Professional Studies Sports Management (MPSM)

MPSM 5000  Applied Ethics in Sports  3 Credits  
This course offers a comprehensive exploration of the moral and ethical landscape within the world of sport. We will provide a broad understanding of critical ethical issues while placing a special focus on the responsibilities of key decision-makers, including athletic directors, coaches, faculty, league commissioners, team owners, and player association heads. The course also delves into the ethical obligations of all sports stakeholders, such as leagues, players, agents, officials, sponsors, media, fans, and the community. Key areas of concentration, grounded in past and current events, will include leagues and governing bodies, athlete health and safety, NIL, sports media, agents, sponsors, the use of performance-enhancing drugs, and the ethics surrounding agents and gambling. Discussions will integrate real-world dilemmas, values, and judgments relevant to contemporary sports.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

  
MPSM 5100  Sports Leadership Management  3 Credits  
The Sports Leadership and Management course introduces students to the leadership techniques, tools and theories associated with leaders and managers in the sports industry. The course is designed to have students analyze management strategies developed by leaders within as well as outside of the sports industry. Management issues and organizational behavior are examined, and students are presented with opportunities to develop, understand and apply key leadership and management skills.
Level: Graduate, Juris Doctor, Undergraduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

  
MPSM 5200  Soc. Respons/Global. in Sports  3 Credits  
This course provides a critical examination of the intersection of social responsibility and globalization within the modern sports world. Drawing on sociological, political and economic theories, students will analyze how global processes and increased commercialization impact various social and environmental issues in sports, such as race, gender equity, labor practices, climate change and human rights. Key topics include the role of sports in community development and social justice movements and the complexities of CSR in global sport organizations. Students will explore how sports organizations can leverage their influence to drive positive societal and environmental change, examining the differences between authentic engagement and symbolic gestures. The course aims to equip students with the analytical skills and cultural competence necessary to navigate the challenges of the international sports landscape.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

  
MPSM 5300  Strategic Sports Marketing  3 Credits  
This course analyzes domestic and global sports marketing through the lens of strategic planning, brand management, and organizational decision‑making. Students examine consumer engagement, branding, social responsibility, competitive environments, and sales channels using research, measurement, analytics, and management frameworks. Applied assignments emphasize go‑to‑market strategy, multimedia engagement, brand auditing, and market planning across traditional, digital, analytical, and mobile platforms. The course centers on contemporary industry structures that leverage sports to connect brands and consumers in measurable, revenue‑generating ways.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

  
MPSM 5400  Sports Business Finance  3 Credits  
This course provides a broad overview of the sports business marketplace, including the financial and accounting acumen necessary for executives to succeed in sports organizations. The goal is to provide hands-on and practical experience to prepare students for real-time business challenges. Topics as they relate to these sectors include fiscal and budgetary control, ownership and the skills used in the day-to-day operations of professional and amateur sports organizations. The course will relate theory to real world examples and take advantage of current events. This course examines the financial tools that managers use to run their sport businesses. As such, it explores traditional and innovative methods of revenue acquisition and financial management in sports organizations, the financial business structure of sports organizations, and the financial planning and forecasting processes that make organizations effective. Various other aspects of finance are discussed as they relate to sports organizations, including the time value of money, capital structuring, stocks and bonds, taxation, and business valuation methods.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

  
MPSM 5500  Sports Venue and Event Mgmt  3 Credits  
This course provides students with an understanding of the requirements and complexities involved in planning and managing major sports events and venues in relation to their social, cultural and global environment. Featured topics include the analysis of goals and resources, operations and scheduling, the development of the revenue streams, design and coordination, staff management and the implementation of action plans.
Level: Graduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.

  
MPSM 5600  Sports Law, Contracts, Negot  3 Credits  
This course is not designed to train lawyers; rather, it provides an in-depth graduate-level overview of the legal principles governing the sports industry to equip students in non-legal roles with awareness of legal issues in the industry. The course explores a broad range of legal issues that arise in the modern sports industry, including but not limited to athlete representation, labor and employment law, collective bargaining, antitrust law, tort liability and risk management; intellectual property law, free speech rights and drug testing, as well as the burgeoning area of NIL (Name Image and Likeness) rights of student-athletes. Through applied learning, case studies, and real-world scenarios drawn from the sports industry, students will develop the ability to identify legal issues and assess risk. At the end of this course students should be competent in contract interpretation, issue spotting, and negotiating complex industry issues.
Level: Graduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.

  
MPSM 6100  Sports Comm/Public Relations  3 Credits  
This course examines various communications and public relations strategies and tactics while providing an overview of communications-related roles within sports. Among other topics, students are exposed to writing, media, pitching, crisis communications, athlete publicity, corporate communications, community initiatives, event promotion and social media. It imparts an understanding of the operation of sports communications and its intersection with media and internal and external stakeholders. The course outlines how communications professionals perform their jobs in various aspects of sports (e.g., collegiate, professional, league and agency) while promoting and protecting a brand. The goal of this course is to provide the students with a conceptual, strategic and technical understanding of the operation and business of sports communications at all levels of sports. Students will learn to analyze and apply the concepts and practices of sports communications through class lectures, discussions, projects, writing assignments and guest speakers.
Level: Graduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

  
MPSM 6200  Sprts Sales/Sponsor/Rev Dev  3 Credits  
An exploration of techniques used to sell and generate revenue in the sports industry. Topics include sports revenue streams, sales prospecting, the sales process, sales proposal development, sponsor solicitation, sponsor activation, ticket sales, sports broadcast and digital media, licensing, new business development, and the commercialization of technology.
Level: Graduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

  
MPSM 6300  Sports Digitl Media/Datab Mrkt  3 Credits  
An exploration of techniques used to sell and generate revenue in the sports industry. Topics include sports revenue streams, sales prospecting, the sales process, sales proposal development, sponsor solicitation, sponsor activation, ticket sales, sports broadcast and digital media, licensing, new business development, and the commercialization of technology.
Level: Graduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

  
MPSM 6400  Sports Entrep. in Globl Mktplc  3 Credits  
Global Sports Entrepreneurship will provide students with an overview of the fastest growing new business areas in sports as well as examine growth opportunities and trends in this category. The goal of this course is to provide the students with a conceptual, strategic, and technical understanding of how to think and act entrepreneurially in the sports industry. We will focus on top-line processes for ideating a start-up and applying entrepreneurial methodologies within a larger organization. Through a combination of readings, case studies, guest speakers, discussion and hands-on participation, students will come away with an improved understanding of entrepreneurship and the foundation to apply it in a variety of professional contexts. Throughout the course, students will build out a start-up idea and develop a business plan. It can be an actual business they want to pursue, but that is not a requirement, as long as they approach their theoretical business as if they were going to start it. At the end of the course, students will pitch their entrepreneurial idea to the class.
Level: Graduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

  
MPSM 6500  Business Glbl Sporting Events  3 Credits  
Global Sports Entrepreneurship will provide students with an overview of the fastest growing new business areas in sports as well as examine growth opportunities and trends in this category. The goal of this course is to provide the students with a conceptual, strategic, and technical understanding of how to think and act entrepreneurially in the sports industry. We will focus on top-line processes for ideating a start-up and applying entrepreneurial methodologies within a larger organization. Through a combination of readings, case studies, guest speakers, discussion and hands-on participation, students will come away with an improved understanding of entrepreneurship and the foundation to apply it in a variety of professional contexts. Throughout the course, students will build out a start-up idea and develop a business plan. It can be an actual business they want to pursue, but that is not a requirement, as long as they approach their theoretical business as if they were going to start it. At the end of the course, students will pitch their entrepreneurial idea to the class.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

  
MPSM 6600  Sports Analytics  3 Credits  
This course provides students with an understanding and overview of sports analytics and an opportunity to participate in an analytics practicum with an NFL analytics executive to learn how to integrate statistics, predictive and prescriptive analytics, history, sports operations, communications, and marketing through real-world assignments, including development of new analytics and professional draft selections. Predictive analysis is defined as the practice of extracting information from existing data sets to determine patterns and predict future outcomes and trends. Applied to sports, this methodology is used to structure and identify key elements into prescriptive analytics that contribute to optimal outcomes. Critical outcomes include learning how to identify, analyze, and develop metrics that are useful, understandable, and actionable, developing an appreciation and ability to use technology to sift meaningful information from often unstructured data, and considering ways that artificial intelligence, other emerging technology, and storytelling can better support organizational decision-making.
Level: Graduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

  
MPSM 6700  Sports Business Analytics  3 Credits  
This course explores how sports organizations use business analytics to drive smarter decisions and revenue growth. Students learn to turn raw data from ticketing, marketing, sponsorship, fan engagement, and peripheral revenue streams into actionable insight. We introduce core concepts in data management, statistical analysis, predictive modeling, and optimization through real sports business cases. Weekly memos, discussions, and a capstone sponsorship project challenge students to frame business questions, select appropriate analytical tools, interpret results, and translate findings into executive-ready recommendations. By the end of the course, students will understand both the language of analytics and the practical realities of applying data in front offices, agencies, and brands.
Level: Graduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

  
MPSM 7300  Sports EconGlobal Brand MGMT  3 Credits  
This course examines the economic forces affecting the sports industry including demand, supply and pricing; monopolies and monopsonies; fiscal and monetary policies; labor markets; brand management practices; and international issues. The course relates economic theory and brand management concepts to real-world examples and current events. This course starts with a review of core economic concepts including opportunity costs, absolute and comparative advantage, supply and demand, and market structures. These core concepts are then applied to the unique environment of sports. The course analyzes the behavior related to sports, including maximizing profits, bilaterial monopolies, and competitive balance. Additional topics include public finance, not-for-profit sector and sports gambling. The final group project evaluates the real economic and social effects of emerging issues, like sports gambling, on a community.
Level: Graduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

  
MPSM 7500  The Business of Sports Media  3 Credits  
This course is designed to introduce graduate students to the relationships and frameworks, practices and principles, laws and regulations, and background and trends associated with today’s global sports media industry. Students will examine the many facets of this essential segment of the sports industry through reading, analysis, project collaborations, case study reviews and interactive activities as well as hear from industry leaders and key influencers in the sports media environment. The purpose of the course is to provide students with a broad understanding and expansive overview of the business and organizational structures in media and their connections to leagues, teams, associations, governing bodies and other consequential stakeholders in sports. The course will focus on the practical application of concepts as they are today and project what they could be in the future. Students will increase their awareness of and clarity about an array of topics relating to sports and entertainment media. Class discussions on (and critical analysis of) current issues in sports media will constitute an integral portion of this class. Students will learn to recognize and assess the distinctive paths that meet at the intersection of sports and media.
Level: Graduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

  
MPSM 7600  Intercollegiate Athl. Admin.  3 Credits  
This course provides an introduction to the history, governance, and rapidly evolving landscape of intercollegiate athletics, tracing its development into a complex academic, commercial, and regulatory enterprise. Students will explore core functional areas of athletic department operations—including compliance, student-athlete development, Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), external relations, and business management—through a case-study approach. Weekly case analysis, class participation, and applied exercises form the foundation of the learning experience, enabling students to evaluate administrative decisions, interpret NCAA policy, and understand the interconnected roles within an athletic department. The course emphasizes practical skills and professional competencies essential for careers in intercollegiate athletics administration. A major semester-long project serves as the culminating experience, requiring students to synthesize course concepts and develop an evidence-based administrative proposal that addresses a real organizational challenge within college athletics.
Level: Graduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

  
MPSM 7700  Social Issues/Activism in Sprt  3 Credits  
Sport is a powerful part of society, influencing how we view identity, community, and culture. This course explores how issues such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class shape experiences within sport and the sport industry. We will examine how sport can promote teamwork and inclusion while also reflecting broader challenges related to inequality, representation, and power. Using current events, mixed media, and scholarly readings, students will analyze connections between sport and society and consider how these dynamics affect athletes, fans, and organizations. A central focus of the course is understanding the experiences of underrepresented and marginalized groups in sport. Through discussions, writing assignments, and a final project, students will apply course concepts to real examples and emerging issues in the sport landscape. By the end of the semester, students will have a deeper understanding of the social forces that shape sport and how sport can drive more equitable outcomes.
Level: Graduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

  
MPSM 7860  Collab for Sustainable Future  3 Credits  
In this cross-functional course, students explore the challenges, opportunities, requirements, and approaches to achieving sustainable and circular outcomes through collaborating with other disciplines. Students will gain the fluency to communicate sustainability terms and principles to a broad range of stakeholders. Utilizing a project in their field of study, they will assess opportunities to increase sustainability and circulatory while discerning the necessity and value of cross-industry and cross-functional efforts.
Level: Graduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.

  
MPSM 7951  Internship I  3 Credits  
The MPSM 7951 (Internship I) program is designed to help you get the most out of your internship to prepare you for your career after SIM. The assignments in this course will combine the real-world experience gained at the organization at which you are interning with academically guided discussions in a classroom workshop setting. These two strategies - theoretical training and professional/practical experience - complement each other and together will ground you in the reality of daily life in the sports industry, while at the same time enable an increased understanding of professional culture. The internship placement, therefore, should be viewed as a component of a larger, integrated academic experience preparing you for a successful entry into the sports industry immediately upon graduation.
Level: Graduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

  
MPSM 7952  Internship II  3 Credits  
The MPSM Internship II course is an extension from your course work and assignments in MPSM 7951 (Internship I). As you get closer to graduation from SIM, this course is intended to guide you to seamlessly obtain a full-time job upon graduation by giving you the tools to be successful at an entry level role. This course also will help you get the most out of your internship, combining the real-world experience gained at the organization at which you are interning with academically guided discussions in a workshop setting. These two strategies - theoretical training and practical experience - complement each other and together will ground you in the reality of daily life in the sports industry, while at the same time enable an increased understanding of professional culture. The internship placement, therefore, should be viewed as a component of a larger, integrated academic experience.
Level: Graduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Students cannot enroll who have a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

  
MPSM 7953  Internship Lab  1 Credit  
This one-credit course awards academic credit to students who successfully secure a sports internship and will require department approval. The internship should complement a student's academic studies while providing relevant industry experience. Students will produce a portfolio under the mentorship of an internship supervisor while seeking full-time employment in the sports industry.

Upon completion of this course, each student is expected to demonstrate the following learning outcomes: 1.) Perform duties assigned to them by their internship supervisor. 2.) Learn how their chosen organization operates, both on a day-to-day basis as well as how the organization positions itself in the market. 3.) Make career contacts both within their departments and outside of their departments.
Level: Graduate  
Prerequisites: MPSM 800 or MPSM 7951 or MPSM 820  
Grading: Pass/Fail Default  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

  
MPSM 7959  Wash Redskins Gameday Experien  3 Credits  
Students in this course observe ways to streamline game day operations processes for the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field throughout the 2014 season. Students will be assigned to different sections of the stadium during each home game in order to identify and learn from situations that occur. Additionally, students will assist in analyzing and observing various segments of FedEx Field and Redskins departments as needed in order to gain a better understanding of how each department operates. A positive and professional image is required at all times.
Level: Graduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

  
MPSM 7962  NCAA Tournament Business Ops  3 Credits  
This immersive course will provide students with an understanding of and experience with the requirements and complexities involved in planning, managing and executing a high-visibility major sports event, the 2026 NCAA East Regional Men’s Basketball Tournament. An interdisciplinary externship, the course will focus on the business and operational components involved with putting on this March Madness showcase that will be hosted by Georgetown University with games taking place on March 27 and March 29 at Capital One Arena. In addition to class meetings and academic assignments during the semester, students will have the opportunity to have hands-on responsibilities in event operations roles during the tournament period.
Level: Graduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Enrollment limited to students in the School of Continuing Studies college.

  
MPSM 7990  MPSM Capstone  3 Credits  
This course provides an opportunity for students to apply what they have learned in the program by producing one substantial piece of work under the tutelage of the SIM faculty and an advising industry expert. Students will choose a topic of interest to explore over the course of the semester and present their work for the purpose of review by and giving advice from industry professionals. Each student will be assisted in devising a strategy to support the topic of interest, consistent with the course goals, by semester’s end. Class assignments and lectures will also focus on preparing for sports business careers post-graduation.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate  
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)  
Course registration restrictions:

Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt), Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt) or Prof Studies (Sports Ind Mgmt).

Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.