Saint Leo University
Saint Leo University
Apply now to Saint Leo University
Prepare for a successful career with professional sport franchises, facilities, sporting goods retailers and athletic departments with a sport business management degree from Saint Leo.

The School of Business' sport business program is accredited by the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA). This new accreditation was first available in 2010. Saint Leo is one of only two programs in the nation to earn accreditation in the first year available, and is currently the only accredited program housed within a School of Business.

The sport business management degree curriculum provides comprehensive exposure to current applications related to sport business such as:
  • Facility and event management
  • Sport marketing and promotion
  • Sport communication, including media relations
  • College athletic administration
  • International sport
  • Sport tourism
  • Professional sports
  • History of sport
  • National and international governing bodies
  • Campus recreation
  • Risk management in sport
  • Legal issues in sport
Your Degree in the
Real World
A Sport Business Degree Opens a Field of Dreams... read more

You will gain hands-on experience in the area of sport business through a supervised sport business apprenticeship, a professional development seminar, and a required full-time internship with an approved sport business organization.

In addition to the analytical tools and technologies necessary to solve complex management problems, our program emphasizes ethical leadership skills within Saint Leo University's core values and traditions.
Program ComponentsCredit Hours
Common Body of Knowledge Credits27-30
*Note: SPB majors substitute SPB 430 (which appears in the Major Requirements course listing) for GBA 231 in the Common Body of Knowledge.
LINK (General Education)53
Major Requirements40
SPB 101Introduction to Sport Business(3)
An overview of different career opportunities available in sport business. Examines historical and current trends in the field as well as prepares the students for further professional study in facility and event management, sport marketing, sport communication, college athletic administration, international sport, sport tourism, professional sports, history of sport, national and international governing bodies, and campus recreation.
SPB 230Sport Facility and Event Management(3)
Prerequisites: MAT 141, sophomore standing, and admission to the major or permission of department chair;
This course is designed to promote an understanding of the management of sporting events and the venues in which they are housed. Topics include ownership and governance, scheduling, box office management, ancillary services and operations, facility contracts, budget development, television options and broadcasting issues, building sport facilities, tournament organization, and staffing. Field trips to facilities and actual event participation are planned as part of the course.
OR SPB 240Media Relations in Sport Business(3)
Prerequisites: SPB 101, and sophomore standing, or permission of the department chair;
A review of current communication techniques used in sport business, including printed approaches, personal approaches, TV and radio approaches, and Internet techniques. The areas covered include youth, amateur, and professional sport organizations; recreational, collegiate, and university sports; sports commissions; national and state sport governing bodies; and sport-related goods and services.
SPB 295Sport Business Apprenticeship(1)
Prerequisites: SPB 101, and sophomore standing or permission of the department chair;
This course provides actual working experience in the area of sport business. The areas include youth, amateur, and professional sport organizations; recreational, collegiate, and university sports; sports commissions; national and state sport governing bodies; and sport-related goods and services. Students will have a chance to evaluate an area or field in sport business that interests them through work experience, observation, and discussions with the job site supervisor and other students. This course may be repeated up to three hours but may not be repeated at the same job site or area of interest.
SPB 320Sociology of Sport(3)
Prerequisites: SPB 101, junior standing, and admission to the department., Other non-majors may take with junior standing.;
A study of sport as social phenomena. Discussion of issues in sports and sport-related behaviors as they occur in social and cultural contexts.
SPB 350Risk Management in Sport(3)
Prerequisites: Junior standing and admission to the major or permission of department chair. Students in Pre-Law studies with junior standing may take with permission of the Sport Business department chair.;
Introduction to basic legal terminology and court procedures. This course is designed to help students develop "safety conscious" attitudes in the management of sport and recreation activities.
SPB 360Sport Marketing and Promotion(3)
Prerequisites: SPB 295, MKT 301, junior standing, and admission to the major or permission of department chair , Other School of Business majors may take with junior standing and MKT 301.;
This class builds on the general principles of marketing by discussing the unique aspects of sport marketing and applying marketing concepts to sport as a product and the promotion of sports activities. Topics focus on the spectator as the product consumer and will include consumer analysis, market segmentation, product licensing and positioning, pricing, promotion, distribution, and sponsorship as they apply to sport.
SPB 370Ethics in Sport(3)
Prerequisites: Junior standing and admission to the major or approval of department chair., Other majors may take with junior standing and PHI 101. ;
This is a class about ethics, the discipline devoted to the study of what is right and wrong, and sport, which is used as a metaphor for examining societal values.
SPB 410Sport Governance(3)
Prerequisites: Senior standing and admission to the major or permission of department chair;
Focuses on governance issues involved in the management of amateur (interscholastic, intercollegiate, recreational, Olympic, and Paralympic) and professional sport. Regulatory powers, strategic management, policy development, organizational structure, and sanctioning within the varying national governing bodies will highlight the course.
SPB 420Sport Finance(3)
Prerequisites: ACC 202, MAT 141, MGT 325, senior standing, and admission to the major; or permission of department chair., Other School of Business majors may take with all of the stated prerequisites excluding admission to the major. ;
This course focuses on the financial status of varying sport industry sectors and strategies that an organization might use in controlling organizational costs, including how to implement and handle salary caps in the varying leagues. Ticket, group, sponsorship, food service, and broadcast sales as well as fund development will be a major emphasis in this class.
SPB 430Legal Issues in Sport(3)
Prerequisites: SPB 350 and senior standing or permission of department chair. Students in Pre-Law studies with senior standing may take with permission of Sport Business department chair.;
An in-depth look at certain constitutional amendments and statutory and administrative laws that apply to the sport industry and impact the work setting. Class discussion surrounding current issues will constitute a major portion of this class. A legal research paper is expected.
SPB 449Professional Development Seminar(3)
Prerequisites: Senior standing, admission to the major, current enrollment in the last semester of coursework, and permission of department chair ;
The main purpose of the course is complete immersion into the sport business industry to prepare the student for the internship and entry-level job placement. Analysis of management issues, concepts, and strategies as applied to sport organizations, internship selection, and a comprehensive section on current issues in sport business constitute the bulk of this course. A paper and presentation are required. Additional fee applies for ETS examination.
SPB 495Internship Performance(6)
Prerequisites: All required courses for the sport business major, 2.5 GPA,, and permission of department chair; Corequisites: SPB 496
This course evaluates the student's on-site performance of their culminating field experience. The student is required to work full-time for a minimum of 12 weeks with an approved site supervisor in an approved sport business organization. The field experience is intended as a culminating experience of the sport business curriculum. It will expose students to organizational structure and function, help them gain additional work experience, enhance their employability skills, and expose them to other areas applicable to the specific area of sport business they have selected. This course is a graded experience. The duration of the internship is 12 weeks, 40 hours per week.
SPB 496Internship Assignments and Colloquium(6)
Prerequisites: All required courses for the sport business major, 2.5 GPA,, and permission of department chair.; Corequisites: SPB 495
This course is the corequisite for SPB 495 and is designed as the portion of the internship for which all paperwork, including work logs, organizational analysis, internship portfolio, and the required colloquium presentation at the completion of the internship are graded. All assignments are discussed in the prerequisite course SPB 449. Special attention is paid toward the enforcement of professional writing, APA Style Manual application, and quality presentation skills.
*Note: SPB 430 is substituted for GBA 231 in the CBK.
Electives0-2
Total Credits122