Tennessee Sports Degree Programs, Online Included

Alexis Bennett

Collegiate D1 Golf Coach; MS Sport Management, University of Florida. Last updated January 25, 2024.

There are many options for sports degrees in Tennessee, including online Bachelors and online Masters in sports degrees. With its year-round temperate climate and open air, Tennessee is an ideal location for active individuals looking to make their love for sports, recreation, and the outdoors into a full time job.

For those looking to upgrade a business degree, sports management or sport administration degrees can be an excellent choice. Marrying the passion of sports with the stability of a business degree is a perfect way to get into a job that not only provides steady and secure income, but also day-to-day excitement and enjoyment. Positions can vary from coaches to event planners to media consultants or correspondents, but the one thing that ties all sports management students together is a love of sports, fitness, and fun.

Are There Online Tennessee Sports Degrees?

Yes., there are online Bachelor of Sport Management and online Masters in Sport Management degrees in Tennessee. Sports management programs in Tennessee and elsewhere are becoming more and more common. Related fields such as sports media, kinesiology, and physical education are also thriving. Both in-person and online courses are readily available to provide interested students with the knowledge and experience to pursue a new career—or begin their first—in an exciting, high-energy field with endless opportunity.

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

In depth review of some of the best online sport management degrees in Tennessee

Tennessee Tech University - Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science, Sports Administration Concentration

The sports administration concentration offers courses in management, organization, ethics, psychology, marketing, as well as field experience outside the classroom for students to add to their resumes. In addition, Tennessee Tech’s Exercise Science program also includes concentrations in Exercise Physiology and Fitness and Wellness.

Classes Offered With Curriculum

• EXPW 1150: Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries This course presents an overview of best practices to reduce frequency and severity of injuries as well as management strategies for rehabilitation.
• BIOL 2010: Human Anatomy and Physiology Sports management and related fields are often heavily involved in the performance and physical capacity of athletes; this course allows students to better understand the way the body works in order to best help athletes in their future careers.
• EXPW 4171: Exercise and Sports Psychology This course provides an introduction to theories and principles of sports psychology. Students use traditional psychological methods as well as more niche studies and ideas to understand and unpack the factors that influence human behavior specific to exercise, rehabilitation, and sport.
• EXPW 4810: Field Experience The field experience requirement (3 hours minimum) allows students to get real-life experience to not only bolster their resume, but to fully prepare them for the professional world and offer an expedited taste of their future.

Tusculum University - Masters in Sports Management

This fully online one-year program can be taken part-time or full-time and allows students to get a grasp on the world of sports management at their own pace, and on their own time. Including a summer internship or independent research project, it sets students up to begin a career in a variety of sports and recreation-based industries on a much faster timeline than would be possible in a traditional program.

Enrollment Requirements:
Online students must meet the following standards and submit the following information in order to be eligible for acceptance into this program:

• Completed application
• Bachelor’s Degree from a. regionally accredited institution
• Either: Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 scale OR Minimum GPA of 3.0 scale in the last 60 hours
• Current Resume

Classes Offered With Curriculum

• MASA 500: Legal Issues in SportThe focus of this course is on providing an overview of the major legal issues associated with sports, sports administration, and the sport industry including discrimination, competition, labor, trademark law, and more.
• MASA 520: Principles of Sport Business A combination of a traditional business course and a sports administration course, students will learn to apply business strategies and principles to the specific needs of sports administration and related fields. This includes elements of budgeting, contract negotiation, and more.
• MASA 550: Generating Sport and Tourism Revenue Students will develop an understanding of professional roles in fundraising, donor relations, non-profit organizations, premium seating, and ticket sales for participatory sport tourism and event-based sport tourism.
• MASA 570: Research Methods And Design In SportEach graduate program at Tusculum University contains a research requirement. For sport administration students, this includes reading and critiquing a range of research articles and to develop a research proposal using appropriate methodologies and methods of inquiry. This open-ended project allows students to focus on topics which interest them and potentially develop questions, research, and ideas that will serve them in their future careers.

Middle Tennessee State University Bachelors and Masters in Leisure and Sports Management Degrees

Programs Offered:
Bachelor of Science in Leisure and Sports Management
Accelerated Bachelors/Masters in Leisure and Sports Management

The major in Leisure and Sport Management (LSM) provides knowledge, skills, and experiences for students interested in preparing for positions in the leisure and sport management professions. The major requires a general core accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Recreation, Parks, Tourism, and Related Professions. Specializations in LSM include sport management, outdoor recreation, and recreation administration. The combined bachelors/masters program of the same subject allows students an accelerated path to a postgraduate degree without having to reapply or pay for a second degree.

Enrollment Requirements:
Online students must meet the following standards and submit the following information in order to be eligible for acceptance into this program (the following is for undergraduate students only):

• Completed application
• Degree from a. regionally accredited institution
• 3.0 GPA OR minimum composite ACT score of 22 OR minimum SAT total score of 1100

Classes Offered With Curriculum:

• LSTS 3010: Intro to Leisure, Sport, and Tourism Studies This course surveys the development and basic concepts of leisure, sport, and tourism studies professions. History, definitions, theories, and social psychological concepts as well career opportunities and areas of service will be discussed.
• ATHC 4060: Sport PsychologyStudents will apply established psychological theories and principles to the world of sports and sports administration. This includes both the ways psychology affects the individual athlete as well as the ways in which sociology and group psychology can affect whole teams, leagues, and even the sports industry as a whole.
• LSTS 3560: Field Studies in Leisure, Sport, and Tourism This course provides an opportunity for supervised practical application of classroom theory in professional leisure, sports, and tourism field work.
• LSTS 3150: Foundations of Sports Industry This course discusses theoretical foundations and applications of various aspects of the sport industry including ethical concerns, risk management, marketing, economics, and the supervision of the sports industry.

List of Sports Degrees in Tennessee

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Sports management careers for Tennessee

Sports Management is a diverse and multi-faceted field which can lead to a variety of interesting and fulfilling careers. Whether it’s your desire to work with athletes directly, or in a business or media capacity, a degree in sports management can set any sports-lover up for success in their desired field.
Athletic Coach: The understanding of management, physiology, psychology, and more that you get from a degree in sports management are what makes a coach truly great—able to get the best out of his or her players both mentally and physically.

Sports Agent: Working directly with athletes, agents help negotiate deals, salaries, and other business dealings for some of the best and brightest in the sports industry.

Physical Education Instructor: For those looking to train the next generation, an understanding of leadership and sports management can help guide young minds and bodies to the next step in their athletic journey.

Corporate Partnership Manager: Corporate partnership is a huge part of what keeps the sports industry afloat, and with that, there is always a need for business savvy individuals to negotiate deals that benefit athletes, teams, brands, and fans alike.

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