Sport Management
This program is designed to prepare students for the highly competitive sport environment, preparing them for jobs in all spectra of the sport management industry.
The mission of the Sport Management option in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism at the University of Missouri is to develop students into productive and highly successful sport managers through the practice of continuously analyzing sport in a critical and insightful manner through research, teaching and hands-on experience.
Sport management is an active and growing field, by recent estimates conducted by the SportsBusiness Journal; the sport industry is now several times larger than other important industries such as the automotive industry, and has tens of billions of dollars of economic activity in the United States alone.
With a wide array of different organizations within the sport industry ranging from professional sport teams to electronic sport video game companies, there is truly a range of organizations and job opportunities for those entering the fast-paced and exciting world of sport. Below are a number of job opportunities and settings in which someone from a sport management program could potentially work in.
Career Opportunities
Jobs within the sport industry include:
- General Management & Administration
- Finance & Accounting
- Marketing, Communications & Public Relations
- Sport Attorney (Lawyer)
- Athlete Agent/Representative
- Sport Media & Reporting
- Sport Facility Management
- Sport Engineer
- Sport Statistics and Database Management
- Organizational IT
- Stadium and Facility Architect and Designer
Jobs can occur in settings such as:
- Professional Sport Teams
- College Athletic Departments (Mizzou Athletics, etc.)
- Governing Bodies (International Olympic Committee, National Collegiate Athletic Association, etc.)
- Sport Agencies (Sport Attorney, Sport Law, etc.)
- Sport Management Firms
- Sporting Good Corporations
- Architectural Firms
- Sport Media
- Non-Sport Organizations
Curriculum
In preparation for the variety and intense demands of the sport industry our students are sent through the following curriculum:
Core Courses: (21 hours)
PRT 1080 – Introduction to Sport Management (3)
PRT 1011 – Academic Planning & Career Orientation in Parks, Recreation & Tourism (1)
PRT 1081 – Sport Facility Design (1) – 5 week course
PRT 2082 – Domestic & International Sport Environments (1) – 5 week course
PRT 2083 – Technological Advancements in Sport (1) – 5 week course
PRT 3210 – Personnel Management and Leadership in Leisure Services (3)
PRT 3215 – Program Development in Leisure Services (3)
PRT 3220 – Introduction to Recreation for Individuals with Disabilities (2)
PRT 4208 – Administration of Leisure Services (3)
PRT 4333 – Park Management (3)
Sport Management Emphasis Courses: (12 hours)
PRT 2185 – Sport Economics & Finance (3)
PRT 3281 – Business of Sport (3)
PRT 3282 – Governance & Policy in Sport and Leisure (3)
PRT 4385 – Legal Aspects of Sport (3)
Sport Management Internship: (13 hours)
PRT 3189 – Pre-Internship Seminar in Parks, Recreation and Tourism (1)
PRT 4989 – Sport Management Internship (12)
In addition to these courses, students are also required to complete 18 hours of professional electives supporting their focus in sport management. These courses can include sport-related courses within the department or university, or can be other business, communications or other courses related to the management of sport. A business minor is strongly recommended to be completed as part of the professional elective courses for students in the sport management emphasis area.
