A Bachelor of Science in Sport Management is joining Middle Georgia State University’s degree lineup.

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved the degree proposal at its February 12 meeting in Atlanta. 

“Sport management is a growing field, nationally and in Georgia,” said Dr. Jon Anderson, Middle Georgia State’s provost. “We are excited about the potential for this degree program, which meets a need for our students interested in working in the business and management side of sports, recreation, fitness, and related industries.” 

Middle Georgia State (MGA) will house the bachelor’s degree, to be launched in fall 2019, in the School of Business and offer it on the Cochran and Macon campuses. Most of the University’s intercollegiate sports teams are based on the Cochran Campus but some are based in Macon. While MGA’s student-athletes have diverse academic interests and major in everything from information technology to history, the new degree is expected to be especially attractive to those who want to work in sports-related industries when their playing days are over.

Sport management programs prepare individuals to apply management principles to the organization, administration, or management of athletic programs and teams, sport recreation services, and related sectors.

According to information cited in the degree proposal, Plunket Research Ltd. recently estimated the economic impact of U.S. sports and recreation at about $520 billion dollars. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that more than 19.3 million Americans are working in the management, business, finance, entertainment, sports, and recreation sector. Sports, recreation, fitness, and related services and retail sectors have been recognized as among the largest new drivers of job creation of the current decade, growing more than 12.6 percent since 2010. 

Through 2026, employment in entertainment, sports, and recreation advertising, promotions, and marketing occupations is projected to increase at a rate of 9-10 percent above the average for all occupations.

Dr. Trip Shinn, who helped develop the degree proposal as interim dean of MGA’s School of Business, noted that Georgia Department of Labor data suggests the state is in line with national growth trends, with expansions across industrial sectors affiliated with sports, fitness, and recreation anticipated in both the short and long terms. 

“Sport management graduates benefit from a broad career landscape and can fill workforce needs in a host of professional positions,” he said. 

Shinn said the degree program is built on a strong liberal arts and general business curriculum. The program consists of 120 required credit hours, including a 42-hour core curriculum, 18 hours of discipline-specific coursework, 18 hours of general business coursework, 21 hours of sport management course work, and 21 hours of approved electives. The program features an embedded minor in business and at least three semester hours of internship experience.