complete the following four courses to earn the certificate:

• MSA 403 Sports Organizations: Leadership Theory & Application
• MSA 404 Sports Business: Finance, Accounting and Economics
• Two courses from the remaining offerings of the curriculum

Faculty

The instructors in this program have extensive professional experience in sports. They share their insights and practical knowledge to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the sports industry.

Tuition

Tuition for Northwestern graduate certificates is comparable to similar U.S. programs. Complete details can be found on the tuition page for this program.

Applying Credit to the Master of Arts in Sports Administration Program

Students who are interested in applying their credit to Northwestern's Master of Arts in Sports Administration program must submit an online application and submit all required application materials. Students who elect to apply to a master's program before completing a graduate certificate will be able to count completed courses toward the applicable master's degree, but there will be no certificate conferred.

Stackable Certificate

This four-course certificate can be applied to Northwestern's Master of Arts in Sports Administration program. Students can explore this option by contacting the SPS graduate advising team for information on how to pursue a master's degree at SPS.

Additional Options

Northwestern offers a range of two-course graduate microcertificates that can also be stacked into SPS master's programs. These options provide students with flexibility and opportunities to advance their education and careers.