Western Carolina’s bachelor’s degree in Sport Management prepares students for a career working on the business side of college or professional sports. WCU maintains relationships with sports organizations across western North Carolina, enabling Sport Management students to work in the field during school. Students can choose to combine the degree with a complementary business degree such as marketing or business law. WCU also offers a minor in Sport Management, which provides a good business foundation for those pursuing other sport-related degrees such as athletic training.
The Sport Management degree at WCU covers a broad range of areas in the field including sports marketing, event management, risk and liability, accounting and finance and more. The 8-semester plan encourages students to earn a basic understanding of physical and biological sciences, economics, writing, information systems and business law in their first two years, creating a foundation for many of the skills you’ll use in Sport Management. The last two years focuses specifically on the business of sports, including everything from sports sociology to ethics to social media.
The global sports market is expected to grow from $506 billion in 2024 to $629 billion by 2028, fueled mostly by continually increasing dollar figures tied to media rights, sponsorships, and emerging technologies according to the 2024 Sports Global Market Report from The Business Research Company. That growth means a steady increase in available jobs across the country, particularly on the business side of this growing industry. WCU’s Sport Management degree will set you up for a wide variety of opportunities, including offering the internship experience you need to graduate with a job offer.