Courses and Curriculum
The Master of Science in Sport Business is comprised of a flexible, 36-credit curriculum designed to fit the individual needs of each student. Headed by a distinguished faculty, the program emphasizes the theoretical foundation of sport business industry-specific courses that equip students with critical insight, strategic business principles and practical application techniques. The program can be completed fully online, on-campus or a hybrid of both.
A typical full course load would include nine credits each semester, allowing the majority of students to finish the program in four semesters (two years). Students have a maximum of four years to complete the program.
The program can be done part-time and at a pace that is suitable to a student’s work or personal schedule. The flexible schedule offers all courses after 5 pm, allowing students to keep or take on full-time employment, or to pursue internships and assistantships during the day.
TIMELINE & SCHEDULE
Program Start
Fall semester (August)
Program Duration
The Master of Science in Sport Business is designed to be completed in 2 years. Students may do the course work at their own pace and design an individualized graduation plan with an adviser. Students must complete the program within four years.
Course Format
Courses are offered primarily during the fall and spring semesters and held online or in-person on Temple University’s Main Campus.
Course Times
All courses are scheduled after 5 pm to allow students to maintain full-time employment or pursue internships and assistantships during regular business hours.
Curriculum Outline
The Master of Science in Sport Business consists of 18 required STHM credits, 6 required business credits, 12 elective credits and a graduate internship or the option to complete a master’s thesis or master’s project.
Sport Business Graduation Requirement (36 Total Credits)
This course will analyze the relationship between finance and the sport and recreation industry. The purpose is to apply a series of basic financial and economic principles to the decision making process of sport firms and organizations. Issues include optimal pricing strategies, demand analysis, optimal financing, hiring decisions and investment decisions—all of which can be undertaken with the tools addressed in this course. This course examines a variety of financial management issues relevant to major professional sport franchises, the corporations that use sport as a vehicle for promotion and other organizations comprising the industry. Additional emphasis is placed on the financial and economic aspects of the public finance of sport facility construction and other forms of government subsidizes of the sport industry.
This course addresses the legal aspects of sport, recreation and leisure services with a focus on tort liability, human rights liability, criminal liability and contractual liability. Legal concepts of negligence, situations which give rise to lawsuits, and principles of risk management will be covered. Legal issues related to use of equipment, facility management and accommodation for special populations will also be addressed.
This course provides an overview of the core sport marketing and promotions principles. In addition to covering the essentials of the marketing mix, this course will also include lessons on the development of marketing strategies in the modern sport marketplace.
This course focuses on the basic functions of management and the strategic challenges confronting firms that compete in the global economy within the sport and recreation industry. It provides students a forum in which to apply and integrate management and strategic theories, as well as practices and skills in a global environment, and across all types of organizations, including public, private and voluntary. The course also gives opportunities to entrepreneurs in the industry to develop business plans.
The principles of planning areas and facilities for sport, recreation and parks are explored in this course. In addition to the design and construction of specific sport and recreation facilities, approaches to standards and regional planning will be discussed. Problems and issues related to funding, maintenance and use of sport and recreation facilities will be analyzed. The course will also include trends in facility design, construction and maintenance.
The Graduate Internship in Sport and Recreation represents the culminating experience for all master’s students during their final semester. A minimum of three credit hours is required for all students, regardless of concentration. The Graduate Internship utilizes a field placement with emphasis on acquisition and application of practical skills. 180 contact hours will take place in cooperation between the student and an agency, under supervision of both the university internship coordinator and the agency-designated supervisor.
Sport Business Elective Courses (12 Credits)
Students may take any 12 credits from the STHM elective courses listed below (in addition to the Fox School of Business and Management Requirements listed above). If students wish to have a “concentration” designation on their transcripts, they must take each course designated under one concentration listed below and “declare” the concentration.
This course provides an overview of the role of fundraising and development in a sport setting. Students will gain an understanding of the strategies and processes used to generate revenue through philanthropic giving for programs. Environmental analyses and strategic planning will be central to training students to develop appropriate, successful fundraising and development programs. The role of governing bodies and ethical and legal implications will also be addressed.
This course analyzes and produces skills essential to revenue production through sport sponsorship and a variety of approaches and the identification of the various areas and components of sales in the sport industry. Sales theory, principles, current issues and understanding the unique selling trends of organizations will be addressed as they apply to all levels of programs and in all types of contexts. Experiential learning will be a priority and will be infused into the content delivery through the learning experience.
This course addresses the current state of rules compliance and student services in intercollegiate athletics. Regulations and enforcement structure will be examined at the national, conference and institutional levels. The course will also detail the support mechanisms and corresponding legislation aimed at the academic and personal development of student-athletes. The implications and consequences of such legislation will be explored.
The purpose of this course is to provide an in-depth overview of intercollegiate athletic governing bodies. Students will gain an understanding of the structure, policies, finances and current issues related to intercollegiate athletics. Additionally, students will identify appropriate strategies for effectively dealing with current issues/problems in intercollegiate athletics.
This course provides an overview of the role of fundraising and development in a sport setting. Students will gain an understanding of the strategies and processes used to generate revenue through philanthropic giving for programs. Environmental analyses and strategic planning will be central to training students to develop appropriate, successful fundraising and development programs. The role of governing bodies and ethical and legal implications will also be addressed.
The goal of this course is to provide students with the background necessary to understand the evaluation process in the field of events and recreation management. The focus of the class is on evaluation, assessment and different types of program evaluation, including needs assessment, formative research, process evaluation, monitoring of outputs and outcomes, impact assessment, and cost analysis. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are addressed. Students will execute an applied evaluation project. This project involves practice in interviewing, focus groups, survey questionnaire development, data collection and data analysis. The course will provide students with a conceptual map of how evaluation research is conducted, the resources available to them, the vocabulary of research and guidance in writing an evaluation report.
This course examines the theoretical, philosophical, practical and ethical perspectives related to the effective management and leadership of non-profit organizations in the twenty-first century. Students will examine strategies related to governance and policy development in the not-for-profit organization. The fundamental differences of working for a non-profit or government entity will be discussed and compared/contrasted with for-profit organizations. In addition, students will examine the unique managerial challenges posed to not-for-profit organization and the typical techniques and practices used by leaders in the public and non-profit sectors. The course will also familiarize students with the legal implications, unique financial management and revenue generating models of not-for-profit organizations.
This experience-based course will present principles of event management, along with a broad overview of opportunities in the industry. There will be a special focus on current trends and technology, risk management, staffing and budgeting. A wide diversity of hands-on, real-world experiences will be available.
The class will discuss the theory, development, and application of analytics in sport. Students will learn about the application of analytics in sport for purposes of evaluating player performance, team management, market segmentation, pricing, and other areas in sport industry operations. Analytics includes the inclusive use of data, statistical and quantitative analysis, explanatory and predictive models, and fact-based decision making. Analytic methods are employed to gain insights on team and player production, human resource practices, and game management. Additionally, quantitative methods are used to analyze pricing, advertising, promotions, and other sport business decisions. Many new techniques and methods to communicate analytical results are emerging and will be a factor in this new area of sport analytics.
This course is an applied analytics course where students will learn common analytics concepts standard in the sport industry as well as the tools to help analyze these concepts. Many of the questions this course will address will not have clear answers. The course seeks to enable students to practice analytics-based decision making skills to create a well-supported argument rather than attempting to identify what is correct.
This course will focus on learning the common technical skills required to be a successful data analyst in the sport industry. Students will learn how to use advanced data analytics software to deliver efficient, impactful insights when faced with problems related to the sport industry. Students will also be exposed to common data visualization and management tools.
The professional portfolio is a capstone course that provides students within the Sport Analytics concentration with an opportunity to demonstrate achievement in sport analytics. The course is a true culminating experience where students synthesize learning from previous coursework in the concentration. Students will be required to conduct independent data analyses and share their work with the broader sport analytics community.
This course analyzes and produces skills essential to revenue production through sport sponsorship and a variety of approaches and the identification of the various areas and components of sales in the sport industry. Sales theory, principles, current issues and understanding the unique selling trends of organizations will be addressed as they apply to all levels of programs and in all types of contexts. Experiential learning will be a priority and will be infused into the content delivery through the learning experience.
This course is designed to provide knowledge of the psychological foundations of consumer behavior, the mechanisms of influence that are most likely to lead consumers to change their attitudes, their beliefs, and, most importantly, their actions and how to engage these mechanisms in building persuasive communications. The focus of this class will be on the scientific research of behavioral scientists from multiple disciplines that illuminates the psychological processes underlying consumer behavior, with specific focus on spectator and participant based sport and recreation activities.
This course examines the various aspects of the relationship between sport and both media and communication. An overview of theories in media and communication is systematically provided and discussed. It focuses on the nature of traditional and digital media and its implication for sport policy and management. Specifically, the relationship between the sender, the message, the medium and the audience are critically examined. Communication management and strategy are also discussed as the production, organization and consumption of sport involve a wide range of communicative processes. Attention is also paid to the legal and ethical aspects of sport communication.
STHM Miscellaneous Electives
This seminar is designed to provide an in-depth exploration of special topics, current issues and trends in sport and recreation as they relate to topics such as interpretation of international multiculturalism; concepts of strategic management; the use of information technology and its impact on destinations, competitive strategy and marketing; environmental trends, planning and development; policy formulation; and the social and economic impact of sport and recreation. Relevant industry problems and issues facing management and personnel in the related industries will be discussed.
A Master’s Project may be scheduled by arrangement with an adviser. The Master’s Project is limited to those who plan to earn their master’s degree by completing a project.
A Master’s Thesis may be scheduled by arrangement with an adviser. The Master’s Thesis is limited to those who plan to complete their master’s degree by writing a thesis.
CONTACT US
For questions about the application process, the program or to schedule a personalized consultation with a member of the graduate enrollment team, please contact:
Jonathan Campione
Associate Director, Graduate Enrollment
jonathan.campione@temple.edu