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Become More Than Just A Coach
With an online master’s in Sports Leadership, you will learn how to communicate effectively with your teammates, players and partners, as well as integrate simple team management strategies, and comprehensive psychology-based principles you can apply into your administrative duties for greater teamwork and growth. You will gain the knowledge and skills to achieve your goals and aspirations of enhancing the athletic performance, and overall mental and physical health of others, as well as your own.
Introducing
Locked-In Tuition.
Our Locked-In Tuition program guarantees you’ll pay the same price for your entire graduate degree.
About the Program
ACU’s online Master of Science in Sports Leadership provides you the opportunity to learn alongside other students looking to enter or currently working in the sports industry. Offering three concentrations depending on your educational or professional goals, this program aims to increase core analytical, nutritional, and administrative skills via courses related to problem-solving, decision-making, preventive care, and interpersonal communication – all geared toward making you a better athletic leader inside and out. With the unique ability to be in courses with seasoned professionals, current NCAA athletes, and aspiring athletic educational administrators, this master’s degree can propel you into becoming not only an expert on the field or court, but also a well-rounded team player.
Program Structure
All the Details on Your Degree
Throughout the 30 credit hours, you will advance your understanding of how to address the physical, psychological, human resources, and financial aspects of sports leadership, coaching, and administration. Through a set of core curriculum courses, you will be able to identify and develop comprehensive skills to evaluate ethical dilemmas and potential conflicts facing sports managers, demonstrate competency in designing research studies related to athletics, and understand the significance of assessing your team’s opinions, strengths, and weaknesses.
Stackable Certificate:
Earn a certificate while completing your master’s degree.
While enrolled in the Analytics concentration of the Master of Science in Sports Leadership program, you will also earn a graduate-level Certificate in Business Analytics. Earn this valuable credential as you progress through your degree at no additional cost.
Required Hours
30 hours
20 months
Cost: $650/Hour with $400 resource fee per semester
Example Coursework
Sports Foundations
Ethics and Legal Issues in Sport
Self Assessment in Sports Leadership
Teams & Team Leadership
Upcoming Start Dates
January 14, 2025
March 11, 2025
COMMON JOB TITLES
Coaches
Front office personnel
Sports administrators
Athletic agents
Concentrations
Focused on making you an expert in sports administration and management, this degree is ideal for those looking to propel their careers toward greater competence and professional development via our three distinct concentrations.
Analytics
Designed to meet the educational needs of professionals in the sports industry looking to increase core data-related skills, the analytics concentration teaches concepts related to situational analysis, problem-solving, and decision-making in the sports industry to further understand performance windows, the win/lose culture, and other sports-related phenomenons.
Athletic Administration
Designed to help current or aspiring athletics administrators, the athletic administration concentration helps you understand the dynamics of interpersonal conflict, manage athletic finances, and develop a deeper appreciation for foundational leadership theories and applications for a number of institutional settings.
Coaching
Designed to help current or aspiring coaching staff understand the basic aspects of coaching, the coaching concentration focuses on preventive care of athletic-related injuries, psychologically-based principles of coaching, nutritional science for exercise and sports, as well as applicable sports psychology theories and strategies.
Meet the Program Director
Brandon Podgorski, Master of Science in Sports Leadership
Professor Brandon Podgorski is the Program Director for the Master of Science in Sports Leadership. He has almost 20 years of experience in higher education as a professor, coach, and athletic director and eight years of experience in revenue development. Podgorski has taught a wide array of sports marketing and management classes and has been a frequent guest on local, regional, and national media publications to discuss current issues in sports.
As a scholar in sports leadership, Podgorski’s research interests are in college athletics, sports business, and youth sporting development. He is passionate about developing ethical coaches, administrators, and professionals.
Spotlight
Faculty Spotlight: Brandon Podgorski
Whether he’s bringing on former college athletes interested in getting their master’s degree, or lifelong coaches looking to upskill their leadership styles, Brandon Podgorski is ready for it all. Bringing over 20 years of experience in higher education, college sports and athletic curriculum development, Podgorski is committed to making the Master of Science in Sports Leadership, the go-to degree for coaches and administrators interested in incorporating foundational leadership pillars into the sports world.
ACU’s New Sports Leadership Program Attracts MLB Veteran
From Vice President of Baseball Development at MLB to graduate student of ACU Online’s Master of Science in Sports Leadership, Del Matthews is going ‘back to school’ in pursuit of his lifelong vision of constant learning and engaging with what is new in the world of sports.
Change the Game as a Sports Leader
Becoming a leader in the sports industry doesn’t need to start tomorrow – it can start today. As one of the most fundamental activities in our American culture, sports doesn’t just stop at uniting people or teaching important values. Your love for sports can extend into different aspects such as coaching, administrating, and training students and professional athletes.
ACU Announces New Master of Science in Sports Leadership
ACU has launched a new online master’s degree in Sports Leadership focused on equipping prospective or current sports professionals in enhancing their experience with foundational and academically-based strategies to become effective coaches, sports administrators, and sports brand leaders.
ACU partners with Texas Rangers to offer RangersU courses to players
RangersU launched two Player Pathways for Rangers players interested in gaining continued education, academic credit, or new skills through ACU’s fully online, bilingual seven-week courses. Harnessing their shared mission, ACU and the Texas Rangers are eager to see the impact these pathways will have on players both on and off the field.
ACU named among America’s Top Online Colleges by Newsweek
For the third consecutive year, Abilene Christian University has been named one of America’s Top Online Colleges for 2024. The award is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment rate of those in sports and fitness is predicted to increase by 13% within the next few years. With close to 470,000 open positions projected every year across the country, the need for educated and well-trained sports professionals is at an all-time high with opportunities existing in various types of settings and disciplines from small to large teams, public education, colleges and universities, and professional leagues.
To be considered for admission, students must:
- Complete the online program application accompanied by a non-refundable processing fee.
- Submit official transcripts from the accredited colleges or universities that awarded the baccalaureate.
- Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0. Probationary status may be granted for those with a GPA less than 3.0.
- Submit a current resume and letter of intent.
- The following course prerequisites must be completed prior to matriculation:
• Communication – 3 hours
• English – 6 hours
• Math (College Algebra or higher) – 3 hours
• Kinesiology/Biomechanics/Physical Education (For coaching concentration applicants) – 2-3 hours
Graduation Requirements: Students must earn a 3.0 GPA or higher to meet graduation requirements and successfully complete all required courses.
Abilene Christian University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Ga. 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of ACU.
Abilene Christian University enjoys a strong national reputation as one of the leading private Christian universities in the west and southwest, indicated by various ratings (such as U.S. News and World Report and other reports).