Concordia University - Sports Management Degree Guide

Concordia University offers two programs of interest to sports enthusiasts: an undergrad business degree in sport management and an MBA program with a concentration in sport management. The undergrad program is flexible in nature because it gives students more options regarding what classes they take and whether they do an internship. Students must take 12 credits of required classes that include the business of sports, sports management, sports psychology and sports and contract law. They can take other business courses like operations and project management, human resource management, global marketing and marketing communications too. Students will also need to take either principles of macroeconomics or principles of microeconomics as well as a course on financial accounting. Some of the graduates of this program work for companies like GDA Hockey, Global Sky and Yelp.

CUC offers an MBA with a specialization in sports management too. Students take a core of business and management courses and then take courses from within their specialization. The sports management specialization features classes like the economics of sports, sport finance and the essentials of laws in sports, which is a course that goes over the laws and regulations that will need to follow when working in the field. It also includes a course on diversity that looks at some of the ways professionals can increase the diversity of professional and amateur athletes. Concordia University offers this program online, which allows students to earn their degrees at the same time that they work full-time jobs or handle any other commitments/obligations they might have.

About Concordia University

Concordia University, also called Concordia University Chicago and CUC, is a private university in Chicago that has an affiliation with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The history of the university dates back to the 1850s, which was when two missionaries established a small seminar that offered training programs for those who wanted to teach in Lutheran schools. After the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod took over operations of the school, they moved the campus several times before choosing Addison, Illinois, which is close to Chicago. It served as the Concordia Teachers’ Seminary and the Concordia Teachers College before finally moving even closer to Chicago and becoming a full college that offered programs outside of the educational programs it offered in the past. This also helped it gain university status. CUC is the oldest school in the CU school system.

U.S. News & World Report ranked the university as one of the best in the Midwest and put it at number 75 on its list of best colleges in this region. Now located in River Forest, the campus has an enrollment of more than 5,200 students, which includes more than 3,000 students working on their graduate and doctoral degrees as well as a smaller number of undergrads. Its teams compete in the Division III conference of the NCAA, and teams at the university include basketball, baseball, track and field and lacrosse.

Concordia University Accreditation Details

CUC has accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS), which is a division of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). NCACS accreditation is so important because this is the regional accreditation necessary for students who want to receive financial aid from the federal or state government. Though the university has a religious affiliation, it does not seek out just religious affiliation like similar schools might. NCACS accreditation also makes it easier for any student moving to a new school or coming from another school to take and transfer the credits they earned in the past. Other accreditation that CUC has comes from organizations that include:

Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)

Concordia University Application Requirements

CUC assigns all prospective students an admissions counselor who will work with them to complete the application process. This process includes an online application that takes less than an hour to fill out. It asks for some background information and has sections that let students describe their hobbies and interests. They can also tell the university about any experiences they have such as doing volunteer work, completing an in-depth research paper or working in the field. The application also asks students about where they went to high school, whether they earned any college credits and what they want to study. Students must also provide an official SAT or ACT test score. Admissions counselors will contact students regarding any other information needed. Some students may need to provide a letter of recommendation from a teacher, a transcript from their senior year and/or a personal essay statement.

Those applying for a graduate program will need to use a similar online application. It asks them about where they went to college, the classes they took and the degree they earned. All students must have a bachelor’s degree in hand before starting a graduate program. The university does not charge an application fee for using the undergrad or graduate application. Undergrads can also use the Common Application to apply.

Tuition and Financial Aid

CUC charges a tuition rate of $937 per credit hour for part-time students. Full-time students will find that this rate combined with all fees comes out to around $32,000 a year. Those who want to live on-campus pay room and board costs of around $10,000 a year. There is also an overload fee of $554 per credit hour for any student taking more than 18 credits in a semester. Its graduate programs charge $440 per credit hour, which comes out to a total cost of around $14,500 for students enrolled in a standard 33-credit hour program. CUC has a guaranteed tuition policy that ensures students who do not take in any breaks in their studies will pay the same rate as they complete their programs of study.

The university offers a range of financial aid opportunities and sends students a financial aid award letter that details everything that comes in their packages. Those options vary between graduate students and undergrads. Undergrads may receive one or more loans, grants from the state and/or federal government and one or more scholarships. Graduate students usually use student loans to cover their educational expenses. Students at all levels can apply for parent loans and alternative student loans too.