Sport Management Online Master’s Ranked 4th in the Nation

10/09/2018 

The faculty are top-notch. Graduates find job opportunities in their dream field. Tuition is affordable.

So it’s no surprise SUNY Cortland’s online master’s degree in sport management has been named one of the best in the nation by OnlineMasters.com.

The program ranked No. 4 and was noted particularly for offering the “best unique electives.” OnlineMasters.com analyzed every sport management program in the country, using data from 33 industry experts, hiring managers and surveys from current students and alumni to identify the top 50 departments.

“In a short period of time, in three years, we have built a strong online program that is successful in that it’s giving students the education they need to get positions,” said Genevieve Birren, associate professor and graduate coordinator. “It also allows students to get their education while they’re in positions, which is allowing them to move up.”

SUNY Cortland students pursuing a master’s degree in sport management are a diverse group, ranging from those who recently completed undergraduate coursework to those already in the field. The flexibility of the College’s program, offering both full- and part-time options as well as a completely online experience, allows students to obtain a degree in a way that works best for them.

"The field of sport management often attracts working professionals with very busy lives, and the online option for our master's degree is perfect for them,” President Erik J. Bitterbaum said. “The program is designed to ensure online students access to the same top-caliber faculty who teach on campus."

Small class sizes — online courses are capped at 20 students each — give SUNY Cortland sport management students tremendous access to faculty. Since classes are run entirely by faculty without teaching assistants, students have plenty of opportunity for one-on-one advisement.

“When an online student wants to come in and meet with a professor, they can do that,” Birren said. “Our faculty aren’t adjuncts on the other side of the country.”

The SUNY Cortland sport management faculty are respected in the field. With few exceptions, all courses are taught by professors with terminal, either Ph.D. or J.D., degrees.

Students are required to complete 18 credits of core courses and a six-credit culminating experience that can be an internship, master’s project or thesis in sport management. Six credits of electives round out the program, including options such as intercollegiate athletics management, sport event and facility management and information technology in sport, among others. Electives allow students to specialize in their area of interest, working with Birren as an advisor, to prepare themselves for careers in the field.

OnlineMasters.com weighted its methodology on academic quality (40 percent), student success (40 percent) and affordability (20 percent).

SUNY Cortland was previously recognized as having one of the top online master’s degree in sport management by BestColleges.com in May 2018. 

For more information, contact Department Chair Peter Han or Birren.