Columbia University’s M.S. in Sports Management graduate program is marking its 20th year with the arrival of a new cohort of students and the addition of new faculty for the spring semester.
“The spring semester is off to a fantastic start, with our impressive new cohort of students fully embracing their surroundings on campus, our incredibly strong returning students continuing their academic journey with great enthusiasm, and our amazing faculty leading the way,” said Scott Rosner, director of the M.S. in Sports Management program and professor of professional practice at Columbia.
In January 2026, the program welcomed 18 new students to campus for a week of exciting, engaging activities. The purpose of Orientation Week is twofold: to foster a sense of community among new students and to provide workshops that will help them succeed both within the program and in their future endeavors. The Sports Management program includes 124 students from 21 countries this semester.
The program hosted several workshops during Orientation Week, including a welcome reception, a career workshop, and sessions on listening and self-awareness. Students were also introduced to the program’s Professional Development Requirement (PDR) and Community Leadership and Service Program (CLASP), led by Scott Rosner, Mary Scott, Carolyne Savini, Hannah Salto, Tammy West-Bennet, Jennifer Dick, Vince Pierson, and Jackie Bartolomeo. Orientation activities concluded with a trip to the Nets–Celtics game.
The program announced both the addition of three new adjunct faculty members and its spring semester lineup. New to the faculty this semester are Jeffrion Aubry (executive director for the Next Gen Basketball Players Union), who is teaching Leadership & Personnel Management in Sports; Dr. Ryan S. Brill (basketball data scientist for the Utah Jazz), who is teaching Fundamentals of Sports Analytics; and Jill K. Kelley (partner at Hogan Lovells), who is teaching Sports Law & Ethics.
The Sports Management program’s faculty and courses for the spring include:
Jacqueline Bartolomeo (Community Leadership and Service Project and Leadership in Sports Management); Ryan Brill (Fundamentals of Sports Analytics); Kyle Burkhardt (Business Intelligence in Sports); Kelly Ann Carroll (Internship in Sports Management); Destinee Coles (Sports Accounting and Finance); Jennifer Dick (Professional Development); Leonard Elmore (Leadership in Sports Management, Supervised Research Project: NGPU, and Supervised Research Project: NFL Social Justice); Joseph Favorito (Industry Relations); Josh Garrison (Independent Study); Ishwara Glassman Chrein (Sports Revenue Strategies and Analytics); Benjamin Hannibal (Business Intelligence in Sports); Lj Holmgren (Foundations of Sports Management); Jill Kelley (Sports Law & Ethics); Joanna Levy (Fundamentals of Sports Analytics); Scott Lewis (Business Intelligence in Sports); Joel Litvin (The Business of Professional Sports Leagues and Franchises); Danielle Maged (Leadership in Sports Management); Michael Neuman (Sports Sponsorship & Sales); Alan Ostfield (The Business of Professional Sports Leagues and Franchises); Tom Richardson (Digital Sports Media and Marketing); Scott Rosner (Negotiation and Dispute Resolution in Sports); Mary Scott (Leadership in Sports Management); Grant Son (Sport Entrepreneurship & Innovation and Supervised Research Project: NFL); Carla Varriale Barker (Sports Law & Ethics); and Mary Wittenberg (Leadership in Sports Management).
Columbia University’s Sports Management master’s degree program, available part-time and full-time, trains professionals across all sectors of the sports industry by teaching specific management skills in the areas of finance, analytics, business intelligence, digital media, entrepreneurship, leadership, law, marketing, sales, communications, and facility/event management. This combination of broad-based and specialized skill training is a hallmark of the program, evident in the content and sequencing of its courses.
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About the Program
The Columbia University M.S. in Sports Management prepares students with a comprehensive curriculum and access to sports industry practitioners and leaders. Students acquire skills in areas such as entrepreneurship and innovation, global sports management, facility and event management, and sports law and ethics.
The program is available for part-time or full-time enrollment. Learn more about the program here.
