Sport Administration, MSA

Curriculum

The Master of Sport Administration requires 30 hours of coursework, including 24 core hours and 6 hours of internship credit.

See All Program Requirements

Courses You'll Take

•  SAM 6010 Sport in Society: This course provides a forum in which to explore the sociological impact of sport in America. Emphasis is placed on issues affecting administrators, fans, athletes and coaches.

• SAM 6050 Legal Aspects in Sport: This course contains an integration of the various aspects within the sport industry as pertaining to legal liability of coaches and administrators, facility and event management and risk management. Additionally, a thorough study of the governing structure, rules and legislative process within the NCAA and other sport governing bodies will be included.

• SAM 6060 Research Methods in Sport: This course examines strategies, techniques, materials and principles for effective research within the sport industry. The traditional research model will be a focus with special attention given to survey research and economic impact research.

• SAM 6070 Financial Aspects of Sport: This course contains an overview of basic financial concepts, tools and techniques used by sport administrators and emphasizes financial analysis, capital structuring & budgeting, short and long-term financing and financial troubleshooting. Additionally, this course examines the fundamental tools and strategies necessary to raise funds within various segments of the sport industry. Both annual and major giving will be emphasized, as well as studying their role within the overall scope of a college athletic department, professional sport organization or other sport industry segments.

• SAM 6280 Organizational Behavior and Leadership in Sport: This course will examine the relationships between sport organizations and a wide variety of consumers. Fundamental programs will be designed to enhance the relationship between the consumer and sport organizations. 

• SAM 6260 Sport Event Management & Planning: This course is designed to introduce students to principles and practices of planning, funding, operating and evaluating events within the sport industry. This course includes actual hands on involvement with event planning and management.

• SAM 6270 Marketing and Public Relations in Sport: This course focuses on current factors and issues related to sport marketing and public relations. Emphasis will be placed on creating and evaluating a marketing plan and evaluating the relationships between sport organizations and a wide variety of consumers.

• SAM 6310 Seminar in Sport Administration: This course offers an introduction to various aspects of sport administration. Responsibilities of administrators within intercollegiate athletics, professional sports and private industry will be discussed.

Belmont’s practical approach and extensive hands-on experience has allowed our students to get hired at nearly 10x the average candidate rate according to TeamWork Online, the online job board for sport industry professionals. TeamWork Online ranks Belmont No. 3 in the nation, regardless of size of the program in placement of graduates in the field.

Our students have gone on to work for professional organizations in all the major sport leagues including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS, not to mention PGA Tour, USTA and many others. Graduates have also found fulfilling careers in intercollegiate and interscholastic athletics as well as community and non-profit sport. Throughout the course of the two-year program, our faculty work closely with students to build the competencies and skills necessary to launch your career in sport.

Internships and practical experiences are at the heart of the Belmont sport administration program. Our faculty work closely with students and our wide range of athletic partners to pair you with experiences that add real context to coursework and curriculum. If it’s a sport organization in Nashville, we can get you connected! The typical student will be involved in an internship experience each semester of the program (fall semester year 1, spring semester year 1, summer semester, fall semester year 2 and spring semester year 2). Some choose to take multiple internships from wide variety or sport organizations while others choose to concentrate on a particular aspect of the industry and focus on a specific area- the choice is up to you. With all the various sport opportunities in Nashville, from professional, collegiate, community organization and many other sport-specific entities, your skill set will be one that the industry will value.

Admissions Requirements

• Apply Online from the BU4U application portal. *Select Fall Term ONLY. 
• Application Fee: A $50 non-refundable application fee is required. 
• Official Transcripts: Request official transcripts from previous colleges. You may request official hard copies to be mailed, or they may be sent using a secure third party electronic service, if your institution participates (i.e. parchment, student clearing house, etc.).  Please allow 4-6 weeks for all official transcripts to be received and processed.  Official copies should be mailed to: Belmont University, Office of Admissions, 1900 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN  37212. Electronic copies should be sent to belmontadmissions@belmont.edu.
• Recommendations: Contact two individuals for professional recommendations. These are completed after the application fee has been submitted, and are listed under the Supplemental Items section.  Recommendations are done entirely through the BU4U portal through email. 
• Resume: A professional resume is required, and is uploaded through your BU4U portal as a supplemental item. 
• Interview: You may be contacted for an interview with the Director of the Master of Sport Administration program. 

International Students:  Non US citizen applicants must satisfy one of the English language proficiency requirements  (i.e. TOEFL, Duolingo, etc.) before an admissions decision can be made. The list of acceptable options may be found HERE.  International applicants with college level course work from foreign institutions must have transcripts evaluated by a NACES accredited evaluation service, such as World Education Services or Joseph Silny & Associates.  Any questions related to immigration paper work should be directed to International Student and Scholar Services.

Application Status: Applicants are admitted on a rolling admissions pattern and will be notified of the admissions committee's decision shortly after the admissions requirements are completed. To check on the status of your application, check your BU4U account.

Tuition Information: Determine total cost per semester using the graduate Cost Estimator.

After being offered admission to Belmont, you may secure your enrollment with a nonrefundable enrollment deposit of $150. This deposit will be applied to first semester charges.