McCormack Department of Sport Management
About McCormack
The McCormack Department of Sport Management is one of the few sport management programs housed within a business school. As one of the oldest sport management programs in the world, McCormack’s network of more than 5,000 alumni features leaders within every segment of the industry. The department has one of the top undergraduate programs in the country, and its graduate sport management program is currently ranked No. 1 in the world by SportBusiness.
The Master of Science in Sport Management requires 35 credits, and students generally complete the program in 1 year. Through course work and a wealth of experiential learning-based projects, students will gain an in-depth understanding of business in the sport industry across a multitude of topic areas.
The McCormack Advantage
Our cutting-edge curriculum, taught by one of the largest full-time faculties in sport management, features a unique blend of sport-specific theory and practice – all designed to prepare the future leaders of the sport industry.
- Program Prestige: 13 Sports Business Journal 40-Under-40 Award Winners – the most of any sport management program in the world
- The McCormack Family: Access to 3,000+ sports and entertainment industry alumni
- Grad Mentor Program: Every grad student spends the school year aligned with an Industry Mentor
- Engaged Faculty: 12 full-time faculty members who become life-long mentors
- Diverse Global Learning Environment: On average, a third of our graduate students are international, bringing diverse industry insights
Student Insight
"I chose UMass to assist with my professional pivot because of the exceptional faculty, the strength of the alumni network, and the high esteem that the program holds in the sport management sector. The cherry on top is the engaging community that fosters growth through collaboration in a non-competitive space."
- Kellen Williams, '15
Elizabeth B. Delia
Assistant Professor
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Research
Isenberg has a strong focus on research. Faculty members are working on a wide variety of research projects, investigating such topics as:
- Gender and race dynamics in sport
- Economic testing of ethnicity discrimination amongst referees
- Federal regulation of sports agents
- Impact of social media on companies and athletes
- Ticket price strategy
- Sport leadership development
- Ambush marketing
- Labor relations in professional sports
Degree Timeline
Students must take 48 credits of coursework. Students must pass both a qualifying and comprehensive examination, and must complete three years of teaching at Isenberg. During the final years, students research, write and defend a dissertation.
YEAR 1: Coursework, including statistics, research methods and sports management core courses; Qualifying exam
YEAR 2: Coursework, including statistics, major field electives and minor field courses; Comprehensive exam
YEAR 3: Development of dissertation proposal; Teaching
YEAR 4-5: Dissertation research; Teaching
Janet S. Fink
Douglas & Diana Berthiaume Endowed Professor, Chair of Sport Management, and Professor
Steve McKelvey
Professor, Associate Department Chair for External Relations & Graduate Program Director
William Norton
Director of the McCormack Center for Sport Research and Education (MCSRE) & Lecturer
Nefertiti A. Walker
Interim Associate Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, UMass Amherst, Associate Dean for an Inclusive Organization & Associate Professor
