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Athletic administration includes everything from managing coaching staff and securing athletic funding, to planning recreational athletic programs. Athletic administration is a job that requires both organizational and people skills, as you'll be required to interact with coaching staff across departments, as well as have a working knowledge of what each athletic program needs, and how they function. You'll also oversee more technical asks such as keeping equipment needs up to date, and ensuring facilities are up to code.

If coordinating athletic programs and overseeing athletic departments interests you, and you have a passion for sports and people, becoming an athletic administrator could be a good career fit for you.

To become an athletics director, a Master of Science in Sport Management degree is a great starting point. If you're looking for a shorter option and already have some experience in the field, a grad certificate in athletic administration could help give you the competitive edge. You can then apply earned credits toward the MS Sport Management program.

It's important to know that in addition to serving as a leader in an athletics department, an athletics director needs to have organizational leadership skills, be detail oriented, and have excellent communication skills. They'll also be expected to manage budgets over various periods of time as well as be the direct line of communication between coaches, players, parents and the rest of the school administration.

For these reasons, this kind of certificate is especially attractive to people already working in the athletics field, whether they're looking to impress their employers or advance their careers. And the good news is, anyone with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree can apply for a graduate certificate program. Whether you’d like to delve deeper in your current field or learn a new skill entirely, a graduate certificate in athletic administration could help you reach your goals and your dream career as an athletic director someday.

"A certificate is often experiential learning, and it covers theory, but it moves quickly from academic study to application and use," says Clare Greenlaw, adjunct faculty at SNHU. "So, you’re very hands-on, and employers appreciate that because they’re assuming when you come out, it will be an immediately useful skill set for them."

You don't have to be an athlete to break into the sports management field. Aside from earning your sports management degree, internships and networking opportunities are an excellent way to break into the sports management industry while you're still earning your degree. In fact, our online master's in sports management degree has a built-in, customizable internship course along with internship mentor support to help get the ball rolling. Additionally, you could also consider taking up a part-time job or an internship in an athletic department to gain entry-level working knowledge of how the department functions as a whole.

Types of sports management internships could include:

• Athletic departments
• Pro and semi-pro teams
• Sports marketing vendors
• Youth and adult leagues
• Esports teams
• Parks and recreation

Whether you choose a path in marketing, facilities management, event planning or any number of sports management careers, your master's in sport management could help get you where you want to go. It also connects you with a strong network of alumni who work for sports organizations around the country from pro franchises and sports apparel giants to amateur athletic organizations.

If you're looking to break into the world of sports management, you'll be happy to learn the field of sports management is extensive, offering plenty of options for every area of interest. Sport managers can be found working for professional teams, their parent organizations (such as the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball or National Hockey League), colleges and universities, recreational departments and sports marketing firms. They can even be working as event managers, facility managers, sports economists, financial, promotion or information experts.

Just take it from Kyle Dunlevy ’19 who broke into the sports media scene as a senior in college while interning with a Boston sports radio station. While working closely with producers and the on-air personalities, he was tasked with screening calls and determining which to push through to the hosts. He was also tasked with researching sports news and statistics for the hosts to discuss, assembling podcasts and promoting them on social media. Eventually, Dunlevy was even given the opportunity to speak on air.

"I really realized I wanted to do sports media. Being able to sit at that desk and talk on the air … I was so excited. I was so happy.”

Additionally, someone with a degree in athletic administration (or sports management) can run the front office, work behind the scenes or act as the interface between players, coaches and the media. In all of these sports management roles, energy, motivation, good sportsmanship and teamwork are considered strong assets.

If you have dreams of guiding players off the field, a career as a sports manager could be right up your alley. When it comes to salaries, this, of course, depends on your level of education and experience, as well as the industry you enter.

Depending on your career goals, job duties could include facilities management or marketing and promotional responsibilities. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $104,900 for administrative services managers and $156,580 for advertising, promotions and marketing managers in 2023.¹

Individual salaries also depend on your location of work, as some areas tend to have higher wages than others, and the organization you work with. Being employed in metropolitan areas and working with more well-known clients improves your likelihood of a particularly high salary.¹