If you are interested in sports, exercise, and leisure and also have an interest in or a desire to work in a management position in your future career, then a degree in sports management can be an ideal way to develop the leadership and business management skills that you will need to get into a range of career paths in this sector.
Getting a degree in sports management or a qualification from sports management courses in the UK can help you take your career in several directions, whether you decide to get into a role that is directly related to your master’s in sports management or work in a relevant career role.
Keep reading to find out more about the type of work that you could do with a degree like the MSC sports management, skills you’ll develop while working, and opportunities for further study and career progression.
Sports Management Job Opportunities
A master’s in sports management or similar qualification can help you get into a wide range of career paths. Stirling University sport management courses such as sports management masters offer you the opportunity to work in various roles including sports development officer, sports coach, sports administrator, PE teacher, personal trainer, fitness center manager, event manager, and education or outdoor activities manager.
Check out the range of sports management course options that are available at Stirling University. Stirling is an ideal choice for students who are interested in a sports degree. It was named Sports University of the Year 2020 by the Times and Sunday Times and the campus offers excellent sports facilities that you can take advantage of throughout your degree.
Getting Work Experience
If you are interested in a career in sports management, then you may find it useful to get some work experience in the area that you are interested in, working alongside getting a degree. Many sports management students do this by working part-time in the sports industry as a lifeguard, fitness instructor, youth sports coach, or in an admin role at a leisure center or other sports business environment. You may also be interested in looking for work placements or opportunities through your university when it comes to getting experience in events management or marketing.
If you are interested in working abroad to get your work experience, some good programs include Camp America or BUNAC, where you can get experience working in sports while traveling and getting a better understanding of a different country and culture at the same time. Volunteering at after-school clubs or as a sports coach in schools can also be a valuable way to get relevant work experience.
Who Employs Sports Management Graduates?
Once you have graduated with a sports management degree, you can find work with a wide range of different employers. Graduates will often find work with fitness, sports, and leisure centers, spas and health clubs, sports marketing agencies, professional sports clubs, sporting events, hospitality management companies, sports public agencies and governing bodies, hotels, and accommodation facilities, and more.
After graduating and gaining experience in the field, you may also be interested in the possibility of becoming self-employed by setting up a training center, sports camp, sports club or leisure center, personal training or coaching company, or a sports consultancy business.
Skills You Will Learn
Throughout your university studies in sports management, you will have the chance to develop a wide range of career-specific and transferable skills that are highly desirable to employers that hire sports management graduates. You will have the chance to develop skills in business management, sports leadership, and leisure event management including managing funding and finance, human resources, operations management, marketing, business planning, and strategy, legal matters, physical resources management, people management, and leadership, and customer service.
Throughout your degree, you will also be able to gain a lot of highly desirable transferable skills that you can take to a management career in any sector, including decision-making skills, communication and presentation skills, teamworking, project management and research, and analytical skills among others.
It is a good idea to consider a sports management course that combines teaching with a range of practical placements and assignments to allow you to get the best opportunity to build these skills with hands-on experience as well as in the classroom.
Further Study Opportunities
If you have a bachelor’s degree in sports management or a relevant subject, you may want to go on to get a master’s degree that you can use to specialize in your chosen area of sports and leisure management such as events management or sports business management. Postgraduate students can also choose from subjects such as sports coaching and development, sport and international development, or arts and culture. You can also find postgraduate research degrees available along with opportunities to take postgraduate training in vocational areas such as teaching.
Employment Outlook
Once you have a degree in sports management, you can expect to find work quite easily. Currently, over 73% of sports management graduates in the UK are in employment, while almost 10% are working and studying for a postgraduate or vocational qualification. Sports management graduates often find it easiest to find work in instruction, sports coaching, and business in the first fifteen months after they graduate. Other popular areas for sports management graduates to work in include industrial relations, human resources, conference and exhibition organization and management, business sales, marketing, business development, and sales accounts. The unemployment rate for graduates is quite low at just over 7%.
If you like the idea of working in a management career but want a job that allows you to work in the sports industry, sports management might be an ideal choice of degree for you. There are lots of career options available for sports managers in various aspects of the sports industry.
Along with this, the degree will give you the opportunity to develop a wide range of important and desirable management and leadership skills that will boost your career options in other sectors. A sports management degree can prepare you for business management, events, management, coaching, and more.
