About the Center for Sports Administration

Why the AECOM Center for Sports Administration?

1. The Curriculum: The MBA/MSA combination

The two-year MBA/MSA program prepares students for leadership positions by combining the business teaching of the Ohio University MBA program with sport-specific knowledge during the MSA program. This degree combination recognizes the growing complexity of the sports, facility and entertainment industries, and reinforces Ohio University's commitment to preparing students for the leadership challenges of the future. SportBusiness International recently ranked the program the #1 Overall Postgraduate Sports Course in the world.

The MBA phase of the program uses a problem-based learning style, immersing students in collaborative projects and working situations that are commonplace in the business world. Students learn basic business concepts in a real-life context, and develop skills in communication, collaboration and teamwork that are essential for success, while developing their ability to be creative, take initiative, and accept personal responsibility for their actions.

The MSA program combines classroom and practical experience to prepare individuals for leadership positions in the sport industry. An interdisciplinary approach gives students the freedom to choose courses of personal interest and build a foundation of knowledge in their desired career fields.

View the MBA and MSA degree curriculum

2. SAFM Alumni Network

More than 85 percent of our 1,400 graduates are employed in key positions within intercollegiate athletics, professional sports, public assembly facilities, sports tours, motor sports, corporate sports organizations, sports media, and the entertainment industries. The loyalty of our alumni and the reputation of the program translate into a wide variety of excellent internship and employment opportunities.

3. Practical Learning Opportunities

Learning also take places outside the classroom as students work on class projects, such as the program’s annual alumni symposium and various opportunities offered by the Ohio University Athletic Department.

4. International Diversity

The program’s reputation has grown on both the national and international levels, attracting students from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, England, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mauritius, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Taiwan and Thailand. Our international diversity provides a valuable perspective as the sport industry becomes increasingly globalized.

Our Story

Ohio University holds the proud distinction of being the first university to introduce a sports business education program. 

Fifty years ago when Dr. James Mason brought the idea for an academic program built around sports administration to Athens, one could hardly predict the level of complexity that the sports industry has become today. Through the years, the sports industry has continued to evolve, becoming increasingly global and more complex in its approach to business.

As such, Ohio University’s Center for Sports Administration was founded to serve as a resource to solve the increasingly difficult issues facing the industry and serves as a platform, bringing together various constituent groups associated with the Ohio University Sports Administration Program. Each of these groups benefit from the Center’s unique arrangement.

Alumni of the program can come to the Center for solutions to issues that present particular challenges to their organizations. The Center will then use its resources at its disposal to find workable solutions to these challenges.

Current students enrolled in the SAFM program will be given the opportunity to research solutions to industry challenges while applying the skill that he/she has acquired throughout their two-year course of studies in the MBA/MSA program. Through their research efforts, students will increase their knowledge base, while building their own personal networks.

The Sport Industry will benefit from the results that are yielded from student research. The Center posts the findings from students on this website, which will become and has become an online destination for industry professionals looking for answers to perplexing issues affecting their organizations.

In order to continue to serve on the forefront of the sport industry, Ohio University offers four degree options:

• Master of Business Administration/Master of Sports Administration (MBA/MSA) Dual-Degree Program
• Master of Sports Administration (MSA) Degree Program**
• Online Master of Sports Administration*** (online only)
• Online Master of Athletic Administration (MAA) Program

**Available for students with previous graduate degrees in law or business and also available to prospective students with full-time experience in sports or a related industry who will add value to younger students enrolled in the MBA/MSA dual degree program

***Only available to students with three or more years of full-time experience working in the sports business industry, this is an online program.

Apply to a Sports Admin Graduate Program

Tuition and Fees