Are Online Sports Management Degrees Legit?

Sports management degrees are degrees that prepare students for leadership roles within the sports industry. These degrees are offered both on campus and online. However, many students still wonder if online degrees are legitimate. Online sports management degrees are legitimate, and we break down what to know below.

Do Employers Respect Online Sports Management Degrees?

As online degrees become more and more common, the original stigma surrounding these programs is disappearing. While it varies between employers, most employers will respect an online sports management degree. Business degrees, in general, are a popular field for online degrees. However, you must choose a program that's respected if you want employers to respect your degree.

What To Look For in an Online Sports Management Degree Program

When looking for an online sports management degree program, you want to choose a program that will be respected by employers. Things like accreditation, reputation, and nonprofit status can all help you determine a program's respectability.

Additionally, you want a strong program that will provide you with a good education. Accreditation, reputation, and nonprofit status are good indicators of a program's strength, as is the school's graduation rate.

Accreditation

Colleges and universities in the United States can be either regionally or nationally accredited. Those that are not accredited by a Department of Education-approved accreditor are not considered valid. Most colleges and universities are regionally accredited. This is the most rigorous type of accreditation and is generally preferred.

National accreditation is less prestigious than regional accreditation. It's primarily used for for-profit schools and those with a specific focus, like cosmetology schools.

Reputation

A school's reputation can carry a lot of weight and have a lot of influence on how respected your online degree is by employers. It can also indicate how strong the school's programs are.

To learn more about a school's reputation, check out ranking lists like those put out by Forbes and U.S. News and World Report. You can also check out reviews posted by current students and alumni.

Nonprofit Vs. For-Profit Degrees

While public colleges are always nonprofit, private colleges may be nonprofit or for-profit. In general, it's best to stay away from for-profit colleges. Although some for-profit colleges offer a good education, for-profit colleges in general have a negative reputation. They're often viewed as diploma mills that value profit over education.

Graduation Rates

Graduation rate is a statistic that looks at the number of first-year, full-time students and tracks how many of them graduate within six years for a bachelor's degree or three years for an associate degree. This metric can indicate the strength of a program. However, it doesn't apply to graduate programs and isn't a good indicator for programs that may not have many first-time, full-time students, like those geared toward adult students.

Differences Between Online Sports Management Degrees and Traditional Sports Management Degrees

In a traditional, in-person sports management degree program, students have a set course schedule. They study on campus several times a week, where they:

• Listen to lectures
• Interact with other students
• Receive and submit assignments

Most online degree programs offer asynchronous classes. This means that while students have assignments like:

• Reading
• Watching recorded lectures or videos
• Participating in online discussion posts

Those assignments have due dates, they can complete the assignments on their own time.

Benefits of Earning Your Sports Management Degree at an Online School

For many students, the most significant benefit of earning a degree online is the flexibility offered by online programs. Students can complete their coursework around other obligations like work or family. Another benefit is that online programs allow students to earn a degree from anywhere in the world. A student can study through a university across the country while never leaving home or while traveling the globe.

Featured Online Sports Management Degree Programs

Sports management degree programs are usually a type of business program and are designed to train students how to manage, and market sports organizations. These degrees may be offered at the bachelor's or master's levels. Sports management programs are offered online by several reputable colleges and universities. We've listed some below in alphabetical order.

1. Arkansas State University

Arkansas State University is a public research university in Jonesboro, AR. It offers several online programs and is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

The following sports management degrees are offered online at A-State:

• Sport Management - B.S.
• Sport Administration - M.S.

2. Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University is a public research university in Baton Rouge, LA. It's regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and offers a variety of online degrees.

The following sports management degrees are offered online at LSU:

• Sport Commerce - B.S. in Sport Administration
• Sport Leadership - B.S. in Sport Administration
• Sport Management - M.S.

3. Southern New Hampshire University

Southern New Hampshire University is a private, nonprofit university based in Manchester, NH. It's known for its wealth of online programs and is regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.

The following sports management degrees are offered online at SNHU:

• Sport Management - B.S. in Business Administration
• Sport Management - M.B.A.

4. University of Florida

The University of Florida is a public research university in Gainesville, FL. It's regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and offers several online degree programs.

The following sports management degrees are offered online at the University of Florida:

• Sport Management - B.S.
• Sport Management - M.S.

5. University of Louisville

The University of Louisville is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It offers multiple online programs and is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

The following sports management degrees are offered online at the U of L:

• Sport Administration - B.S.
• Sport Administration - M.S