USM Sport Management Master’s Program Receives National Rankings

Thu,
10/21/2021 – 13:24pm | By: Van Arnold

The sport management program at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) has received
lofty national rankings by education resource guide Intelligent.com for 2022. USM’s
master’s sport management degree program is ranked No. 21 nationally, while the online
master’s sport management program earned a No. 17 ranking.

The sport management program at USM is housed within the College of Business and Economic
Development. The program’s curriculum is designed to enable students to acquire and
demonstrate a set of management skills and an understanding of sport industry issues
through a combination of required business core courses, sport management-specific
courses, and experiential components.

Students will get the opportunity to work with and participate in experiential learning
with organizations including Southern Miss Athletics, Biloxi Shuckers, Mississippi
Braves, Sanderson Farms Championship, Landmark Event Services, Aramark, Swetman Security
Services, and the University’s National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security.

There are currently more than 120 students enrolled in USM’s undergraduate sport management
program and approximately 100 enrolled in the graduate program. Dr. Chris Croft, Assistant
Professor of Sport Management, notes that the program has increased in student enrollment
each of the last four years.

“Some of this growth could be attributed to the collegiate rankings from organizations
such as Intelligent and Online School report,” said Croft. “Sport management professionals
are in demand. An article from Globe Newswire (2021) states that the sports market
forecast for 2025 is expected to reach approximately $600 billion with an additional
$226 billion by 2030.”

Dr. Brandon Allen, Assistant Teaching Professor of Sport Management and the program’s
director, notes that prospective students are using internet search engines to locate
the top sport management programs in the country.

“As these students navigate and research our program at USM, they note that the price
point is reasonable, academic course load is comparable to other institutions, degree
completion time frame is flexible based on student needs, and students that graduate
are successful in acquiring sport management jobs.”

Intelligent.com uses a multi-tiered formula for ranking online sport management programs.
Chief among the criteria is that every university must be regionally accredited; its
program meets quality standards set by a private nongovernmental organization. This
helps guarantee that future employers — and if you choose to pursue advanced education,
your future college — will respect your degree as legitimate.

Other crucial criteria include:

• Program strength
• Student readiness
• Return on investment
• Cost
• Student engagement

To see the complete rankings visit:

https://www.intelligent.com/best-online-masters-in-sports-management-degree-programs/

https://www.intelligent.com/best-online-sports-management-degree-programs/

To learn more about the Sport Management program at USM, call 601.266.4627 or visit:
https://www.usm.edu/undergraduate-programs/sport-management.php