Ohio Sports Degree Programs, Online Included

Alexis Bennett

Collegiate D1 Golf Coach; MS Sport Management, University of Florida. Last updated February 20, 2025.

Ohio is one of the most dense states for institutions with sports management degree offerings (or related sports program fields) . Depending on the level of education you are seeking, there are around 30 unique universities offering 50+ sports degree program tracks in the state of Ohio. While fewer in number, there are also online track options through Ohio-based institutions, depending upon your chosen curriculum.

Click for more online sports programs that are taking applications for 2025.

Are There Online Sports Degrees in Ohio?

Yes, there are multiple universities in Ohio with online sport management degrees. By our count there are 8 different online sports degree options in Ohio, split fairly equally between undergraduate and graduate options. Ashland University and Tiffin University are two of the universities that offer online options at both the undergraduate and the graduate levels.

Best accredited sports degrees in Ohio

The majority of sports degrees in Ohio are accredited by one or more accreditation body, most often by either NASSM (North American Society for Sport Management) or COSMA (The Commission on Sport Management Accreditation). These programs all are well-equipped with the tools to elevate your understanding of the sports business industry with a management landscape and prepare you to either enter the job market, move up to a higher rung on the corporate ladder, or make a life-changing career industry switch. With their hands-on experiences and connections to university athletics departments, sports agencies, professional teams and beyond, students will leave these programs armed for sports management battle.

In Depth Review of the Top Universities for Sports Degrees in Ohio

Ashland University - On-Campus B.S. in Sport Management, On-Campus & Online M.B.A. with Sport Management Specialization

Located in central Ohio, Ashland is a small, private, institution with religious ties. While you can study Sport Management, they also offer the ability to get an MBA with a specialization in Sport Management. The specialization route is the specific application of business concepts to the field of sport. It consists of three three-credit classes designed to meet the accreditation guidelines by COSMA. On campus, Ashland also has a Sport Business Club which outlines it's goals as 1) to enhance cultural, intellectual, social and recreational aspects of Sport Management students at Ashland University 2) to facilitate communication between various professional organizations for future benefit and 3) to sponsor programs to benefit Sport Management students and the Ashland University student body. If the MBA route is most appealing to you, it's also offered online.

Tiffin University - On-Campus B.B.A. in Sport Management, Online M.B.A. in Sport Management

Tiffin University offers one of the widest selections of concentrations within Sport Management, which most institutions already consider quite specialized. In addition to a general Sports Management undergraduate degree, students can also select to concentrate in Athletic Administration, E-sports Management, and Sports Marketing. While you can pursue a pull M.B.A. in Sports Management through their online platform, Tiffin also offers an accelerated B.B.A. to M.B.A. track. That track allows students to take classes as dual credit, counting towards both an undergraduate and graduate degree, leading to two degrees earned in just five years. This not only saves time, but money and allows you to jump into the world of sports business sooner rather than later.

Kent State University - On-Campus B.S. in Sport Administration, On-Campus M.A. in Sport Administration

One of the most all-around competitive athletics departments in the MAC conference, Kent State offers comprehensive options for studying Sport Administration. As an undergrad, students are required to pair their studies with a minor and can choose from: business, data analytics, finance, international business, management, and marketing. If pursuing at the graduate level, much like the program offered at Tiffin, students have the ability to "fast-track" their graduate level education by dual enrolling in the traditional M.B.A. at the same time as the M.A. in Athletic Administration.

The dual degree program is specifically designed for students and working professionals whose career goals center around communication, particularly global communication. The College of Education, Health and Human Services, where Sport Administration is housed, also offers bachelor’s degrees in athletic training, exercise science, physical education, and recreation, park and tourism management as well as graduate degrees in exercise physiology, health education, and sport and recreation management.

Wittenberg University - On-Campus B.A. in Sport Management

Wittenberg University is a small, Lutheran, hands-on dedicated institution. With an undergraduate population of 1,500 students at an average student-faculty ratio of 12 to 1, Wittenberg students receive one-on-one attention from their faculty and staff. Keys of a Wittenberg education include student-faculty partnership research, service-learning, and field work. With 25 intercollegiate sports, it's a perfect learning laboratory for Sport Management students. Accredited by Higher Learning Commission, the 2022 tuition plus fees was around $42,000 for undergraduate programs and $8,300 for graduate programs.

The Ohio State University - On-Campus B.S. in Sport Industry, On-Campus M.S. in Kinesiology - Sport Management, and On-Campus Ph.D. in Kinesiology - Sport Management

One of the most well-respected university brands for sports also has one of the most comprehensive tracks related to the sports industry in terms of levels, with the ability to go all the way up to the Doctoral level.

Ohio State also offers numerous clubs and groups related to these degrees including the Sports and Society Initiative, the Sport Management Association, Sport Marketing Association, and the Kinesiology Graduate Student Council. With an emphasis on research, students will work side-by-side in contemporary sports issues to gain an inside view into some of the challenges and opportunities presented to teams, organizations, and university athletics departments. With an alumni base of over 500,000, many of them former athletes, students have access to some top level talent in and outside of the state of Ohio.

List of Sports Degrees in Ohio

Click for 100% online sports programs that are taking applications.

Common Curriculum and Areas of Study

Diversity and Inclusion in Recreation and Sport

Focuses on the understanding of people’s differences and potential barriers to participation in sport. Often, there are hours of volunteer work with people who have disabilities required as part of the course requirements. Students will leave with tactics they can use to make sure anyone they encounter has an enjoyable experience no matter what their obstacles are with their sport of choice.

Sport Programming

Foundational principles, administrative duties, delivery systems and standard practices of varying levels of sport programming. Program delivery systems overview with emphasis on problem identification associated with sport programs. Topics include recreation league administration, youth sport delivery and organization, tournament operations, community-based sports, and programming at the collegiate level.

Event Management and Corporate Sponsorship

Coordinating logistics from sponsorship acquisition and reallocation to in-game promotions and staffing all contribute to successful event management. Sporting events especially, typically include many moving parts and require expertise in organization, communication, and risk management.

Marketing, Fan Engagement, and In-Game Promotions

Understanding how to generate excitement surrounding sporting events is a fundamental part of working in sports and making a team successful in terms of the bottom line. Marketing means creating a brand strategy, designing social media campaigns and driving target by specific consumer groups to events. Once you have an audience, merchandising, signage, concessions, music, and entertainment all contribute to that audience’s loyalty and likelihood of returning. Behind the scenes, sports information directors track statistics, records, streaks, and everything numbers. They help tell the story of the entire experience.

Evidence-Based Decision Making in Sports, Recreation, and Tourism

An introduction to and application of the processes required for evaluating and analyzing the cost and benefit of sport programs: development of evaluation criteria, data collection, analysis, synthesis of findings, and communication of results. The course emphasizes an understanding, development, and application of various types of designs.

Ethics and Sport Law

Laws and regulations guide decisions made by sport organizations and their ownership. An understanding of historical law rulings in sports helps inform decision-makers and provide a path for the future. Especially important when working in educational settings, an understanding of legal precedence and procedures prevents violations, penalties, and fines.

Finance and Revenue Generation

Sports today, at every level, have become big business. The bottom line will always circle back to profitability. A clear comprehension of accounting, budgeting, payroll, and investment is necessary to work in a sustainable sport organizations. Every corporate environment needs people to balance the books, forecast revenue and the different streams of from which it will be generated, and provide insights to increasing efficiency and stretching the budget to maximize profits.

Careers and Sport Organizations in Ohio

Ohio is rich in sports history. In NCAA Division I institutions alone, there are 13 universities that span multiple conferences from the MAC (Akron, Bowling Green, Kent State) to the American (Cincinnati) to the Big East (Xavier) and beyond.

Multiple professional sports also call Ohio home like the Cavaliers, Bengals, Browns, Reds, and others. Sports, in general, have made such a profound impact on the economy and culture of Ohio, the Secretary of State even has a dedicated webpage to the history of sports in Ohio.

Sports Degrees by Level

• Bachelors degrees in sports
• Online Bachelors in Sports Management
• Online Masters in Sports Management
• Doctorate degrees in sports

Sport Program Areas

• Athletic Administration Degrees
• Exercise Science Degrees
• Kinesiology Degrees
• Coaching Degrees
• Health and Wellness Degrees
• Sports Industry Management
• Sports Analytics Degrees
• Sports Marketing Degrees
• Sports Psychology Degrees
• Recreation Management Degrees