- Online
Master of Science in Sport Management Degree
Sport Crosses Borders and Cultures. Build the Skills To Work Across It All.
Duration
Graduate in as little as one year
Format
100% online
Class size
Fewer than 15 students
Optional emphasis areas
Media or Global Sport
Next start date
October 26, 2026
California Lutheran University’s online Master of Science in Sport Management (MSSM) is designed to give you expertise in that world with coursework that covers NIL, sport law, analytics, global sport business, sustainability and more. For students searching for sport management schools in California, that means a program with direct access to one of the world’s most active sport markets.
Made for the Business Behind the Game
The business of sport looks nothing like the rest of the business world. It’s a field with its own regulations, its own economics and its own global culture. You need to know this industry inside and out to win in it, which is why you need a comprehensive degree taught by faculty with real experience.
Request Information
To learn more about the Graduate Degree Programs offered by the Cal Lutheran School of Management and download a brochure, please fill out the form. You can also get in touch with an enrollment specialist directly by calling us at 805-521-9856.
Study It From a California Sport Hub
Cal Lutheran sits in Southern California, one of the most active sport markets in the world. Students are close to the franchises, media companies and major events that make the region a center of the sport business. Graduates leave with a deep understanding of the North American market and the cross-cultural fluency the sport industry requires.
“The MS in Sport Management has fit really well into my fast-paced life. Because the program was flexible and online, I was able to continue working while also pursuing the degree. That made a huge difference.”
Read more about Carlie’s experience as a sport management student →
Why Choose the Cal Lutheran MS in Sport Management?
Finish in a Year, With Support the Whole Way
Most students complete the program in about a year, fully online. The support around you makes this possible even if you’re working full time or balancing other responsibilities.
Learn From Faculty Who Shaped the Field
Our faculty bring longstanding expertise in sport roles and business leadership from Southern California and beyond. You’ll learn about areas like name, image and likeness (NIL), sport agency, sport law and the sociology of a global industry from experts who know this industry from the inside.
Target Your Coursework or Build Your Own Elective Mix
You can focus your electives by choosing an emphasis area in Digital Media, Communication and Marketing or Global Sport Business. Or you can opt for a general track that pulls from both.
Prove Your Skills With a Hands-On Capstone
The program ends with a capstone of your choice:
- An internship + portfolio puts you inside a sport organization you select, taking on real responsibilities with a faculty advisor in your corner.
- A research project lets you study the questions you care about and build empirical work of your own.
What Will You Learn in the MS in Sport Management Program?
You start with five core courses that build your foundation across the business of sport, then choose four electives from one of two emphasis areas or a general mix. You’ll finish with a capstone internship or research project. By graduation you will have completed 10 total courses.
Core Courses
- Foundations of Sport Management and Leadership
- Foundations of Sport Business and Finance
- Contemporary Social Issues in Sport
- Sport Law
- Strategic Sport Marketing
See the full course list and curriculum info: Download our brochure or explore the curriculum page.
MS in Sport Management Program Outcomes
- Read the legal and financial structures that govern contracts, agencies and governing bodies
- Understand how sport operates across different countries, markets and cultural contexts
- Build the communication and leadership skills that move you from individual contributor to decision-maker
Talk To Someone Who Knows the Sport Management Program
Our enrollment specialists are some of the best people to talk to when you’re considering Cal Lutheran’s MS in Sport Management. They know the program deeply and they genuinely want to help you make the right call.
Call Us: 805-521-9856 or Request a Call
Who Is the Cal Lutheran MS in Sport Management Program For?
No two students arrive with the same story, but a few profiles show up often.
Many are working professionals based in California and across the surrounding region who are drawn to a program rooted in one of the country’s busiest sport markets. Others join from across the country and beyond, drawn by a fully online format and a curriculum built for a global industry.
You Don’t Need a Sport Background to Apply
Many of our students enter the program from outside the industry, with backgrounds in marketing, finance, media, law or another outside field. The five core courses build the foundation they need to enter the field credibly, while the electives let them specialize in the areas that match their goals.
For students who already work in sport, those same courses fill any gaps you may have, giving you foundational expertise in the legal frameworks, financial structures and analytics the industry runs on. The program is built to meet you wherever you’re starting from.
Career Outcomes: What Can You Do With a Master’s in Sport Management?
“To advance in your professional life is extremely gratifying, and investing in oneself is the kind of investment people rarely regret.” — Adriana Sekulovic, Program Director, Sport Management
Sport is a competitive field to build a career in and credentials matter. A graduate degree signals the specialized knowledge that moves you into higher-responsibility roles, and in administration and collegiate coaching it’s often required to advance at all.
Sport Is Booming Around the World
The sport industry is growing, and growing fast. The global sport economy is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 10% over the next five years, according to the World Economic Forum.
In markets like the U.S., the U.K. and the EU, sport already contributes between 2% and 4% of GDP and supports roughly 1 in every 25 full-time jobs.
California Is at the Heart of This Growth
The opportunity is especially strong close to home.
The sport industry in the Los Angeles region supported nearly 93,000 jobs in 2024 and generated $12.1 billion in total economic output — and that represents a nearly 4 percent growth.
That growth spans both professional and collegiate sport, with professional sport employment alone rising by 7,600 jobs year over year. For students building a career in Southern California, few regions offer a denser concentration of teams, venues and sport organizations to grow into.
Frequently Asked Questions: MS in Sport Management
A sport management degree gives you graduate-level preparation to work in the business and operations side of sport. It covers the areas that keep sport organizations running, including marketing, finance, law, communications, analytics and event management.
At the master’s level, you study sport-specific knowledge that moves you into higher-responsibility roles. That includes the legal frameworks behind contracts and NIL, the financial structures and revenue models that make sport its own kind of industry, the analytics that drive decisions in front offices and athletic departments, and the global context that shapes how organizations operate across markets and cultures.
You also build the leadership and communication skills crucial to nearly every sport career, from managing a team to representing an organization to the public and the media.
The MS in Sport Management is a 100% sport-focused program. Every course centers on the sport industry, from sport law and finance to global sport business, NIL and analytics. You graduate with deep, specialized expertise in how sport organizations can thrive.
The MBA with a sport management emphasis is a comprehensive business program with sport specialization added through four targeted electives. You complete the same core business coursework as every other MBA student, then use your emphasis courses to focus on sport.
The right choice depends on what you want your graduate degree to do for you. If your career goals are in sport and you want real depth in how the industry works, the MS in Sport Management is built for that. If you want a general business and leadership credential and see sport as one possible direction among several, the MBA gives you that broad foundation with a sport focus layered on.
If you have questions about which of these degree options fit your goals, talk to an enrollment specialist at 805-521-9856.
This is a 100% online degree. You will not need to attend any on-campus courses. If you choose the internship option for your capstone, you may need to attend in person at the sport organization you choose.
Most students complete the degree in about a year if they take two courses per term. The degree requires 10 courses (30 credits), and there are five, eight-week terms per year. See more on our curriculum page.
Yes, you can choose an optional emphasis area in Digital Media, Communication and Marketing or Global Sport Business.
You can also pursue a general sport management master’s degree without a specialized track.
No. The program is built to welcome people from a range of backgrounds, including those coming from adjacent fields or those with no direct connection to sport.
What matters more than your background is your interest in the field. We’re looking for students who go beyond just loving sports to wanting to understand the industry and discipline. Consider these questions: Does the business and culture of sport hold your attention the way the games themselves do? Are you ready to study it with the same seriousness you would bring to any other professional field?
If you have questions about whether the degree is a good fit for you, we encourage you to talk one-on-one with an enrollment specialist at 805-521-9856.
You’re doing the research. Here’s the next step:
Explore on your own: Download a brochure, see the curriculum or review admissions requirements.
Talk with someone who knows the program: An enrollment specialist can answer questions and help you figure out if this is the right fit. Call 805-521-9856 to talk one-on-one.
