Sports Management

About the sports management major

Sports management promotes, encourages, and supports athletic participation for recreational, educational, and professional sports organizations, as well as individual and team athletic events and competitions that draw spectators. You'll learn the art of promoting, selling, and facility and event management. You'll earn a general business minor or certificate in this degree program. Internship opportunities are available both locally and regionally.

Skills and abilities this major develops: communication, marketing, sales, promotions, and team building.

Engaged learning experiences

Regardless of your major or future career, engaged learning is vital to your present and future. It makes you more marketable for jobs and professional schools upon graduation, it enables you to build deeper connections with faculty and staff in your field of study, and it makes your learning personal by connecting your interests and values with the curriculum from your classes. Check out the three ideas below for places to get started, or learn more at IU Indianapolis’s Institute for Engaged Learning website.

Community engagement

The School of Health and Human Sciences hosts a number of initiatives for students to get involved, add to their resume, and give back to the community.

Professional work experience

Working on campus for offices such as Campus Recreation or the Office of Health and Wellness can provide great preparation for a variety of health-related careers.

Life–Health Sciences Internship Program

LHSI is a paid internship program that places second- and third-year IU Indianapolis students in a variety of health and science workplaces to gain practical experience and skills.

Opportunities after graduation

Employment of event managers is projected to grow 7% from 2023 to 2033, faster than the average for all occupations. About 16,500 openings for meeting, convention, and event planners are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as retirement (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024).

According to the IUPUI (now called IU Indianapolis) First Destination Survey in 2023, the average starting salary reported for School of Health and Human Science graduates was $45,350, and the median salary was $43,750.

The national median annual salary for event managers was $56,920 in 2023 (Occupational Outlook Handbook).

(This section is intended for informational purposes, not prediction of actual salary.)

Sports management majors often pursue advanced degrees in the following areas:

Business administration (M.B.A.)
Higher education/student affairs
Human resource management
Law

Quick facts

Sample coursework

Legal aspects of sports and risk
Management of sports events
Sports in American society
Sports marketing
Sports public relations and promotion
Sports sales

Possible careers

Event manager
Facility management
Human resources
Marketing and promotions
Sports agent
Sports analyst*
Ticket and sales operations

*This career requires additional training or education.

Where could I work?

August Mack
Government agencies
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful
Keter Environmental
Profit and nonprofit businesses

Complementing interests

EEnterprising

SSocial

RRealistic

Get your interest code

Where to get more information

School of Health and Human Sciences

North American Society for Sport Management

Teamwork Online

Enterprise, Policy, and Planning Cluster

This major is part of the Enterprise, Policy, and Planning (EPP) cluster. The EPP cluster is the academic home of University College students pursuing or interested in business; economics; labor studies; organizational leadership; public and environmental affairs; sport management; and tourism, conventions, and event management.

Learn about the EPP cluster

Learn about other clusters

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