The home Internet site for the San Diego State University sports master of business administration program features a forecast for the Southern California home of this university.
Based on my trip to San Diego, the weather is certainly a selling point for attending school there. But the sports MBA program at SDSU boasts plenty of other selling points.
MBA
First of all, the degree is an accredited MBA program. Program graduates receive an MBA from the College of Business Administration. The MBA, of course, will prove valuable in advancing in a career in sports management or other business opportunities.
In terms of the sports focus, the SDSU sports MBA focuses its lessons on the sports industry. As the school puts it, the “program is intended for highly motivated students seeking to further their business skills and professional network to secure management positions in all areas of the global sports business industry.”
Padre Partner
The program’s graduation ceremony was conducted at Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres. The site is appropriate because the program works closely with the local major league baseball team.
The school and the Padres launched the program in 2005. Team members have served as guest lecturers in the classroom, worked with students on projects, and provided career advice. Padre executives have served on the school’s faculty.
Through the Padres facility in the Dominican Republic, students attend MBA classes in international business. The surrounding community is used for service projects and students use baseball as a catalyst for economic development in the community.
Opportunity
While the Padres are a key partner in the program, plenty of other opportunities for experience are available. As the school puts it, “sports MBA graduates posses a strong quantitative skill set that is applicable to any commercial segment of the sports world. These skills are also translatable to other industries outside of sports, allowing our graduates to apply their MBA to any future professional endeavor, a degree of flexibility unavailable to most graduates of traditional sports management … programs.”
Because of the aforementioned favorable weather, San Diego features an abundance of outdoor recreation opportunities, is headquarters to professional teams, major sports equipment and apparel companies, college athletics, and major international sporting events. That environment certainly provides opportunity.
The school encourages alumni involvement with students and graduates. As the school says, “One of the premier advantages of the SDSU program is its dedicated network of alumni currently working in the sports industry. SDSU Sports MBA alumni serve as guest lecturers, student career mentors, and are enormously dedicated to connecting students and fellow alumni with high-level job opportunities in the sports industry.”
Accelerated Program
The SDSU program is one of the few MBA programs that students can complete in 18 months or less. The schedule features 12 intensive months of classroom work followed by six months of consulting in the sports field. With their classroom work completed, many students are able to move into jobs with the companies where they consult.
With its connections in the Dominican and elsewhere around the world, the program offers international opportunities during the six months of consulting. The Sports MBA program hosts the SDSU International Sports MBA Case Competition. In the competition, international groups of students put together sports-themed case studies. The event attracts many top United States and international MBA programs.
Tuition
Tuition for the incoming class beginning in January 2009 (Sports MBA Class of 2009) was approximately $37,000. This is the tuition for the full 18-month length of the program. Fees include all tuition and academic material costs.
Many students receive financial support through graduate student loans and veteran’s benefits. The school also suggests exploring scholarship opportunities at SDSU scholarships and fastweb.com.