The Sport Administration B.S. curriculum blends coursework in sports management, marketing, finance and law to prepare you for a career in the sports industry. With hands-on experiences through internships and real-world projects, you'll gain the skills and knowledge to excel in this exciting field.
Kent State University’s Bachelor of Science in Sport Administration provides a comprehensive education in sport administration studies. This program prepares students for various careers, including roles in sport administration and related fields.
The Bachelor of Science degree in Sport Administration prepares students for careers in the sport industry through a balanced academic program and numerous practical experiences.
Students complete a core group of courses developed to exceed accreditation guidelines, and all students are required to complete one of the following minors:
The curricular balance of sport, business and sociological courses along with three required practical experiences make the program of study one that is cutting edge compared to other programs within the state of Ohio and across the country.
The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.
First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the .
First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.
International Students: All international students must provide proof of proficiency of the English language (unless they meet specific exceptions) through the submission of an English language proficiency test score or by completing English language classes at Kent State’s English as a Second Language Center before entering their program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.
Former Students: Former Kent State students or graduates who have not attended another college or university since Kent State may complete the reenrollment or reinstatement form on the University Registrar’s website.
Current Kent State and Transfer Students: Active Kent State students who wish to change their major must have attempted a minimum 12 credit hours at Kent State and earned a minimum 2.000 overall Kent State GPA to be admitted. Students who have not attempted 12 credit hours at Kent State will be evaluated for admission based on their high school GPA for new students or transfer GPA for transfer students. Transfer students who have not attempted 12 credit hours of college-level coursework at Kent State and/or other institutions will be evaluated based on both their high school GPA and college GPA.
Transfer students visit the admissions website for transfer students for more information.
Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's .
Students may be required to meet certain criteria to progress in their program. Any progression requirements will be listed on the program's Coursework tab
Graduates of this program will be able to:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
| BA 24056 | BUSINESS ANALYTICS I | 3 |
| or BMRT 21004 | BUSINESS ANALYTICS I | |
| or MATH 10041 | INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS (KMCR) | |
| SPAD 15000 | INTRODUCTION TO SPORT ADMINISTRATION | 3 |
| SPAD 25000 | SPORT IN SOCIETY | 3 |
| SPAD 25092 | PRACTICUM I IN SPORT ADMINISTRATION (ELR) 1 | 1 |
| SPAD 35021 | GOVERNANCE IN SPORT | 3 |
| SPAD 35025 | FACILITY MANAGEMENT | 3 |
| SPAD 35065 | HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (WIC) 2 | 3 |
| or SPAD 45029 | HISTORY AND CURRENT ISSUES IN COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS | |
| SPAD 35092 | PRACTICUM II IN SPORT ADMINISTRATION (ELR) 1 | 1 |
| SPAD 45020 | ORGANIZATION, ADMINISTRATION AND LEADERSHIP IN SPORT | 3 |
| SPAD 45022 | EVENT PLANNING AND PRODUCTION | 3 |
| SPAD 45023 | SPORT MARKETING | 3 |
| SPAD 45024 | SPORT IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE | 3 |
| SPAD 45026 | SPORT AND THE MEDIA | 3 |
| SPAD 45027 | PUBLIC RELATIONS AND PROMOTION IN SPORT | 3 |
| SPAD 45030 | SPORT ENTERPRISE (WIC) 2 | 3 |
| SPAD 45032 | SALES MANAGEMENT IN SPORT AND ENTERTAINMENT | 3 |
| SPAD 45091 | SEMINAR FOR INTERNSHIP PREPARATION | 1 |
| SPAD 45092 | INTERNSHIP IN SPORT ADMINISTRATION (ELR) 1 | 6-12 |
| SPAD 46080 | LEGAL ISSUES IN SPORT AND RECREATION | 3 |
| Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA) | ||
| ACCT 23020 | INTRODUCTION TO FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING | 3 |
| COMM 15000 | INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION (KADL) | 3 |
| ECON 22060 | PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS (KSS) | 3 |
| ECON 22061 | PRINCIPLES OF MACROECONOMICS (KSS) | 3 |
| MKTG 25010 | PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING | 3 |
| PSYC 11762 | GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (KSS) | 3 |
| or SOC 12050 | INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY (KSS) | |
| UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
| 3 | 3 | |
| 6 | ||
| 4 | 3 | |
| 3 | 6-9 | |
| 6-7 | ||
| Minor Requirements and General Electives (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credit hours, including 39 upper-division credit hours) 5 | 23 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 | |
State and Federal background checks may be required for practicum and internship experiences.
A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.
If students complete the American Civic Literacy requirement by taking HIST 12061, the course will apply to the Kent Core Humanities category. If they complete it with POL 10101, the course will apply to general electives.
Students should review the mathematics requirement for their selected minor prior to registering for their Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning. If MATH 10041 has been taken, additional general electives may be required to maintain the 120 minimum total credit hours for graduation.
Students are required to declare and complete a minor as part of the sport administration program. Students may select one of the following minors at Kent State: ; ; ; ; ; . The minor should be aligned with the student's overall educational and career goals. Number of credit hours depends on the minor selected.
Student must maintain a minimum 2.500 overall GPA and the minimum GPA for their selected minor(s) every semester, until graduation.
Students who do not maintain the minimum required GPA1 will receive a warning and will be required to meet with their faculty and professional advisor to develop a plan of continuation. The plan will include all actions necessary to continue in the current program, the opportunity to declare a different program, a timeline of when actions should occur, and next steps if actions are not followed. Please refer to the in the Academic Policies section in the University Catalog.
Undergraduate students who have not completed a minimum of 12 Kent State University credit hours will be evaluated for advanced study and professional phase based on their high school GPA for new freshmen or transfer GPA for transfer students.
| Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA |
|---|---|
| 2.500 | 2.500 |
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
| Semester One | Credits | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| SPAD 15000 | INTRODUCTION TO SPORT ADMINISTRATION | 3 | |
| UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 16 | ||
| Semester Two | |||
| COMM 15000 | INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION (KADL) | 3 | |
| PSYC 11762 or SOC 12050 | GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (KSS) or INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY (KSS) | 3 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Minor Requirement or General Elective | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Semester Three | |||
| ! | ECON 22060 | PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS (KSS) | 3 |
| SPAD 25000 | SPORT IN SOCIETY | 3 | |
| ! | SPAD 25092 | PRACTICUM I IN SPORT ADMINISTRATION (ELR) | 1 |
| American Civic Literacy Requirement | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Minor Requirement or General Elective | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 16 | ||
| Semester Four | |||
| ACCT 23020 | INTRODUCTION TO FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING | 3 | |
| ECON 22061 | PRINCIPLES OF MACROECONOMICS (KSS) | 3 | |
| ! | MKTG 25010 | PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING | 3 |
| SPAD 35065 or SPAD 45029 | HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (WIC) or HISTORY AND CURRENT ISSUES IN COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS | 3 | |
| Minor Requirement or General Elective | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Semester Five | |||
| ! | BA 24056 or BMRT 21004 or MATH 10041 | BUSINESS ANALYTICS I or BUSINESS ANALYTICS I or INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS (KMCR) | 3 |
| ! | SPAD 35021 | GOVERNANCE IN SPORT | 3 |
| SPAD 35025 | FACILITY MANAGEMENT | 3 | |
| SPAD 45026 | SPORT AND THE MEDIA | 3 | |
| Minor Requirement or General Elective | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Semester Six | |||
| ! | SPAD 35092 | PRACTICUM II IN SPORT ADMINISTRATION (ELR) | 1 |
| SPAD 45020 | ORGANIZATION, ADMINISTRATION AND LEADERSHIP IN SPORT | 3 | |
| SPAD 45023 | SPORT MARKETING | 3 | |
| SPAD 45032 | SALES MANAGEMENT IN SPORT AND ENTERTAINMENT | 3 | |
| SPAD 46080 | LEGAL ISSUES IN SPORT AND RECREATION | 3 | |
| Minor Requirement or General Elective | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 16 | ||
| Semester Seven | |||
| SPAD 45022 | EVENT PLANNING AND PRODUCTION | 3 | |
| SPAD 45024 | SPORT IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE | 3 | |
| SPAD 45027 | PUBLIC RELATIONS AND PROMOTION IN SPORT | 3 | |
| SPAD 45030 | SPORT ENTERPRISE (WIC) | 3 | |
| ! | SPAD 45091 | SEMINAR FOR INTERNSHIP PREPARATION | 1 |
| Minor Requirement or General Elective | 2 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Semester Eight | |||
| ! | SPAD 45092 | INTERNSHIP IN SPORT ADMINISTRATION (ELR) | 6 |
| Minor Requirements and/or General Electives | 6 | ||
| Credit Hours | 12 | ||
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 | ||
Graduates of Kent State University's Bachelor of Science in Sport Administration are prepared for various careers in the sport administration industry, including roles in management, consulting, and specialized fields.
*Information based on the National Association of Colleges and Employers average salaries for 2024.
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