What is Sport Management? Find out at Elon

Khirey Walker stands before a group of sport management majors in a brightly lit classroom learning the ins and outs of sport industry.

What is Sport Management?
Find out at Elon University

Our sport management major prepares students for the business of sport, including professional sport, college athletics, recreation and sport-related agencies. Through extensive practical applications, students develop an understanding of community and global service, with an emphasis on leadership and professional skill development.

Sport management majors and minors develop the necessary knowledge and skills to thrive in careers related to professional and amateur sport, intercollegiate athletics, event management and programming, facilities and arena management, sport tourism, sport agencies and beyond.

Classes are led by faculty with years of varied, professional experience, and are dedicated to teaching and seeing students thrive. They are eager to help students identify their professional path, or to offer assistance with course work. These mentor-mentee relationships often last long after graduation.

Beyond the classroom, our majors are required to complete an internship to further their professional experience and prepare them for the job market. Students have previously interned with professional sports teams, league offices, media companies, college athletic departments, agencies and non-profit organizations. This list includes the Boston Red Sox, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, NASCAR, PGA Tour, ESPN, FOX and NBC.

The department is one of 36 programs in the United States formally accredited by the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA).

Why Study Sport Management at Elon?

Through the Department of Sport Management’s rigorous curriculum and student-center initiatives, our undergraduates develop the complex skills needed to manage sport organizations, events, facilities and promotions.

Elon is one of a few institutions nationwide to effectively combine sport, event management and recreation, providing a unique and comprehensive career preparation. Through a curriculum infused with Elon Learning Experiences (Internship, Leadership, Service, Study Abroad and Undergraduate Research), students learn about the business of sport, a multi-billion dollar industry.

To learn more about our degree requirements and courses, see below.

Major

Sport Management B.S.

Sport is a multi-billion dollar industry that has significant influence and reach in today’s society. Develop the complex skills needed to manage sport organizations, events, facilities and promotions.

Sport Management Degree Requirements & Courses

Minor

Sport Management Minor

Sport Management Minor Requirements & Courses

News

School of Communications earns reaccreditation, praised as ‘all-star program’
The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) unanimously voted to renew the school’s accreditation – its fourth consecutive recommendation since 2006.
Sport management major Will Ferris ’25 named Student Organization Officer of the Year
The president of the Sport Management Society was recognized for his exemplary leadership and service at the 2025 Dr. Leo M. Lambert Awards ceremony on April 30.
2024 Steven and Patricia House Excellence in Mentoring Award recipient reflects on a year of impactful mentorship
Shaina Dabbs was recognized for the Women in Sports (WINS) program, which she founded in 2018.
PGA TOUR executive Samantha Coury ’13 offers wisdom at sport management banquet
Among the evening’s award recipients were Brynja Burton ’25, named Major of the Year, and Will Ferris ’25, who earned the James P. Drummond Service Award.

Sport Management