UMass Amherst's Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management Extends and Expands Partnership with Global Institute of Sports Business in India

The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management at UMass Amherst and the Global Institute of Sports Business (GISB) have extended their multi-year educational partnership. The partnership provides GISB students with exposure to top-tier sport management coursework taught by full-time professors from the world’s #1-ranked sport management master’s program. GISB students and faculty will be challenged and trained by UMass faculty in select subject areas, while studying in India—one of the fastest growing sports markets.

The renewed partnership is a global sports education initiative of the McCormack Center for Sport Research & Education, an interdepartmental agency focused on delivering customized educational programs to partners in the United States and abroad. GISB will continue to host UMass Amherst faculty in Mumbai multiple times a year for week-long, on-the-ground master’s level seminars.

In addition, the renewed partnership extends to the Executive Post-Graduate Program in Sports Management. This is a hybrid program that brings together a blend of self-paced and live online sessions, regular industry exposure, domestic and international study trips, mentorship sessions, and student mixers. The program has been created for students interested in sports management, working professionals looking to upskill or pivot into sport business, and professional athletes preparing for their careers post-retirement.

“We’re excited to extend our global educational partnership with GISB, as the past three years of collaboration have yielded enriching in-class educational content and formed a strong connection between McCormack faculty and GISB students,” noted Will Norton, director of the McCormack Center for Sport Research & Education.

“The McCormack Center seeks to create innovative and scalable programs that help companies, students, managers, and academic institutions differentiate in the crowded sports marketplace,” continued Norton. “Tapping into our industry-leading alumni network and faculty cohort allows us to create value through collaboration and further the educational mission of sport management as a discipline. Tackling this challenge in India with a trusted, strategic partner in GISB has been a wonderful undertaking, and we look forward to helping develop future leaders of the Indian sports industry through GISB’s expanding academic offerings.”

Commenting on the partnership, GISB Chancellor Gaurav Modwel shared, “India is a nascent yet fast growing sports market. We believe that investing in and building a world-class managerial cadre is imperative for the growth of our industry. Through our partnership with UMass Amherst and the world’s #1–ranked Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management, GISB has provided a platform for post-graduate students to access best-in-class education, exposure, and experience. We are thrilled to extend this landmark partnership to empower GISB's future industry leaders.” 

"The extension of our partnership to the online platform through the GISB Executive Post-Graduate Program in Sports Management now makes world-class sports management education widely accessible," he added.

GISB students are immersed in specialized sport management modules covering topics such as Sport Marketing & Consumer Behaviour, Corporate Sponsorship, Strategy, and Leadership. Students will continue to have access to an online learning platform, as well as the McCormack Case Study Collection, housed within the McCormack Center (www.mccormackcenter.com). UMass faculty will continue to add support to the planning and execution of any GISB international study trips organized within North America, building a bridge between GISB students and the McCormack Department’s unparalleled sport industry alumni network.

This partnership provides added support to GISB’s educational offering, which, in 2018, established India’s first internationally certified sports management course. Located in a state-of-the-art campus in the heart of India’s business capital, Mumbai, GISB has been created as an industry-driven approach to sports management education focused on furthering individual growth, fostering student employability, and generating sector impact. The Institute was established to address the growing demand for professionals with relevant educational background and training to join the $700 billion global sports industry.

Steve McKelvey, McCormack Department Chair, noted, “We are thrilled to extend our partnership with GISB. We look forward to continued engagement with our McCormack alumni base and India’s future sport management leaders.  Expanding on the robust collaboration between our faculty and GISB students continues to further the legacy of Mark McCormack on an international level.”   

About the Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management

The #1 globally ranked Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is one of the few sport management programs housed within a business school: the Isenberg School of Management. U.S. News & World Report ranks Isenberg as the #1 public undergraduate business school in the Northeast, while its online MBA is ranked as the #9 public program. The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management is one of the oldest such programs in the world, and the program’s network includes more than 5,000 sport industry alumni, featuring leaders and innovators within every segment of the commercial sports industry. The department has one of the top undergraduate programs in the country, and its graduate program—consisting of master’s-level (MS) as well as dual-degree (MBA/MS) concentrations—is currently ranked #1 in the world by industry standard SportBusiness.

For more information, visit the McCormack Department's program page at:

https://www.isenberg.umass.edu/programs/depts/sport-mgmt

About GISB

The Global Institute of Sports Business offers India’s first and only industry designed and internationally certified sports management course. The flagship program at the Global Institute of Sports Business is the GISB Post Graduate Program in Sports Management. This is a full-time 20-unit intensive, informative, and experiential higher education course specializing in the business of sport. The course has been designed by global sports industry veterans to ensure that GISB students not only receive the tools, knowledge, and experiences required to create fulfilling careers in sport but also gain access to relevant platforms in order to regularly interact with industry employers. Notable GISB affiliates include the Premier League, SD Eibar (LaLiga), Baseline Ventures, Sportskeeda and Multifit.  For more information, visit www.gisbindia.com