Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Science
Nature of the Program
Since its inception in 1981, the WVU Sport Management undergraduate program has prepared students to work across all levels of sport as the team behind the team. The curriculum has received national and international recognition as one of the best of its kind. Students are required to complete a minimum of three credit hours of internship. This “hands-on” experience is mutually beneficial and serves to help students gain full-time employment in the sport industry. The internship provides the student an opportunity to learn the sport industry while the sport organization evaluates a potential future employee. In essence, the internship has become the cornerstone of a student’s learning experience. In addition to the core sport management curriculum, students have the flexibility through a required minor (or double major), and elective space to complete courses from many other schools and colleges across campus including Journalism, Communications, Business and Economics, and Arts and Sciences.
Admissions for 2027-2028
Direct Admission Criteria
First time students who meet University requirements are directly admitted to the Sport Management major.
Students admitted from other majors within WVU must be in good academic standing (2.0 GPA).
Students transferring from another institution must be in good academic standing (2.0 GPA).
Major Code: 5511
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 66 | |
| Professional and Career Development Sequence* | ||
| Sport Management Major Requirements | 54 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 | 25 | |
| CAHS 191 | First-Year Seminar | 2 |
| General Electives | 39 | |
| Total Hours | 66 | |
Professional and Career Development Sequence
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence * | ||
| First-Year Seminar | ||
| Career Exploration in Applied Human Sciences | ||
| Capstone Experience in AHS | ||
Sport Management Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| A grade of C- or higher must be earned in all the following courses. | ||
| SM 125 | Sport Facility Management | 3 |
| SM 137 | Sport Event Management | 3 |
| SM 240 | Sport Governance | 3 |
| SM 287 | Contemporary Issues in Sport Management | 3 |
| SM 370 | Sport Finance and Economics | 3 |
| SM 375 | Sport in the Global Market | 3 |
| SM 380 | History of American Sports | 3 |
| SM 426 | Liability in Sport | 3 |
| SM 485 | Management of Sport Organizations | 3 |
| SM 486 | Sport Marketing & Sales | 3 |
| CAHS 300 | Career Exploration in Applied Human Sciences | 3 |
| CAHS 489 | Capstone Experience in AHS | 3 |
| SEP 371 | Sport in American Society | 3 |
| Professional Minor ** | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 54 | |
- *
CAHS 191 is accounted for in the University Requirements, CAHS 300 and CAHS 489 as part of the Major Requirements.
- **
Students must select a professional minor (at least 15 credits) in consultation with their Student Success Coordinator. Grade requirements for the professional minor depend upon the minor selected.
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| CAHS 191 | 2 | SM 137 | 3 |
| ENGL 101 or 103 (GEF 1) | 3 | GEF 4 | 3 |
| SM 125 | 3 | GEF 5 | 3 |
| GEF 2 | 4 | GEF 6 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| SM 240 | 3 | SM 287 | 3 |
| ENGL 102 or 103 (GEF 1) | 3 | Professional Minor Course 2 | 3 |
| GEF 3 | 3 | Professional Minor Course 3 | 3 |
| Professional Minor Course 1 | 3 | GEF 7 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| SM 380 | 3 | CAHS 300 | 3 |
| SEP 371 | 3 | SM 370 | 3 |
| Professional Minor Course 4 | 3 | SM 375 | 3 |
| Professional Minor Course 5 | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| SM 426 | 3 | CAHS 489 | 3 |
| SM 485 | 3 | SM 486 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||
Accelerated Program
Accelerated B.S. Sport Management/M.S. Executive Sport Management Program
Students in this accelerated bachelor's to masters (ABM) program have the opportunity to concurrently complete their undergraduate degree in Sport Management and their master's degree in Executive Sport Management via an accelerated pathway. Students may apply for admission to this ABM in the fall semester following completion of a minimum 60 credits and/or at least three semesters of full-time coursework. Only enrolled WVU Sport Management majors may be considered for admission to the program. Transfer students must complete at least 24 credit hours as degree-seeking students at WVU before applying. The minimum standard for admission is a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0, with no provisional admissions allowed. Regular admission will not be offered to students with less than two semesters to complete the bachelor's degree. Students may apply using a Qualtrics application form that requires a resume and personal statement. Applications are due by October 15th with program admission decisions communicated by the end of the fall semester. Applications will be reviewed by an established ABM admissions work group.
Students in this ABM program must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 throughout their enrollment in both the undergraduate and graduate programs. Students in this ABM will complete all 30 credits of master's degree courses, 12 credits of which will count toward elective credit at the undergraduate level. Grades from selected courses (i.e., 12 credits) will be counted toward the students' GPA at both the bachelor's and master's degree levels for the purposes of determining satisfactory performance. Unless given specific permission by the Dean's Office, students admitted to this ABM program must maintain full-time continuous enrollment during fall and spring terms. Enrollment requirements in the summer term include the completion of 6 credits at the graduate level across consecutive years. Students' eligibility to remain in this ABM program will be evaluated at the end of each semester. Students failing to meet program or University standards will be placed on program probation for no more than one semester, after which they will be terminated from the ABM program. Terminated students as well as students who choose not to continue the ABM program will be eligible to receive their bachelor's degree after completing the traditional bachelor's degree requirements.
Accelerated BS/MS Degree Requirements
Students must fulfill all degree requirements for the B.S. in Sport Management and the M.S. in Executive Sport Management. Students must also meet all the requirements of the ABM.
ABM Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Sport Management Major Requirements | 108 | |
| Shared Bachelor's/Master's Curriculum Requirements | 12 | |
| MS Executive Sport Management Degree Requirements | 18 | |
| Total Hours | 138 | |
Shared Bachelor's/Master's Coursework Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select four courses from the following list: | 12 | |
| Navigating Legal Issues in Sport Management | ||
| Management of Human Resources in Sport Organizations | ||
| Sport Policy and Governance | ||
| Sport Consumer Behavior and Marketing | ||
| Financial Decision-Making in Sport | ||
| Sport Development and Fundraising | ||
| Social and Ethical Responsibility in Sport | ||
| Sport Facility Operations | ||
Area of Emphasis * | ||
Sport Industry Management Area of Emphasis | ||
| Applied Research in Sport Management | ||
| Current Issues & Applications in Sport Management | ||
| Total Hours | 12 | |
- *
The AOE isn't applied to the student's record until the last semester prior to graduating. All ABM students will graduate with the Sport Industry Management AOE. Students interested in the Interscholastic Athletic Administration AOE will need to speak with a coordinator.
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
| CAHS 191 | 2 | SM 137 | 3 | ||
| ENGL 101 or 103 (GEF 1) | 3 | GEF 4 | 3 | ||
| SM 125 | 3 | GEF 5 | 3 | ||
| GEF 2 | 4 | GEF 6 | 3 | ||
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
| SM 240 | 3 | SM 287 | 3 | ||
| ENGL 102 or 103 (GEF 1) | 3 | Professional Minor Course 2 | 3 | ||
| GEF 3 | 3 | Professional Minor Course 3 | 3 | ||
| Professional Minor Course 1 | 3 | Elective | 3 | ||
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||||
| Third Year | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer | Hours |
| SM 380 | 3 | SEP 371 | 3 | ABM | 3 |
| CAHS 300 | 3 | SM 370 | 3 | ABM | 3 |
| Professional Minor Course 4 | 3 | SM 375 (GEF 7) | 3 | ||
| Professional Minor Course 5 | 3 | ABM | 3 | ||
| Elective | 3 | ABM | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | 6 | |||
| Fourth Year | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer | Hours |
| SM 426 | 3 | SM 486 | 3 | ABM | 3 |
| SM 485 | 3 | CAHS 489 | 3 | ABM | 3 |
| ABM | 3 | ABM | 3 | ||
| ABM | 3 | ABM | 3 | ||
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 | ||
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 | ||
| 18 | 18 | 6 | |||
| Total credit hours: 138 | |||||
Major Learning Outcomes
Sport Management
The goal of the program is for students to graduate with the essential skills and knowledge to work effectively within the profession of sport management. This is a diverse profession with many pathways.
- Content Knowledge: Students will integrate knowledge, skills, and dispositions and apply them to professional issues in sport management.
- Reflection and Professional Readiness: Students will reflect on their professional readiness and think critically about the continued refinement of the disciplinary knowledge, skills, and dispositions learned across the sport management curriculum.
- Professionalism and Ethics: Students will model professional and ethical behaviors that are consistent with the industry standards and the related recommendations for best practice learned across the sport management curriculum.