Ever wonder how to fuse a business degree with your love of sports? Our major looks at the general business disciplines of management, financial analysis, marketing, operations management and communications, and tailors them to the sports industry.

We have established close relationships with industry professionals from organizations like the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, St. Louis Sports Commission and the Rawlings Group. Rawlings' world headquarters are located at the entrance to our campus, which gives you unprecedented access to sports business professionals for class interaction, on-site experiences, guest speakers, mentoring opportunities and internships.

2011_Maryville_University_Sport_Business_Management_News_Letter.pdf 

2012 Sport Business Summer Institiute link

Program Goals
A graduate of Maryville University with a major in sport business management should be able to:

1. Have a working understanding of all the major areas of business:  Accounting, Economics, Finance, Management, Human Resources Management, Operations Management, Business Law, Business Ethics, Sales and Marketing.
2. Have in-depth knowledge in the areas of sport management, sport finance, sport marketing, sport law and sport business industry.
3. Have clear appreciation of the various ethical issues surrounding the business of sport.
4. Have practical experiences within the business of sports based upon internships, class related projects and volunteer experiences.  These experiences allow the students to get an understanding of the dedication, hard work, and pace of the sport business industry.
5. Have an understanding of the wide variety of career opportunities that exist in sports industries for someone with strong business skills.
6. Have the written, oral, and professional communication skills coupled with planning leadership and critical thinking skills that will allow the student to enter the workplace and make an immediate impact.

Program Features
As a student in the Sport Business Management program you will have the opportunity to learn academic theory and put it into practice through classroom assignments, volunteer opportunites and professional internships.

Professional Internship Requirement
Students in the Sport Business Management program are required to complete at least one professional internship prior to graduation. The program has unmatched assistance with internship placement  as well as local and national sport business contacts. Below is a sample of organizations  that students have completed internships for.

St. Louis Blues
Rawlings Corporation
Missouri Valley Conference
University of Missouri Athletic Department
National Sports Agency
University of Colorado Athletic Business Office

Practical Assignments
Students in the Sport Business Management program have developed comprehensive marketing plans for Rawlings Corporation and the St. Louis Blues. Students also benefit from sport business professionals as guest speakers in the classroom and university wide presentations.

Volunteer Opportunities
Maryville University is committed to service. The Sport Business Management program supports that commitment with our students volunteering in a variety of capacities. These volunteer events not only benefit the community but also give students practical experience. Some of the past opportunities include: NCAA Women's Final Four, Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Tournaments and Major League Baseball's All Star game.

Student Involvement
As a student in the School of Business, we strongly encourage you to join the Maryville Business Organization (MBO). This group, along with the strong ties our faculty members have with local professionals, provide avenues for you to develop contacts and learn about issues that affect local businesses.

Getting involved with Maryville sports teams or intramurals is a great way to build experience and meet other students. Although your academic work takes precedence, we also value an education rounded out with co-curricular activities. Because these activities seem so integral to your degree, we do our best to schedule sports management classes in a way that minimizes their conflicts with athletic events.

Program-specific events - such as the three-on-three basketball tournament we sponsored recently - vary from year to year, but with programs like Maryville Talks Business lectures, something is always happening.

Early Access Program
The Early Access program lets you accelerate your progress toward an M.B.A. Senior year, qualified students can take up to 12 credit hours at the graduate level, which count toward both a bachelor's and a master's degree. The bottom line: Early Access saves you time and money.

Flexible Scheduling
We offer sport business management courses during the day and evenings.

Admission Requirements
If you're interested in joining our sport business management program, you only need to meet the general admissions requirements for the university.