School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management

Let’s face it: climbing the ladder in any industry is hard.

But what about when the industry itself is rooted in the idea of competition? Or has recently ballooned into a billion-dollar market that’s spread across an international stage?

Yep, even harder.

Fortunately, Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management (STHM) understands this, and has a solution for those looking to raise their game in the professional sport industry: the Master of Science in Sport Business (MSSB) program.

A two-year, 36-credit program featuring an innovative and industry-specific curriculum, the MSSB experience readies students to advance their careers in the world of sport.

With an engaged industry and alumni network to access and specific concentration designations to choose from, students learn new skills to tackle current situations facing professional sports teams, college athletic programs and sport businesses.

Three MSSB program students told us why they turned to STHM to advance their career and credentials within the sport industry.

Climbing the front office ladder with a dual degree

For Jonathan Jackson, it didn’t take long for him to determine he had what it took to build a successful career with a professional sports team.

A little less than half a year to be exact.

“I completed my undergraduate bachelor’s degree in sport science and fitness management and began a 10-week post-graduate internship with the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in June 2022,” Jackson explained.

“I found success within the internship, so they offered me a year-long fellowship with their corporate partnerships team. However, three months into the fellowship, a full-time member of their team left their role, and I was fortunate enough to be chosen to take over their coordinator of corporate partnerships position that November.”

Suddenly, through determination, a great attitude and a hard work ethic, Jackson found himself thrusted into a front office role with an NBA organization mere months after his undergraduate graduation.

While some would get complacent, his motivation to keep climbing didn’t slow—it intensified.

That is when he turned to Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management.

“I was thrilled to be in the front office of the 76ers, but I was very motivated to keep building upon my experiences and knowledge, and I knew this could be done through an educational opportunity,” Jackson said.

“Working in Philadelphia, I searched for MSSB programs in the area and immediately connected with what STHM’s curriculum offered.”

STHM included everything Jackson was looking for: the ability to study sport business at a high level, a school that had established relationships with professional sports organizations and a program layout that was accommodating to those in full-time jobs.

He enrolled in STHM’s dual degree program, charting him on a path of unparalleled education and professional development while obtaining both his MSSB and EMBA in sport management degrees.

The experience has been highly impactful.

“Not only do I feel that I’ve successfully built my undergraduate education, but I’ve expanded my knowledge of the industry alongside the professional experiences I’ve had in these early stages of my career,” Jackson said.

“There have already been instances in my working day-to-day within the industry where lessons I’ve been taught in the classroom have become a useful skillset.”

His industry advancement is already evident. In fall 2025, he accepted a new full-time role as a senior coordinator of partnership marketing with the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL).

“This education is so valuable—it’s something I’ve been utilizing and something that I plan to keep utilizing across the entire duration of my career.”

Not only did his STHM experience shape Jackson’s industry prowess, it positively transformed his personal development, too.

“I’m very grateful for this program experience and everything that STHM has offered me and my career,” Jackson said.

“From faculty support and camaraderie with my program cohorts, this entire journey has made me so confident about myself and my ability to manage and excel in any situation moving forward.”

A call to the city (and community)

Taylor Szczecina had always known where she would go to pursue her master’s degree in the sport industry.

“If there was any where I was going to study for my master’s for a career in sports, it was going to be in Philadelphia,” Szczecina, a native of Orwigsburg, PA, said.

“It’s a great sports city—you have all four major sports leagues represented with passionate fans— what more could you want out of an environment to learn about the sport industry?”

The only question was if she actually would decide to go.

“I was at a crossroads,” Szczecina recalled of the fall semester of her senior year at Kutztown University in 2023.

“It was either try and enter the sport industry with the education I had or take a step to add another layer of industry knowledge to my resume through a master’s program.”

While the undergraduate sport management major leaned toward pursuing further education, the question of where to go for it arose.

Fortunately, a trusted professor suggested she explore Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management.

“Suddenly, here was a program that checked all the boxes,” Szczecina said. “Not only was STHM’s MSSB program in Philadelphia, but I had a family connection to Temple: both my parents obtained their undergraduate degrees there.”

Now, nearly three and half years since first learning of the program, her decision has proven to be the right one.

The MSSB experience hasn’t just expanded her industry knowledge and expertise; it’s helped her determine her career trajectory moving forward.

Although once unsure about where to take her talents within the sport industry, her two years in the program helped her find her calling: the nonprofit/community space.

“There are so many professional sectors within the sport world, but I’ve found myself becoming very passionate about the nonprofit/community relations/community outreach aspect within the industry,” Szczecina said.

“I’ve always loved how much sports brings people and communities together, so I am very excited to pursue a career around that idea with my newfound knowledge as an MSSB student.”

On top of what she’s learned in the classroom, extracurricular experiences have proved to shape her future pursuits, too. On top of serving as a graduate assistant equipment manager with Temple athletics, she interned with Girls on the Run Philadelphia.

“The internship with Girls on the Run has just been invaluable,” Szczecina said.

“The organization does an amazing job of blending the nonprofit and youth sports worlds together to offer kids a safe, community sports atmosphere to grow socially as individuals.

“That is the kind of professional space I want to find myself in.”

While she finds herself currently in the midst of job applications and interviews, she’s confident that the MSSB program has positioned her exactly where she wanted to be.

“STHM and its MSSB program does an amazing job at taking your previous education and experiences and elevating you to your next level,” Szczecina said.

“I’m so excited to enter and impact the industry.”

A mother’s drive

After 18 years within the transportation industry, Sherese Durrah was looking for a reason to change careers.

She found it when thinking about her 13-year-old son’s future.

“My son Asher is all about athletics and loves sports,” Durrah said with a chuckle.

“Soccer, flag football, tennis—he’s at an age where he’s beginning to get serious about wanting to become a professional athlete or, at the very least, becoming a college athlete.”

Realizing her son’s dreams were serious, Durrah began to research the industry where her son hoped to succeed.

She quickly realized there was a lot she didn’t know.

“The sport industry, especially the world of collegiate athletics, is undergoing a huge shift right now,” Durrah said. “The more I researched, the more I realized this—I had no idea how intricate subjects like ‘name, image, likeness’ and collegiate athletic regulations were.”

As her son began his own pursuit, it coincided with Durrah realizing she was ready to start a new journey of her own, professionally.

Ready to pursue a new industry and continue the support of her son’s dreams, she knew what to do next.

Pursue a master’s degree in sport business at Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management.

“This career change was a blend of personal interest and wanting to grow my professional endeavors,” Durrah explained.

“Working in the sport industry has always been appealing to me, and I reached a point where I was at my threshold in my current industry. Combine that with wanting to be a strong resource and guide for my son and his pursuits, and I arrived at this decision.”

Durrah, who was raised in Philadelphia, was in need of a further educational program that would offer her sport industry credentials.

“When I discovered the MSSB program at STHM, it was a match made in heaven,” Durrah said.

“Being from Philadelphia, I knew to explore Temple’s programs, but I also needed a graduate sport program that accommodated working individuals and allowed remote learning.

“It checked all those boxes.”

Durrah was also pleased to find that the program could accommodate her specific interests in collegiate athletics, harkening back to supporting her son’s future endeavors.

She found the STHM staff to be a valuable resource and support network as she began to narrow down her intended area of study.

“Through their guidance, my studies focus on the collegiate athletic world, specifically learning about elements related to compliance and regulations—concepts that I already have a baseline understanding in through my previous industry.”

As Durrah continues her progression in the program, she plans to search for a career in collegiate/general athletic operations or the youth athletic space upon completion of her MSSB degree in the spring of 2027. She cites a dream job in the industry would be serving as a liaison between student athletes and their academic and athletic transitions.

With her exact professional future to be determined, she is grateful for STHM being a critical puzzle piece in her career change for now. And for allowing her to grow her support for her son.

“My experience within STHM’s MSSB program has been phenomenal so far,” Durrah said.

“STHM provides such strong faculty support, industry connections, knowledge and skill—I feel very confident in finding the industry success I want while also being a valuable resource for my son’s future.”