Program Overview

Bachelor of Science in Sport Management

The Sport Management program at the University of Kansas builds on general education and introductory courses through nine core courses and an 18-credit hour minor in business, psychology, or journalism & mass communications. Students complete courses in sociology of sport, sport ethics, sport facilities and event management, sport law, sport fundraising and sponsorship, sport finance and economics, sport communication, sport marketing, and personnel management. The culminating experience is a semester-long internship working in a student-selected area of sport management. This degree program prepares graduates for entry-level positions in intercollegiate athletics, professional sports, recreational programs, and the fitness industry.

Admission Criteria

• Incoming Freshman Students: Students can be admitted into the Sport Management program as freshmen if they meet KU’s assured admission standards and declare Sport Management as their major.
• Incoming Transfer Students: Students can be admitted into Sport Management as transfer students if they are admitted to KU, declare Sport Management as their major, and meet the following criteria:
  • A KU + Transfer Cumulative GPA of at least 2.75
• Current KU Students: Students can be admitted into Sport Management or Exercise Science as current KU students if they meet the following criteria:
  • A KU + Transfer Cumulative GPA of at least 2.75
• Students that do not meet the requirements above can petition through the online admission petition form.

Degree Requirements

• Complete an approved program with a minimum of 120 credit hours of course work. At least 30 hours must be taken in residence.
• A 2.75 minimum KU + Transfer Cumulative grade-point average for all academic coursework, including transfer hours.
• Other general regulations of the School and University, including KU Core Goal requirements.
• Successful completion of internship or approved electives.

Course List

• AMS/SOC 330: American Society
• AMS/SOC 332: The United States in Global Context
• BLAW 301: Legal Aspects of Business
• CLSX 380: Ancient Greek Athletics and the Olympic Games
• COMS 310: Advanced Organizational Communication
• COMS 320: Communication and New Media
• COMS 330: Effective Business Communication
• COMS 335: Mass Media and Politics
• COMS 342: Problem Solving in Teams and Groups
• COMS 350: Communication in a Diverse World
• COMS 415/LDST 420: Communication, Leadership, and Conflict Management
• COMS 543: Rhetoric of Sports in America
• ENGL 362: Foundations of Technical Writing
• ECON 409: Sports Economics
• ENTR 410: Building Entrepreneurial Competency
• ENTR 430: Corporate Entrepreneurship
• ENTR 460: Entrepreneurial Finance
• ENTR 470: Entrepreneurial Marketing
• ENTR 480: Small Business Management
• ENTR 490: Solving Wicked Problems
• EPSY 310: Career and Life Planning
• EPSY 385: Psychological Aspects of Exercise
• EPSY 440: Applied Sport and Performance Psychology
• FIN 324: Risk Management Foundations
• FMS 355: Storytelling with Digital Media
• HSES 310: Research and Data Analysis in Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences
• HSES 330: Principles of Nutrition and Health
• HSES 331: Sport and Exercise Nutrition
• HSES 371: Medical Terminology for Health Professionals
• HSES 475: Undergraduate Research in Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences
• HSES 484: Sport in Film
• HSES 489: Health and Human Sexuality
• HSES 491: Foundations of Name, Image, Likeness
• HSES 492: Athlete and Personal Branding
• HSES 493: Content Creation in Sport
• HSES 497: Independent Study
• HSES 598: Special Course:
• JMC 302: Information Exploration
• JMC 308: Ethics in a Wired World
• JMC 320: Introduction to Digital Marketing Communications, Advertising and Public Relations
• JMC 330: Sports Media in the 21st Century
• JMC 408: Media Law and Ethics
• JMC 540: Sports, Media and Society
• JMC 611: Sales Strategies
• LA&S 475: Professional Career Management
• LA&S 485: Global Career Management
• LDST 320: How to Plan (Almost) Anything: Event Development and Management
• MKTG 315: Sales Management
• MKTG 316: Professional Selling Skills
• MKTG 428: Sales Analytics
• PHIL 360: Moral Issues in Business
• PHIL 368: Moral Issues in Sports
• PSYC 350: Psychological Disorders
• PSYC 360: Social Psychology
• SOC 320: Organizations and Inequality
• SOC 355: Protest, Activism, and Dissent
• SW 303: Human Sexuality
• WGSS/HIST 319: History, Women, and Diversity in the U.S.
• WGSS 327: Perspectives in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies
• WGSS 333: The Politics of Physical Appearance
• Minor Courses | 18
• Total Hours | 120

Learning Outcomes

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

• Expose students to the wide-range of careers that exist in the sport world and move them past the typical initial goal of being an athletic director or agent.
• Help our students enter the sport workforce in positions they are excited about.
• Be on leading edge of sport management trends and job opportunities.
• Identify evidence-based health promotion programs that apply appropriate theoretical foundation(s) for the population of interest.
• Students will be able to effectively communicate and disseminate evidence-based health information to target populations within both oral and written settings, and in both professional and community-based settings.