Curriculum

Full-Time

• 36 points (credits) for degree completion
• On-campus instruction
• Fall intake 
• 16 months to complete 
• Customizable with courses across Columbia University 
• Internship or Integrative Project

International students are responsible for ensuring they have read and understand the University’s student visa application eligibility and requirements. Please note that it is not permissible to enroll while in B-1/B-2 status. In addition, if studying on a student visa, you must enroll full-time (12 points/credits per semester) and study on campus.

The Master of Science in Sports Management program has aligned its curriculum with the needs of the sports industry, with unique offerings in the areas of global sports, digital sports media and marketing, and sports analytics. These areas complement a strong foundation of core courses that equip graduates with the skills and training necessary to maintain an advantage in the highly competitive sports job market and, once hired, add immediate value to sports industry employers. Beyond establishing a strong business foundation, the curriculum and faculty will challenge you to deepen your understanding in three key areas:

1. The complex global sports landscape and the contrasts and comparisons of the sports business models around the world

2. The many connection points (credits) between the digital world and the sports world and the potential impact of disruptive technologies

3. The various ways to integrate the abundance of new data and information into decision processes that sports leaders face

Program Structure

The program requires 36 points (credits) for degree completion or 12 3-credit courses. For required courses, you will take four core courses that provide an overview of sports business concepts and practices and how they are applied in real-world contexts. In addition, you will choose one required course from each of three categories: Sports Marketing, Sports Analytics, and Sports Projects. For your remaining five courses, you may customize your focus by choosing electives in a variety of disciplines or choose courses from among three elective groupings, or areas of focus:

1. Global Sports

2. Sports Analytics

3. Marketing

In order to receive your degree, you must complete all requirements within four years with an overall grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better.

Classes are generally held on weekday evenings between 4:10 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

Global Sports Focus

With the evolution of the global sports structure, the global focus provides you with an understanding of the differences and similarities between the U.S. and the international sports landscape. With globalization as a focus, you will review legal issues facing large-scale international events, compare the U.S. model to the international model, and discuss emerging markets.

Sports Analytics Focus

The analytics focus includes courses that allow you to analyze, interpret, and make decisions based on various on-field and off-field data. With new data emerging daily, the goal is for you to have the ability to demonstrate the capability to apply advanced critical thinking skills to sports business issues. You will learn the skill of combining objective analysis with subjective judgement to make decisions.

Marketing Focus

The area of digital sports media and marketing has become one of the fastest growing sectors of the sports industry. The marketing and digital media focus will provide you with an understanding of communications practices and strategies, fundamentals of sponsorship packages, marketing best practices, and the ever-changing digital landscape. With new applications and platforms developed daily, what may be effective today might fade tomorrow. You will learn to adapt to these mediums through coursework and practical applications.

Internships and Work Opportunities

The Sports Project Requirement allows you to complete an internship where you can learn and expand your network or take a deeper dive into a specific topic related to the sports industry. With the help of our program-specific industry specialists and the Career Design Lab, students are able to build the foundation of their interest before applying for internships. Please note that students are responsible for pursuing and securing their own internship opportunities.

Internship Requirements:

• Must have completed SPRT5220 – Foundations of Sports Management before enrolling in the internship course.
• The Sports Management program must approve the student’s offer letter before enrolling in the course.
• During the internship course, a student must work a minimum of 21 hours per week for a minimum of 10 weeks and a minimum of 210 total hours.
• International students on an F-1 Visa must meet the eligibility requirements for CPT* to enroll.
• The program allows students to enroll in the internship course a maximum of two times. The internship course may fulfill the project requirement or satisfy an elective. Enrolling in a second internship course will fulfill an elective requirement**. 

The program enables students to evolve as professionals through our professional development and industry-specific coaching process, as well as expand their network through industry events, panels, and speakers, drawing on the abundant resources of New York City, the sports capital of the world. 

Students are required to work a minimum of 21 hours per week over 10 weeks for a minimum of 210 hours to fulfill the internship requirement.

*CPT (Curricular Practical Training) 

• be in active F-1 status for one academic year in the U.S. (two consecutive full-time terms) to be eligible for elective CPT.
• be a degree candidate
• have an appropriate job offer for a U.S.-based employer

**Students who do multiple internships cannot extend their internship from a previous semester; they can intern at the same company (based on size) and must be in a different department and report to a different supervisor. Students may not enroll in the internship course twice in the same semester.

Students are responsible for the tuition and fees any time they enroll in the course.