The Sports Management concentration prepares students to lead high-stakes projects in the dynamic and fast-paced global sports industry. Grounded in project management principles, this concentration emphasizes project planning, facility operations, capital projects, mega-event execution, and stakeholder management.
Students develop the expertise to deliver complex sports projects on time, within budget, and with measurable outcomes by applying core project management principles to one of the most dynamic and competitive global industries.
Drawing from the resources of Columbia’s M.S. in Sports Management program, students in the Sports Management concentration within the M.S. in Project Management will learn to oversee everything from capital facility builds to event logistics and stakeholder coordination across leagues, teams, and entertainment platforms.
Course Requirements
36 credits, consisting of:
Six core courses, including capstone (18 credits).
Four selective courses (12 credits) specific to the Sports Management concentration.
Two electives (6 credits).
Concentration Selectives
Full list of selectives for the Sports Management concentration are available below.
What is the practical application of key concepts and issues in sports management within the sports business workplace? This class emphasizes the key concepts and issues in various disciplines of the sports industry, and the relationship between disciplines within the industry. Students and faculty share practical experience and incorporate student experimentation to fully prepare students for advancement in the Sports Management program.
Course Number
SPRT 5220
Format
In Person
Points
3
This course explores the techniques and activities used to advertise and promote sports events. Topics discussed include: the marketing mix, the evolution of media in the 21st century, advertising awareness, brand awareness, other critical and frequently used brand metrics, message recall, consumer motivation and attitudes, behavior, endorsements, promotions, naming rights, licensing, sponsorship, media management, constructing the advertising message, designing advertising and more broadly, sports marketing campaigns.
Course Number
SPRT 5560
Format
In Person
Points
3
This course provides students with an understanding of the complexity involved in sport facility and event management. Sport facility management includes a variety of activities such as planning and designing a sports facility, staff management, facility marketing, developing revenue streams, and facility scheduling and operating. Sport event management consists of identifying goals of the event and coordinating people in the organizations involved to achieve those goals with the resources available.
Course Number
SPRT 5620
Format
In Person
Points
3
Digital, social, and mobile media continue to heavily impact every aspect of sports business, often in profound and unanticipated ways, particularly in managing and optimizing revenue streams. All revenue line items are fully intertwined and integrated with each other, media, sponsorship, ticketing, hospitality, concessions and licensing, etc. Students of this course will learn to analyze and optimize the ecosystem of sports business including content rights, ticketing, sponsorship, merchandising, marketing, etc., as well as make business analytics decisions by leveraging business analytics software to run scenario analysis.
