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Sport Business

Sport Business Major

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Do you love sports? Are you creative? Do you like to explore the behavior of sports fanatics? Would you like to work for a professional sports team? Do you love keeping up with the latest sports trends on social media? Do you enjoy promoting something you are passionate about?

If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, then our sport business degree could be a great fit for you!

SBU's sport business major is a unique sports management degree program through which you will receive a quality business degree with an emphasis on sports. Courses in sports communication, sport programming, entrepreneurship, and more combine to create a unique degree that will prepare you for a variety of careers, including those within the sports industry. You also will have the opportunity to complete an internship in your chosen field, which will allow you to apply what you are learning in the classroom to your sports management education.

The Sport Business degree is offered through SBU's Robert W. Plaster College of Business and Computer Science. 

RESOURCES

MAJOR MAP

DEGREE PLAN

94%
Job
placement
rate

(For College of Business and Computer Science graduates in fall 2016 within six months of graduation)

SBU students

the sbu advantage

  • Our unique sports business major focuses on both the sports industry and business foundations, opening up unique career possibilities
  • More than 75% of students in the business administration department complete at least one internship before graduation.
  • Small class sizes and dedicated faculty create a close-knit community to help you thrive as you benefit from personalized instruction and build lifelong friendships.

Faith Integration

Psalm 15 — The SBU College of Business and Computer Science's Psalm 15 initiative provides intentional integration of faith and academic discipline. Using Psalm 15 as a basis, the College has identified eight character traits that should be the hallmark of the College's students and graduates. These character traits are emphasized in coursework and in a special lecture series. The highlighted character traits are: Integrity, Service, Respect, Charity, Faithfulness, Truthfulness, Humility and Perseverance.

Ethics and Professional Development — As part of an intentionally Christian education, all students in the College of Business and Computer Science take a senior-level course in Ethics and Professional Development. The course teaches Christian personal and professional ethics and equips students with life skills such as career development, etiquette, and personal financial planning, with the goal of producing ethical business leaders who will be servant leaders in the workplace.

Careers

Examples of organizations that have employed our graduates:

  • Kanakuk Kamps
  • K-Life
  • YMCA
  • Various professional sports teams (i.e. Sacramento Kings)

Internships

Examples of organizations that have provided internships for our students:

  • Missouri Sports Hall of Fame
  • Springfield Cardinals (minor league baseball)
  • Boost Physical Therapy and Sports Performance
  • YMCA

The professors I had during my time at SBU were extremely helpful in preparing me for a job in the business world. SBU offers plenty of opportunities to grow in your faith while engaging in challenging academics that will greatly prepare you for life after college.

Jeffrey White '15
Jeffrey White, Sports Marketing Alum

Clubs and organizations

ENACTUS

Formerly known as Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE), Enactus is an international nonprofit organization (headquartered in Springfield, Mo.) dedicated to inspiring students to improve the world through entrepreneurial action. More than 69,000 students at more than 1,740 universities in 36 countries plan and implement community development projects to improve the world around them. At the end of each school year, the teams present their projects at a regional competition. Select teams advance to the national competition with the winner advancing to the Enactus World Cup where one team is chosen the winner among all participating universities.

SBU Enactus has won its regional competition nearly every year since 1985 and has gone on to succeed consistently at the national level, ranking as high as the top 8 in the nation in 2017.

Delta Mu Delta

Delta Mu Delta is an international honor society established to recognize and reward superior scholastic achievement of students in business administration. The purpose of Delta Mu Delta is to promote higher scholarship in education for business, and to recognize and reward scholastic attainment in business subjects. Delta Mu Delta is an invitation-only society for juniors and seniors in the top 20% of their class with a minimum GPA of 3.25.

Phi Beta Lambda (PBL)

Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, Inc. (FBLA-PBL) is the largest career student business organization in the world. PBL is for college students whereas FBLA is for high school students. PBL has more than 10,000 members and more than 500 chapters. 

SBU's PBL chapter consistently excels at the yearly state and national competitions. In 2017, SBU PBL competed against 208 students and 15 universities at the state competition and had 20 top-five finishes, including six first-place winners. At the 2017 national competition, SBU PBL had nine students compete and brought home eight top-10 finishes!

Financial Management Association (FMA)

Financial Management Association (FMA) offers amazing opportunities for business students. In the SBU FMA chapter, students have the opportunity to meet and network with local finance professionals, engage in investment competitions, participate in community service, and network with SBU peers. As a member of FMA, a national organization, students gain access to FMA's extensive online library, online forecasting competition, job posting board, and international networking and award opportunities.

Full-Time Faculty

Troy Bethards

Dr. Troy Bethards, College Dean
Levi Bridge

Dr. Levi Bridge, MBA Director
Nathan Wright

Dr. Nathan Wright, Department Chair
Angela Brown-Peterson

Dr. Angela Brown-Peterson, Associate Professor
Ryder King

Ryder King, Instructor
John Zietlow

Dr. John Zietlow, Professor
Aaron Black

Dr. Aaron Black, Assistant Professor

Dr. Delong Meng, Assistant Professor

scholarships

The Robert W. Plaster College of Business and Computer Science (COBACS) offers many privately funded department and college-level scholarship opportunities for its students. During the 2015-16 academic year, more than $64,000 was awarded in private scholarships to COBACS students.

  • Aric Beckham Memorial Scholarship
  • Bill & Geneva Williams Memorial Scholarship
  • Business College Scholarship
  • Clifford & Marie Gouge Memorial Scholarship
  • Dexter Yager Business Scholarship
  • Gary & Jane Black Excellence Scholarship
  • Gladys Henderson Memorial Scholarship
  • Jack Henry & Associates Scholarship
  • Lynn & Dean Credille Memorial Scholarship
  • Melvin & Minnie Hall Memorial Scholarship
  • Nebraska Book Company Scholarship
  • Ralph Stufflebam Memorial Scholarship
  • Ruby Letsch-Roderique Business Scholarship
  • W. Lee Beaver Trust Scholarship

Taylor Center

The Robert W. Plaster College of Business and Computer Science (COBACS) is housed in the Gene Taylor National Free Enterprise Center. The Taylor Center was expanded and renovated to provide the following benefits for our students:

  • Increased number of dedicated study areas and presentation rooms that can be reserved in advance
  • Keycard access for COBACS majors increases building security while allowing you to access space and equipment after hours to effectively study and work on group projects
  • Unique marker board walls in the presentation rooms, study rooms, open computer lab, and student lounge create in an engaging opportunity to write, draw, or design on the walls as you study and learn

SPORT BUSINESS Four-Year Plan

Freshman

Fall Semester

ENG 1113 English Composition I 3
MAT 1143 College Algebra 3
CIS 1103 Computer and Information Management 3
BUS 1013 Introduction to Business 3
BIB 1013 Old Testament History 3
UNI 1111 University Seminar 1
Total hours 16

Spring Semester

ENG 2213 English Composition II 3
BUS 1193 Business Calculus 3
BUS 2013 Business Communications 3
FAR 1023 Introduction to Fine Arts 3
BIB 1023 New Testament History 3
UNI 1121 Introduction to Critical Thinking 1
Total hours 16
 

Sophomore

Fall Semester

BUS 2023 Business Statistics 3
COM 1103 Fundamentals of Speech Communication 3
ACC 2013 Principles of Financial Accounting 3
ECO 2023 Principles of Microeconomics 3
MGT 3013 Principles of Management 3
SPM 1113 Introduction to Sport Management 3
Total hours 18

Spring Semester

PSY 1013 General Psychology 3
KIN 1162 Foundations of Physical Fitness/Wellness 2
HIS 2213/2223 U.S. History I or II 3
ACC 2043 Principles of Managerial Accounting 3
ECO 2033 Principles of Macroeconomics 3
MKT 3023 Principles of Marketing 3
Total hours 17
 

Junior

Fall Semester

BIO 1004 Principles of Biology 4
MGT 3033 Operations Management 3
KIN 4002 Sports Programming 2
MKT 3083 Advertising 3
MKT 3033 Consumer Behavior 3
KIN 2092 Athletic Facilities 2
Total hours 17

Spring Semester

PHS 1004 Introduction to Physical Science 4
COM 2023 Introduction to Sports Communication 3
MGT 4043 Organizational Behavior and Theory 3
CIS 3303 Systems Management 3
  Cultural Studies 2
Total hours 15
 

Senior

Fall Semester

POL 1113 American Government and Politics 3
FIN 3053 Business Finance 3
KIN 4023 Organization and Administration of Sports 3
MKT 4063 Entrepreneurship and Small Business 3
BUS 3073 Legal Environment of Business I 3
Total hours 15

Spring Semester

SPF 2012 Introduction to Spiritual Formation 2
LDR 4043 Ethics and Professional Development 3
MGT 4083 Strategic Management 3
  Upper-level COBACS course 3
  Elective for 128 hours 3
Total hours 14

This is a proposed guideline. Please check the catalog and see your advisor for your final degree requirements.
Southwest Baptist University reserves the right to make changes to degree plans without advanced notice or obligation.
The student is responsible for understanding and completing all general education, degree, departmental and graduation requirements.

Download in PDF format:
SPORT BUSINESS PLAN