Undergraduate Catalog 2022-2023

Sport Management, Bachelor of Science (572P, 572)

Department website: http://www.wku.edu/krs


Program Coordinator

Stacey A. Forsythe, stacey.forsythe@wku.edu, (270) 745-4238

The Bachelor of Science degree in Sport Management is a program which prepares students for a variety of successful careers within the sport industry. Course work focuses on key content areas including; sport management and leadership principles, operations, event & venue management, governance, ethics, marketing, legal, financial and integrative experiences.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the program, students must have

  • a minimum of an overall WKU GPA of 2.25.
  • completed the following courses with a grade of C or higher: COMM 145, ECON 202, MKT 220, SPM 200, and MGT 210.
  • submitted a complete application including resume.

Program Requirements (63 hours)

A baccalaureate degree requires a minimum of 120 unduplicated semester hours. More information can be found at www.wku.edu/registrar/degree_certification.php.

Students who began WKU in the Fall 2014 and thereafter should review the Colonnade requirements located at: https://www.wku.edu/colonnade/colonnaderequirements.php.

Core Courses
SPM 200Introduction to Sport Management3
SPM 290Sport Management Seminar3
SPM 310Sport Ethics and Moral Issues3
SPM 404Sport Facility Management3
SPM 402Fiscal Practices in Sport Management3
SPM 450Sport Law3
SPM 452Sport Leadership and Management3
SPM 454Sport Governance3
SPM 490Internship in Sport12
COMM 145Fundamentals of Public Speaking and Communication3
ECON 202Principles of Economics (Micro)3
MKT 220Basic Marketing Concepts3
MGT 210Organization and Management3
Electives
Select 15 hours of the following:15
Fundamentals of Public Relations
Understanding the Nonprofit Sector
Recreation and Tourism
Campus Recreation
Travel-Based Learning in Recreation and Tourism
Public Policy in Sport
Sport Event Management
Advance Studies in Sport
Sports Economics
Entrepreneurship
Sports Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Sociology of Sport
Sport Communication
Sport Psychology
Total Hours63

Prior to being allowed to take the SPM 490 course, students must have completed all courses required in the major except SPM 490 and must have a minimum 2.8 GPA in all major courses. The remaining hours required to meet the university’s requirement of 120 hours should be used to either: 1) take other electives of interest to the student or 2) select a minor that best prepares them for entry-level positions related to their interest within the sport industry.  Complementary minors include but are not limited to: athletic coaching, broadcasting, business administration, economics, finance, nonprofit administration, and facility and event management.

Finish in Four Plan

First Year
FallHoursSpringHours
COMM 1453MATH 109 or MATH 1163
HIST 101 or HIST 1023ENG 1003
SPM 2003Major/Minor/Elective or World Language (if needed)3
Colonnade - Arts & Humanities3Major/Minor/Elective3
Colonnade - Natural & Physical Sciences with Lab3Colonnade - Natural & Physical Sciences 3
 15 15
Second Year
FallHoursSpringHours
ENG 2003ECON 2023
MKT 2203Major/Minor/Elective3
MGT 2103Connections - Local to Global3
Major/Minor/Elective3Connections - Systems3
Connections - Social & Cultural3Major/Minor/Elective3
 15 15
Third Year
FallHoursSpringHours
SPM 4023SPM 4503
SPM 4043SPM 2903
ENG 3003SPM 3103
Major/Minor/Elective3Major/Minor/Elective3
Major/Minor/Elective3Major/Minor/Elective3
 15 15
Fourth Year
FallHoursSpringHours
SPM 4523SPM 49012
SPM 4543 
Major/Minor/Elective12 
 18 12
Total Hours 120