Sports Management Degree Programs in Illinois (A-I)

There are a number of accredited sports management degree programs in Illinois. Selecting which is the best fit can be something of a challenge.

Rankings

The information below, listing schools and programs along with summaries of the programs and contact information for them, should be able to help make facing that challenge a bit easier. To see more sports management degree programs in Illinois, visit Sports Management Degree Programs in Illinois (J-M) and Sports Management Degree Programs in Illinois (N-Z).

Blackburn College

The Division of the Natural Sciences

The Division of the Natural Sciences at Blackburn College, a Presbyterian-affiliated college between St. Louis, Missouri, and Springfield, Illinois, is one of the three Divisions into which the College’s academic programs are sorted. It gathers together the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Medical Laboratory Science, Physical Education and Physics, so that its scope somewhat exceeds its name—not all of the disciplines over which it presides at the College are “natural sciences,” properly speaking—but the expanded offerings do serve to put students in close contact with those outside of their more common field divisions, improving interdisciplinarity and thus student understanding.

Bachelor of Arts in Sport Management

The Division offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sports Management that equips students for a variety of careers related to sports and events; suggested careers include academic services for student-athletes, compliance and development officers and facilities and sports marketing directors. In addition to College general education requirements, students must complete four separate Fundamentals of Physical Education courses, Foundations of Physical Education, Physiology of Exercise, Theory of Coaching, Kinesiology, Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries, Sociology of Sport, Physical Education Seminar, Sports Management, Ethics in Sports Management, Governance in Sport, Psychology of Sport, Sport Facility and Event Management, Sports Marketing and Publicity, Legal Aspects of Sport, Financial Accounting, Organizational Behavior, Marketing Practices and Policies, Statistics for the Social Sciences and Public Speaking. Students completing the program are thus positioned to enter into all aspects of sports management, helping individuals and groups to better ensure that athletes are able to focus on their sports without worrying for the peripherals.

Accreditations

- - - North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Contact Info
Blackburn College
700 College Ave.
Carlinville, IL 62626
Phone: 217.854.3231×5637
Email: Geraldine.albins@blackburn.edu
Website: http://blackburn.edu/prospective-students/majors/pesm/sport-management/

Bradley University

Charley Steiner School of Sports Communication

The Charley Steiner School of Sports Communication is a component of the Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts at Bradley University. The first named sports communication school in the United States, the School seeks to address the sports industry need for qualified, competent communicators in its journalism and public relations at all levels, from schools through college and amateur organizations through professional sports leagues. It recognizes the degree to which athletic culture has permeated the mainstream culture of the United States and the world, and it seeks to equip its students to engage meaningfully with the phenomenon.

Bachelor of Arts in Communication in Sports Communication

The School offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sports Communication that seeks to equip students to engage ethically and competently in the prevailing media environment surrounding the athletics industry. In addition to University general education requirements, students seeking the degree must complete a Communication Core (Survey of Communication, Communication Theory and Issues and Perspectives in Communication), courses in the major (Introduction to Multimedia; Sports, Media and Society; Journalistic Writing; Sports Writing and Announcing; International Issues and Ethics in Sports; Digital Journalism; Communications Research and Sports Promotion and Publicity), a required course from outside the field (chosen from among Survey of Accounting, Accounting Principles-Financial and Elementary Statistics) and six hours of prescribed electives that allow for narrower focus on one or more aspects of sports communication (such as production, sales and management or internships). The distinguishing feature of the degree as a Bachelor of Arts is that it requires two years of college-level foreign language or the equivalent.

Bachelor of Science in Communication in Sports Communication

The School offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Communication that seeks to equip students to engage ethically and competently in the prevailing media environment surrounding the athletics industry. In addition to University general education requirements, students seeking the degree must complete a Communication Core (Survey of Communication, Communication Theory and Issues and Perspectives in Communication), courses in the major (Introduction to Multimedia; Sports, Media and Society; Journalistic Writing; Sports Writing and Announcing; International Issues and Ethics in Sports; Digital Journalism; Communications Research and Sports Promotion and Publicity), a required course from outside the field (chosen from among Survey of Accounting, Accounting Principles-Financial and Elementary Statistics) and six hours of prescribed electives that allow for narrower focus on one or more aspects of sports communication (such as production, sales and management or internships). The distinguishing feature of the degree as a Bachelor of Science is that it requires six hours of coursework in physical and natural science, mathematics, computer science, statistics, or quantitative methods in addition to the general education requirement.

Accreditations

- - - Higher Learning Commission
    - North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Contact Info
Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts
1501 W. Bradley Ave., GCC 100
Peoria, IL 61625
Phone: 309.677.2368
Email: bjl@bradley.edu
Website: https://www.bradley.edu/academic/departments/com/

Columbia College Chicago

Business and Entrepreneurship Department

The Business & Entrepreneurship Department at Columbia College Chicago offers nine baccalaureate degrees (Advanced Management, Arts Management, International Arts Management, Live and Performing Arts Management, Marketing, Media Management, Music Business, Sports Management and Visual Arts Management) and a Master of Arts, as well as three undergraduate minors with which students in other fields can supplement their formal educations. Each program focuses on providing students who come to the College for its artistic focus with the skills they will need to turn their artistic endeavors into viable professional paths, and to help others to do the same.

Sports Management, BA

The Department offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sports Management meant to equip student to become leaders in the rapidly growing and already large sports entertainment industry. The degree requires a minimum of 120 credits of coursework, including 42 in the liberal arts and sciences core and one writing-intensive course. Coursework in the major, which also consists of 42 credits, is divided into three levels. Level I provides introductory information for the major in such courses as Introduction to Management, Managerial Economics, Information Management, Entertainment Marketing and Business of Professional Sports. Level II coursework expands on the foundation of Level I in Accounting, Entertainment Law, Writing for Managers and Talent Management. Level II polishes students’ understandings and equips them for professional practice through Finance, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Box Office Management and Sponsorship. Graduates are thus suited to administer the functions that allow athletes to focus on their sports.

Accreditations

- - - Higher Learning Commission.

Contact Info
600 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
Phone: 312.369.7130
Email: None listed, but contact forms are available
Website: http://cccjbar.colum.edu:9040/cgi-bin/public/CCdegreq.cgi?indept=BUSE&incat=UG14&insubaud=BSPMBA14&inprog=UNDG

Concordia University Chicago

College of Business

Established in 2007, the College of Business at Concordia University Chicago offers programs that integrate a Lutheran Christian worldview with global business practices. It offers the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with nine emphases (Accounting, Management, Marketing, Media Arts, Music, Not-for-Profit/Church Management, Sports Management, Theatre and Visual Art), the Bachelor of Arts degree in four (Accounting, Business Communications, Management and Marketing), the MBA in nine concentrations (Comprehensive, Accounting, Banking and Financial Institutions, Chief School Business Official, Health Care Management, Leadership and Change Management, Not-for-Profit Management, School Business Management and Sports Management) and a non-profit certificate.

Bachelor of Science in Sports Management

The College offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Management that equips students to work in all areas of the sports entertainment industry. The program requires 57 hours of coursework in addition to the University’s general education requirements, including a business core (Financial Accounting, Management Accounting, Principles of Micro- and Macroeconomics, a statistics course, Calculus for Business & Life Sciences, Management, Business Law, Information Technology in Business, Business Ethics, Finance and Marketing I), a major core (Sports Management, Business of Sports, Sports and Contract Law and Strategic Policy & Management) and nine hours of approved electives (selected from Personal Finance, Advanced Business Law, Small Business Management, Human Resource Management, Operations & Project Management, Corporate Finance, Money/Banks/Financial Institutions, Field Study of International Business, Management Information Systems, Industrial Organizational Psychology, Independent Study and an internship). Students are offered a solid grounding in business and an understanding of the sports world, suiting them to work at all levels of the industry.

MBA, Sports Management

The College also offers a MBA in Sports Management that prepares students to be leaders in the sports entertainment industry. A 39-credit, two-year graduate degree, the MBA in Sports Management requires its students to take MBA core classes (Financial Accounting & Analysis, Marketing Design & Strategy, Managerial Economics, Seminar in Descriptive Statistics, Ethical Strategic Leadership, Macroeconomic Analysis and Management of Human Resources), concentration courses (Global Managerial and Organizational Behavior, Operations Management, Economics of Sports, Essentials of Law in Sports, Level the Playing Field: Diversity in Sports and Sport Finance) and a capstone experience that consolidates and encapsulates the knowledge and expertise students have gained in their previous studies. Classes are available on-site and online, and neither application fees nor GMAT scores are required for admission. Tuition is expected to cost $709 per credit, meaning that the program will cost nearly $27,651, exclusive of materials and fees.

Accreditations

- - - Higher Learning Commission
    - Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs

Contact Info
7400 Augusta St.
River Forest, IL 60305-1402
Phone: 708.209.3108
Email: business@CUChicago.edu
Website: https://www.cuchicago.edu/academics/colleges/business/

DePaul University

Driehaus College of Business

One of the first collegiate schools of business in the United States, the Driehaus College of Business was established in 1912 and renamed for alumnus donor Richard H. Driehaus in 2012. It hosts a number of departments and schools: the School of Accountancy and Management Information Systems, the School of Hospitality Leadership, the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and the Departments of Economics, Finance, Marketing, Management and Real Estate. Students in the College are thus exposed to scholars who work across the breadth of business studies, offering them an expansive view of the business world that will serve them well in an increasingly global economy.

Sports Management (MBA)

The Kellstadt Graduate School of Business in the Driehaus College of Business at DePaul University offers a MBA with a concentration in Sports Management that equips students to lead various parts of the sports entertainment industry. All MBA students in the School take a common set of core courses for the degree: Financial Accounting, Management Accounting and Control, Selected Topics in Macroeconomics, Economics for Decision-making, Financial Management, Applied Quantitative Analysis, Strategic Analysis for Competing Globally, Managing for Effective and Ethical Organizational Behavior, Fundamental Operations Management, Managing Human Capital and Decisions in Marketing Management. Those concentrating in Sports Management also take Sports Management and two courses selected from among Quality Management Systems, Leadership in Sports: Lessons for Coaching in the Workplace, Managing Service Operations, Negotiation Skills, Project Management and Special Topics in either Legal and Ethical Issues in Sports or Sports Marketing.

Accreditations

- - - Higher Learning Commission
    - Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Contact Info
Kellstadt Graduate School of Business
1 E. Jackson Blvd., Suite 5300
Chicago, IL 60604-2287
Phone: 312.362.8810
Email: kgsb@depaul.edu
Website: http://kellstadt.depaul.edu/academics/mba-programs/sports-management-mba/Pages/default.aspx

Eastern Illinois University

College of Education & Professional Studies

The College of Education & Professional Studies at Eastern Illinois University oversees the teacher certification programs offered by the University and hosts the Departments of Counseling and Student Development; Early Childhood, Elementary and Middle Level Education; Educational Leadership; Health Studies; Kinesiology and Sports Studies; Recreation Administration; Secondary Education and Foundations; Special Education and Student Teaching. It is necessarily interdisciplinary in scope, working closely with content majors and minors to ensure that its students have the fundamental knowledge and skills to be able to help others and the support skills necessary to deploying content knowledge to its fullest effect.

BS in Kinesiology and Sports Studies: Sport Management Concentration

The College offers a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Sports Studies with a concentration in Sports Management that is, in practice, a degree in Kinesiology with a minor in Business Administration, the latter offered by the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences. Students in the program are required to take, in addition to University general education requirements, an aquatics course, two hours in coaching courses, a Kinesiology core (Kinesiology and Sports Studies as a Profession, Structural Kinesiology, Introduction to Sport Management, Fitness for Life, Technology in Kinesiology and Sports Studies, Psychosocial Aspects of Sport, Ethics in Sports, Governance in Sport, Sport Law, Sport Management Principles, Marketing in Sport, a technique and theory course and an internship) and the minor coursework (Financial Accounting, Survey of Finance, Management and Organizational Behavior, Principles of Marketing and three electives from a prescribed list).

Accreditations

- - - Higher Learning Commission
    - National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
    - Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

Contact Info
College of Education & Professional Studies
Eastern Illinois University
600 Lincoln Avenue
Charleston, IL 61920
Phone: 217.581.2524
Email: ceps@eiu.edu
Website: http://www.eiu.edu/kss/Undergraduate_Concentrations_Sport.php

Illinois State University

School of Kinesiology and Recreation

Founded in 1863, the School of Kinesiology and Recreation in the College of Applied Science and Technology at Illinois State University offers undergraduate and graduate programs in such fields as Athletic Training, Exercise Science, Physical Education Teacher Education, Recreation and Park Administration and Therapeutic Recreation. At the undergraduate level, internships are available, with paid assistantships on offer for graduate students, ensuring that the School is able to offer hands-on, practical training to its students at all levels. This ensures that students are well equipped for the demands of the workplace upon completing their programs, offering an advantage over other schools.

Master of Science in Sport Management

The School offers a Master of Science degree with a sequence in Sport Management that equips students to work as leaders in the sports industry. All master-level students in the School take a research core (Research Methods and Statistics) as well as a culminating experience (a thesis, an independent study course or a professional practice series). Those in Sports Management take 21 hours in the sequence: The Sport Industry, Seminar in Advanced Sport Marketing and Sales, Facility and Event Management in Sport and Recreation, Fiscal Management in Sport and Recreation, Principles of Sport Law, Marketing of Sport and Recreation and Advanced Topics in Sport Management. They may also take an elective approved by the program and faculty to further enhance their learning. Typically, the program takes two years of study in the fall and spring, with the second fall semester seeing the most intense coursework and the second spring seeing the culminating experience take place.

Accreditations

- - - Higher Learning Commission

Contact Info
Illinois State University Kinesiology and Recreation
Campus Box 5120
250 McCormick Hall
Normal, IL 61790-5120
Phone: 309.438.8661
Email: kinrec@ilstu.edu
Website:

There are other programs, of course, in Illinois and elsewhere. The above information should help in choosing which to attend, pointing towards which of the accredited sports management degree programs in Illinois a person will do well to pursue.

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