Bachelor of Arts in Sport Business Degree
Pursue your dream job with a Bachelor of Arts in sport business degree from the University of Mount Union. Our interdisciplinary program will turn your passion for sports into a rewarding career in sales, communications, or recreation.
Our expert faculty bring years of experience and research and will guide you through creating sponsorship proposals, sales training, and business plans. Our sport business degree program has also received specialized accreditation through the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA) located in Fort Collins, Colorado.
About the Program
The sport business major at Mount Union offers a breadth of knowledge in management, finance, public relations, and marketing of the sport industry. You can also participate in the Sport Sales Workshop and Job Fair where you can boost your career network while earning job and internship opportunities with professional sports organizations.
Our program will help you develop essential skills for industry success while learning from alumni guest speakers who have carved out meaningful careers in this competitive field. Through classroom knowledge and impactful experiences, you will be ready to make your mark.
Learn more about the Degree in Sport Business
Cultivate your career path with the Bachelor of Arts in sport business degree program at Mount Union. Building on your professional internships and networks, and the curriculum of our #1 Ranked program by Bachelor’s Degree Center, you will thrive in the global sport industry.
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Curriculum
As a sport business major at the University of Mount Union, you will explore the sport industry and how it interacts with the business world. You will develop the necessary skills to make those interactions beneficial and profitable. You will study sport management, finance, public relations, marketing and administration as well as gain hands-on experience through the completion of research in the field.
Program-Level Student Learning Outcomes
- Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of theoretical foundations and their practical application (content knowledge).
- Students will be able to articulate, in written form and verbally, knowledge learned and apply it to the management and business of sport (written and oral communication).
- Students will demonstrate the ability to use technology to assist in completion of presentations (technology).
- Students will be able to critically reflect and demonstrate the ability to work independently as well collaboratively in teams (work independently and collaboratively).
- Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation for ethical behavior in a sport business setting (ethics).
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Experiential Learning
INTERNSHIPS
Internships provide practical, hands-on experience in the real world.
Alliance, Ohio is located within 90 minutes of Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Akron, Canton and Youngstown with each having an abundance of professional sport teams and organizations that sport business major students have the opportunity to work with. The sport business faculty members at the University of Mount Union have strong connections with professional teams and will be able to put you in contact with the appropriate people at each organization. If you choose to pursue an internship, there will be ample opportunity for extended, in-depth experience and training toward a future career.
Mount Union students have interned with the Cleveland Guardians, Cleveland Cavaliers, National Basketball Academy, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Washington Wizards and St. Louis Cardinals. Schedule a campus visit to learn more in person.
PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING OF SPORTS PRESENTATIONS
In previous years, students in the Public Relations and Marketing of Sport course traveled to Cleveland to present partnership ideas to members of various Cleveland sport organizations. Part of what makes this project unique is that each of the three organizations have at least one Mount Union sport business alumnus working at the management level. This means that the students get real-world corporate advice from executives who were once in their shoes merely a decade or so prior.
For the project, students work with accounts the organizations are actively pursuing. They then meet with members of the partnership teams from each organization early in the semester to go over some of the objectives of each account. For their final project in the class, students then have 15 minutes to present their work to the partnership leaders not only for a grade, but for their ideas to potentially become part of the organization’s actual pitch to the potential partner. Students then receive feedback and exchange information with the executives to create important connections to help further their careers after graduation.
SPORT SALES WORKSHOP AND JOB FAIR
The Sport Sales Workshop and Job Fair provides participants with valuable insights and proven successful sales techniques from some of the most successful professionals in the industry. Following an opening session with an overview of ticket sales, participants receive almost four hours of personalized sport sales training, as well as networking with sport industry executives during lunch.
With ticket sales being the best opportunity to find employment in the sport industry, the experiences and skills gained at the Sport Sales Workshop and Job Fair give participants a head start for a promising career. The training sessions provide participants with the unique opportunity to "audition" for entry-level sales positions.
GUEST SPEAKERS
- Todd Fleming '00 – Vice President and GM, Legends Global Sales
- Brent Stehlik '99 – President, OneTeam and Operating Partner, Redbird Capital
- Austin Pavilack '14 – Manager, Inside Sales and Recruiting, Cleveland Browns
- Ryan Robbins '00 – Vice President, Alliance Partnerships at Hall of Fame Village Resort and Entertainment Company
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Careers
RECENT EMPLOYERS
Cleveland Cavaliers
Houston Dynamo
Maryland Special Olympics
San Antonio Spurs
San Diego Padres
Cleveland Browns
Columbus Crew
Akron Aeros
NBA League Office
Pro-Football Hall of FameRECENT GRAD SCHOOLS
The Ohio State University
Marshall University
University of Indiana
University of Akron
Baldwin-Wallace College
University of Tennessee
Ohio UniversityCOMMON CAREERS
Professional sport organizations
Recreation
Fitness clubs and YMCAs
Event management and support
National governing bodies
Collegiate Athletic Departments
Collegiate Coaches
