Sport Marketing DEGREE

Explore how AU business students are set up to succeed in the classroom, in internships, and in their careers after graduation.

Overview

The sport marketing degree at Anderson University focuses both on the promotion of sporting events and teams, as well as the promotion of other products and services through the athletics industry.

Currently, the marketing industry is on track to grow slightly faster than the average for all professions. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects around a 13% growth for marketing manager positions in the next decade; however, sport marketing is special because the sports industry has such low turnover. The best way to ensure entry into the industry is to gain a specialized degree in sport marketing, rather than a general degree in marketing.

VISIT

APPLY

FINANCIAL AID

EXPLORE THE SPORTS MARKETING DEGREE

We combine marketing, business, and sport management classes to give you a well-rounded academic experience. While many universities offer sport marketing in kinesiology, AU intentionally offers the major within the Falls School of Business for students to have a competitive edge on a core of best business practices.
We focus on hands-on projects and experiences that translate into employable skills. Two of our required classes (Sales & Sponsorships and Business of the Game Day) will end in results that will be featured on student résumés and are designed to help students obtain better internships and expand career options.
Our athletic program works with us to provide a lab for sport management students to practice what they are learning in the classroom.
We have an advisory council of sports industry professionals, including sports agents and multiple professional teams, as well as communications, marketing, sponsorship, and other sport professionals who have committed to supporting our students.

=

Options

Graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Sport Marketing in three years.
Graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Sport Marketing in four years.
Complete the 4+1 program, from BA to MBA.

=

Classes

Marketing Management
Sport Marketing
Business of Game Day Experience
Sport Sponsorship & Sales
Business core classes, including Accounting, Economics, Finance, Statistics, Marketing, & Management

=

Careers

Sports Administrator
Sports Marketing Account Executive for firms or for teams
Athletic Event Manager
Athletic Director
Sponsorship Sales
Merchandising & Licensing

Professional Testimonials

There’s no question that AU provided an authentic learning experience that prepared me for the real world experiences that I’m blessed to be enjoying today. One of the most relevant to my current position as a digital marketing strategist/consultant for NCAA bowl games was the hands-on education that I received through Professor Anna Stumpf’s sport marketing class my senior year. The opportunity to learn and execute a sport marketing event didn’t just give me confidence and awareness, it allowed me to have a crucial piece of experience on my résumé that every employer in the sports world wants to see. Gaining real-world experience through a hands-on sport marketing class opened up an enormous amount of opportunity for me in the sports marketing world.

Rick Raison BA ’14, Digital Marketing Strategist/Consultant for NCAA Bowl Games

Young sports executives and interns are the lifeblood of any sports organization. The need and demand for highly qualified, trained and skilled applicants to the sports industry continues to grow and AU’s entry into this space will only deepen the talent pool for our organization and others in Central Indiana, the Midwest and across the country.

Randy Lewandowski BA ’93, General Manager of Indianapolis Indians

As an AU alum who works in the sports industry, I am very excited to hear about the addition of the sport marketing degree. I know how crucial it is for potential candidates to not only have the knowledge of our industry when applying for roles but experience is just as crucial. The sports business world is unique in many ways, but it is still a business, a big business! There are many different roles in our industry from sales and marketing to finance and business analytics. Everyone wants to get their “foot in the door” but without knowledge of the industry, it is extremely hard to get in. Once you are “in” the industry, it is on the individual to make the most of that experience.

Ryan Bertschman BA ’03, Director of Sales and Service at Miami Marlins, L.P.

3+1 Business Programs

Two degrees in four years. Taking you from BA to MBA.

Anderson University's three-year programs qualify for the accelerated 3+1 business program, where a student can earn any of our three-year undergraduate degrees and the 10-month MBA from our Falls School of Business in a total of four years.

Learn More