New Sport Management Major
The Maine Business School is adding its first new major since 1965. Students may now earn a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) with a major in Sport Management. This new program brings the total number of majors in the MBS to five, including Accounting, Finance, Management, and Marketing.
“The BSBA in Sport Management is a logical step for UMaine based on the interests of our students, faculty, and colleagues in athletics,” says Faye Gilbert, Ph.D., Executive Dean of the Maine Business School (MBS). “The focus of this new major will support efforts for economic and workforce development across Maine.”
The Sport Management major will include the MBS core business curriculum while providing students with courses to prepare them for careers in sports-related industries. Career prospects for students include openings in this field and any job that requires a degree in Business Administration.
This is a collaborative degree, with UMaine Athletics personnel intending to teach courses. “We are thrilled to see the Maine Business School make the important step forward in offering Sport Management as a new major,” says Ken Ralph, Director of Athletics at UMaine. “This is an exciting new option for UMaine students and we are ready to partner with MBS to ensure our students have the best possible experiences.”
Students earning their BSBA in Sport Management will have access to opportunities with UMaine’s NCAA Division I athletics program and benefit from the Harold Alfond Foundation support for athletics at UMaine. “Collaborating with UMaine athletics, students will develop world-class skills and actively participate in applied projects that position them for future career success,” says Jason Harkins, Ph.D., Associate Dean of the Maine Business School.
“We hope to connect this new program to initiatives at the University of Southern Maine, particularly in regards to practicum experiences for all of our students,” Dean Gilbert says. Collaborating isn’t new to the Maine Business School. Along with Maine Law and USM’s Muskie School of Public Service, the MBS’s Graduate School of Business is a part of the University of Maine’s Graduate and Professional Center. Faculty from UMaine and USM teach courses in the MaineMBA program.
Two MBS faculty members were instrumental in making this new major a reality: Muralee Das, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Management, and Susan Myrden, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing. Dr. Das teaches Special Topics in Sports & Recreation Management (MGT 490), which is already full for the fall 2021 semester.