For students eager to experience Queen City’s sport industry

In 2023, Elon University established its Charlotte campus, welcoming 12 students – primarily sport management majors – to participate in its inaugural “The Sport Experience” academic program, providing students an opportunity to live in the Queen City and take classes taught by full-time Elon faculty.

As part of this experience, students interned at several organizations including Fox Sports and the Atlantic Coast Conference, conducted site visits to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Team Penske, Bank of America Stadium, and the Spectrum Center, and attended sporting events to watch the Checkers, Knights, Panthers, Hornets, and Charlotte FC.

In addition to studying and completing internships, students enjoy living in the South End, convenient to the light rail, grocery store, restaurants, and coffee shops. Thanks to their location, students have an opportunity to immerse themselves in the Charlotte community.

Considering the city’s status as a finance hub, in addition to its robust sport industry, Charlotte is an attractive post-graduation option for Elon grads. And for many of our future-focused students, they want to immerse themselves in the workforce and community as soon as possible.

If that sounds like you, or you have questions, contact Department Chair and Associate Professor of Sport Management Shaina Dabbs at (336) 278-5678 or sdabbs2@elon.edu. Let’s talk about getting you to live, study and intern in Charlotte! Both summer and fall semesters are offered.

For more information, visit the Study USA pages highlighting the fall and summer programs.

Fall Semester in Charlotte

Start/End Date

Students study and conduct their internships during the university’s fall semester – August to early December.

Classes

These classes are offered in fall Charlotte: COM3350 Sports and Media, COR3060 College Athletics Administration, PUB3100 Philanthropy and Social Change, SPT4270 Event and Venue Management, and an internship course.

Class Times

Students take class one and a half days per week, similar to fall 2024. For example, the 2024 cohort had two classes on Wednesdays (9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) and one class on Friday mornings (9 a.m.-noon). The days may be different for fall 2025, but the times are likely very similar. Students should be available to intern 3-3.5 days per week.

Internship Requirements

Most students interested in the Charlotte experience are sport management majors and minors, and they must complete internship hours to fulfill the internship requirement for their major. Grant funding is available for students pursuing an unpaid internship through the Queen City Internship Grant.

Learning the tools and skills to conduct a successful internship search will help students prepare for their post-graduate job search.

Summer in Charlotte

All School of Communications students are required to complete an internship for credit. Why not complete it in the Queen City? Questions can be directed to Internship Director Amber Moser or your respective sport management faculty member.

Welcome to Charlotte

The university formally celebrated the opening of its national campus in Charlotte’s South End with a September 2023 press conference, highlighted by the institution’s plans to offer the Elon Law Flex Program in the Queen City. One of the campus’ fall highlights was hosting college basketball analyst Jay Bilas in October where he discussed playing for legendary Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, his own legal career, the traits of leadership, and finding purpose in helping others.

As part of the inaugural “The Sport Experience” cohort, students engaged in community-based learning activities. During the cohort’s “Event and Venue Management” course, students learned the ins and outs of event management while gaining a better understanding of corporate social responsibility and the role sport organizations play in addressing access to public goods.

The cohort then partnered with the Charlotte Knights and Promising Pages, a Charlotte-based nonprofit organization, to help facilitate a book drive at the Light the Knights Festival.