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Sports Administration

Combine your business degree with the premier sport management program in Canada.

Overview

Get out of the stands and into the boardroom. Earn your business degree while getting experience in the sports industry.

The Sports Administration program at Laurentian University gives you the best of both the business and sports worlds. Combine training in business with a foundation in sports theory and practical experience in sports management. Learn from a program designed by Canadian sports leaders and Laurentian professors with over 50 years of alumni and industry contacts.

In the classroom, you’ll get the business foundation and core teaching associated with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree. You’ll learn how to approach sports business from many angles, such as finance, statistics, management science, economics, accounting, human resources, sports marketing, operations management, sports media and communications, championship selling, and analytics.

You’ll also gain sports industry-specific experience through in-class experiential learning opportunities, industry speakers, special events, alumni networking, internships, and consulting projects.

When you graduate, you’ll receive an Honours Bachelor of Commerce in Sports Administration (H.B.Com. SPAD) degree, preparing you to score a career in business, sports, or both.

Kick off your future in sports business. Apply today!

Key Features

A hockey stick
The first sports management degree of its kind in Canada where students earn an H.B.Com. in Sports Administration.
A baseball cap
Gain real-world experience and possible job opportunities through industry consulting as you research, analyze, develop, and deliver industry recommendations to executives and boards. Take advantage of the training and knowledge gained from a 4- to 8-month internship in a variety of industries, locally, and internationally.
A basketball
Travel abroad to work collaboratively with a professional sports organization in the fourth-year consulting trip. Past destinations include New York City, Chicago, London (England), and Lausanne (Switzerland).

Career Opportunities

Due to the degree combining business and sport, graduates have a multitude of career options they can explore post-graduation, including sports management careers. Some career options include, but are not limited to:

  • Professional sports organizations and leagues
  • International, national, and provincial sports organizations
  • Sport sponsorship agencies
  • Athlete representation agencies
  • Non-profit organizations
  • Athletic apparel companies
  • Banks and insurance companies
  • Any industry where a business degree is valued

Whether you go on to become the General Manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, or the President and CEO of a Fortune 500 company, this program can build the foundation for where you want to go.

Mercedes Marlok is smiling

Mercedes Marlok

The Sports Administration (SPAD) program here at Laurentian University has provided a positive and significant impact on my life in all aspects. The experiential learning and networking opportunities available are unlike any others. These experiences help us grow our soft skills and apply the core business principles we’re taught while working with industry professionals who provide career-changing advice. The small class size environment is a game changer as it allows for students who share a similar passion to connect with one another and create lifelong bonds, while also working closely with, and learning from, industry-connected and research-focused professors.

During my time in this program, I was a member and president of the SPAD student council and ran their social media accounts, organized events such as the SPAD hockey tournament and the SPAD alumni-student golf tournament, and volunteered for the SPAD 50th anniversary celebrations. I’ve also had so many opportunities to volunteer with local sports organizations, such as the Sudbury Wolves Sports & Entertainment on game days, which led to a marketing and communications internship with them. I was then hired as their community liaison for the summer, and eventually the game day coordinator once the hockey season started.

Thanks to the experiences I’ve gained and the network I’ve built over the last four years, I’ve been able to secure an internship with the UFC in Las Vegas. But, before I do that, my colleagues and I are taking part in the capstone sport industry consulting course all SPAD students do. Each of our groups has been paired with a sports organization in L.A. and we are researching a business problem they have assigned us. Our whole class will then fly down to L.A. to present our recommendations to these organizations, meet with sports executives, tour state-of-the-art facilities, and set ourselves up for our careers.

Mercedes Marlok is smiling

Does this program interest you?

Take an in-depth look at program details, courses, and degree options!

Program Details