Sport Management

The Sport Management major at Misericordia University allows students to combine their love of sport with the skills necessary to become professionals in the field.
A business-oriented curriculum has been devised to produce graduates who will be successful in today's sports management environment as well as prepared for its future. The major allows students to fashion their studies to meet their professional and personal needs. Our curriculum prepares students for careers in this fast growing multi-billion dollar industry.

Info You Need to Know

Hands-On Learning Experiences

Strong Industry Connections & Networking

Diverse Career Paths

Program Information

Fast Facts

Fast Facts

The Sport Management major provides a business-oriented curriculum designed to produce graduates who will be successful in today’s sport management environment. The major allows students to customize their studies to meet their personal and professional aspirations in the sports industry.

What is Sport Management?

Sport has become a dynamic growth industry with an annual valuation of more than $400 billion in the United States and more than $600 billion worldwide. The rate of speed, size, and scope with which this industry has expanded to become a very interdependent and globalized economy has been almost unimaginable.

With a degree in sport management and the proper training and experience, students will be well prepared to enter the sport business industry in areas such as marketing, public relations, sales, facility management, information technology, law, media, event management, finance, economics, and athletic management.

The median annual wage for Sport Management Careers was $97,170 in 2020 and employment of these professionals is projected to grow at a faster than average rate of 8% from 2020 to 2029 (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Why Misericordia University?

The liberal arts core and business-specific courses that are required of all Sport Management majors addresses the need to help individuals acquire the necessary skills that will contribute to a productive life and satisfying career. Students are challenged and guided by a highly engaged and experienced faculty as they navigate career preparation for the sports industry. The business department also offers a business administration major with sport management as a five-course specialization for those students exploring the sports industry as a career option.

Program Degree Options

Bachelor of Science in Sport Management
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Sport Management Specialization)
4+1 MBA Program- Bachelor of Science in Business & Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a Sport Management Specialization

Recent Internship and Career Placements:

■ New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles
■ Penn State Athletics, Pitt Athletics, West Virginia Athletics
■ Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, Longbow Golf Club
■ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Binghamton Devils
■ Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Harrisburg Senators, Johnson City Cardinals
■ Manchester (England) Football Association, Sporting Kansas City SC
■ Mohegan Sun at Casey Plaza, Friedman Jewish Community Center, Riverfront Sports Complex
■ Greater Wilkes-Barre and Bellefonte YMCAs, Spooky Nook Sports Complex

Student Focused

Almost 100% of senior Sport Management students have career-related experiences prior to graduation.

Upper-level sport management courses have a low faculty-to-student ratio. The faculty gets to know their students on a personal level to provide guidance and opportunities tailored to each student.

Find more information on misericordia.edu or by contacting James Pierson jpierson@misericordia.edu

Program Specialties

Learning Experiences

Involvement in the Sport Management Association.
Sport Management Symposium that brings together industry professionals across the country.
Professional development trips to sport facilities, conferences, and events.

IACBE

Accredited

Accreditation

Accreditation

Employment Opportunities

Professional Sport Manager
Intercollegiate Sport Manager
Sport Marketing Manager
Sport Facility Manager
Event Coordinator
Commercial Recreational Facility Director
Fitness & Wellness Manager
Graduate Studies

Sport Management Student Opportunities

Sport Management Association (SMA)

The Sport Management major at Misericordia University allows students to combine their love of sport with the skills necessary to become professionals in the field. Misericordia's Sport Management program is designed to give students the most hands-on experience possible, and the Sport Management Association is one outlet for these opportunities. The SMA is an extracurricular club that provides students with additional professional experience through trips, symposiums, and workshops. We believe in the power of networking and hands-on experience combined with a comprehensive business-oriented curriculum.

Students involved in the SMA have gone on professional development trips to locations including:

2025 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (Atlanta, GA)
2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four (Cleveland, OH)
2023 Southwest Sports Business Combine (Phoenix, AZ)
2022 B1G Ten Football Championship (Indianapolis, IN)
2019 Olympic & Paralympic Training Facilities (Colorado Spring, CO) & more!

Internships

Students are taking advantage of the internship opportunities to get the practical experience they need to be successful. Below is a sampling of the recent sport management internship placement sites:

Recent Sport Management Internship Placement Sites

All Star Sports Academy
Bucknell University
Friedman JCC
Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Mohegan Sun Arena
Penn State University

Philadelphia Eagles
Reading Fightin' Phils
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
University of Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
YMCA

Sigma Beta Delta

The mission of Sigma Beta Delta is to encourage and recognize scholarship and accomplishment among students of business, management, and administration, and to encourage and promote aspirations toward personal and professional improvement and a life distinguished by honorable service to humankind. Sigma Beta Delta was established to honor students who have attained superior records in business programs in colleges and universities with regional accreditation.

Membership in Sigma Beta Delta is the highest national recognition a business student can receive at a college or university with a Sigma Beta Delta chapter. To be eligible for membership, a business student must rank in the top 20 percent of the junior, senior, or graduate class and be invited to membership by the faculty officers. The one-time induction provides lifetime membership in the Honor Society.

Career Support

Speaking to the overall value of a Misericordia education, workshops are available within the Insalaco Center for Career Development to help students refine their interviewing skills, identify their career interests, and assist with resume development. As a benefit to its students, Misericordia partners with a wide variety of employers to offer recruitment events on campus for networking and interviewing opportunities.

Guaranteed Placement Program

Our Guarantee states that if any student, who fully participates in our program for all four years of their college experience, does not receive a job offer or is not accepted into graduate/professional school within six months of graduation, the University provides that student a paid internship* in their chosen field.

*Terms & conditions apply

Testimonials

Community Realized

Danielle Clifford

I love being a sport management major at Misericordia. From the hands-on, discussion-based classes, to the outstanding support from faculty, Misericordia's Sport Management program has given me the education and experience I need to combine my passion for sport with a career.

Donald Conway

Being a sport management major, I have had the opportunity to work behind the scenes in multiple different sporting events on campus and even had the opportunity to go on incredible, once in a lifetime experiences.

Dr. David Gargone, Program Director

David Gargone, Ed.D.

The Sport Management major at Misericordia University allows students to combine their love of sport with the skills necessary to become professionals in the field. We believe in the power of networking and hands-on experience, combined with a comprehensive business-oriented curriculum.

Athletics Photo Gallery

MBA 5th Year Program

Why wait to begin the MBA program when you can get started as an undergraduate student?

Find out more by emailing Karen Cefalo at

The MBA 5th-Year program is for eligible rising Misericordia University seniors who wish to begin their graduate business studies as an undergraduate student. Accepted students will take up to 12 MBA credits within their current program. An applicant may be required to complete leveling courses in business functional areas through Peregrine. The graduate admissions committee will determine if the leveling courses will be taken concurrently with MBA courses or completed prior to starting the MBA program.

Benefits
MBA 5th Year Admission Requirements

Benefits

Saves you $ — covered by your regular tuition
Earn your master’s degree in as little as one additional year
No GMAT or GRE exam
Get experience with graduate level classes as an undergrad
Network with business professionals

Specializations are available in Management, Accounting, Human Resource Management, Sport Management, and Healthcare Management.

Ask about the ALUMNI DISCOUNT to save you even more money!

MBA 5th Year Admission Requirements

At the end of the junior year, students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher (if applying for the MBA 5th Year program).
Current juniors must submit a free online part-time graduate application at www.misericordia.edu/apply for the MBA program for the first graduate semester after which the bachelor's degree will be conferred.
Following the application evaluation by the Admissions Acceptance Committee, an acceptance decision will be rendered. If positive, then a conditional acceptance letter will be issued stipulating that the student must earn a 3.0 in each MBA course and in his/her bachelor's degree to be fully accepted upon graduation.
The acceptance letter will stipulate that the student is now eligible within his/her senior year to take up to 12 MBA credits.
Accepted students will work with his/her academic advisor as an undergraduate student to select appropriate MBA courses for the upcoming semester. Selected courses will be communicated to the Graduate Admissions representative so that the registration request can be submitted to the Registrar's office for processing.
After meeting all stated requirements and successfully earning his/her bachelor's degree, the student will work directly with the Graduate Admissions representative for the graduate business programs for his/her initial graduate semester advisement and registration. Once the student has been registered for the first graduate semester, a graduate academic advisor will be assigned to the student for future advisement.
An applicant may be required to complete leveling courses in business functional areas through Peregrine. The graduate admissions committee will determine if the leveling courses will be taken concurrently with MBA courses or completed prior to starting the MBA program.

Student Testimonial

Antonio Whyte

The 4+1 program is a great opportunity to challenge yourself during the end of your undergraduate journey and get a third of your MBA completed at rates that save you money.

Contact

For questions regarding the Sport Management major, contact Dr. David Gargone, Sport Management Program Director, at dgargone@misericordia.edu or 570-674-6337.

Meet the Business Department Faculty