Earning a degree in sports management has been growing in popularity over the years and the reasons why are very understandable. Studying sports management includes far more than learning how to become a coach or team manager. Rather, it provides students with leadership, business, financial, operational, and analytical training and skills, all wrapped in the context of the sports industry. Students who pursue degrees in sports management will cultivate traditional management skills, as well as some non-traditional management skills, and learn how to utilize them in a professional and/or amateur sports setting.
Sports management is an intriguing degree for prospective or current college students because it covers a broad sweep of subjects, many of which you might not have thought you’d learn in such a field. For instance, many degrees in sports management require courses in accounting, statistics, and law, among others.
Thus, for our study here, BrokeScholar is focusing on identifying the best sports management colleges in Michigan. We analyzed 89 colleges in Michigan, both public institutions and private, not-for-profit institutions, while excluding for-profit institutions. Sourcing data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), we put together a list of the best schools for sports management in Michigan for the academic year 2023-2024. (See the methodology section for more details).
Read on to find out the best sports management colleges in Michigan.
Best Sports Management Colleges in Michigan
In our sports management degree study, we analyzed all the public and private, not-for-profit colleges in Michigan against a criterion consisting of several factors. These included the type and number of degrees awarded per academic year in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management (terminology provided by the NCES), graduation rates, estimated annual cost of tuition and required fees. Another crucial factor was the proportion of degrees in sports management compared to the student population, which was included to ensure that smaller schools could rank too and not get overwhelmed by the huge volume of sports management degrees conferred by larger state schools.
In terms of the level of degrees awarded in sports management, the top 10 best sports management colleges in Michigan offer a range from bachelor’s through doctoral degrees. The level with the most degrees in sports management is a bachelor's degree.
Without further ado, let’s get into a more detailed breakdown at the 10 best sports management colleges in Michigan:
Adrian College
Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit
Graduation rate: 53%
Tuition and required fees: $39,596
Adrian College is a small private, not-for-profit college that consistently ranks among Michigan’s top schools, such as being one of the best colleges for accounting in Michigan. Carrying a total student population of approximately 1,871, including some 1,805 undergraduates, Adrian College is on the smaller end of the spectrum. Adrian College has a graduation rate of 53%, which is better than the average graduation rate for all 89 Michigan colleges — 45% — analyzed in the study. Furthermore, with an admission rate of 76%, Adrian College is more selective than the majority of the best sports management colleges in Michigan. Adrian College boasts the highest proportion of sports management degrees compared to total students, at 1.92%. This fact played a major role in thrusting Adrian College into the top ranks of the best sports management colleges in Michigan. Some of its main sports management programs include:
According to NCES data, the primary sports management degrees awarded by Adrian College in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 30 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
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Master’s degrees: 6 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
Aquinas College
Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit
Graduation rate: 60%
Tuition and required fees: $37,280
Aquinas College is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Grand Rapids, a city that’s home to several Michigan colleges. Aquinas College has student population on the smaller side, which isn’t surprising since it’s a private, Catholic liberal arts school. With more than 1,200 undergraduate students and over 1,300 total students, Aquinas College is primarily a college for undergraduate studies.
Aquinas College also enjoys a high graduation rate of 60%, well above the 45% average graduation rate for the study as a whole. Aquinas College may be small and offer degrees in sports management only on the bachelor’s level, but it awards a high proportion (0.73%) of bachelor’s degrees in sports management compared to its undergraduate population. The school’s main sports management program is a robust Business Administration and Sport Management Dual Major (BSBA). This dual degree program encompasses a wide range of subjects, including courses in Principles of Accounting, Financial Management, Sport Law, and Elementary Statistics, just to name a few.
According to NCES data, the main sports management degrees awarded by Aquinas College in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 9 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
Central Michigan University
Type: 4-year, public institution
Graduation rate: 62%
Tuition and required fees: $11,376
Central Michigan University is in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, which is right in the middle of the “mitten” that is Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Possessing a total student population of just under 15,500, including more than 11,400 undergraduates, Central Michigan still manages to maintain a graduation rate of 62% — distinctly better than most graduation rates of colleges in Michigan and among the highest rates of the best sports management colleges in Michigan. Its admission rate of 77% also makes it more selective than most other major public schools in Michigan. Moreover, Central Michigan University, though a public institution, does not charge different costs of tuition based on the residence of students. Both in-state and out-of-state students pay a tuition of $11,376 per academic year.
Central Michigan University awards degrees in sports management up to the master’s degree level. The school also offers several fields of study related to sports management, such as undergraduate degrees in Athletic Coaching and graduate degrees in Athletic Training. Below are the main sports management programs:
According to NCES data, the principal sports management degrees awarded by Central Michigan University in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 47 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
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Master’s degrees: 16 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
Davenport University
Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit
Graduation rate: 48%
Tuition and required fees: $26,550
Davenport University is a private college in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which is also the parent institution of more than a dozen branch campuses throughout Michigan. Davenport University big compared to other private, not-for-profit schools, with a total student population of nearly 5,400, including more than 4,300 undergraduates. Its graduation rate of 48% is just above the average graduation rates of the 89 public and private, not-for-profit colleges in Michigan. For a private college, Davenport University has a relatively affordable cost of tuition and required fees of $26,550 per academic year. Davenport University awards degrees in sports management only on the bachelor’s level, with the principal program being its Bachelor of Business Administration in Sport Management.
Davenport University awards a comparatively high proportion of sports management degrees, 0.85%, compared to its undergraduate population. This factor, among others, helped drive Davenport University to rank among the best sports management colleges in Michigan. According to NCES data, the main sports management degrees awarded by Davenport University in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 37 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
Eastern Michigan University
Type: 4-year, public institution
Graduation rate: 48%
Tuition and required fees: $14,400
Located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, Eastern Michigan University is an all-around solid state college, which ranked as one of the best colleges for marketing in Michigan in a separate BrokeScholar study. With a total student population of over 15,000, including more than 12,700 undergraduates, the school maintains a graduation rate of 48%, which is above-average for all the 89 colleges in Michigan analyzed in our study. Eastern Michigan has an undergraduate acceptance rate of 85%, which makes it less competitive than many private not-for-profit colleges, but more selective than many other major public colleges in Michigan. Similar to Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University doesn’t charge different rates of tuition for in-state resident students versus out-of-state resident students.
Eastern Michigan University has a couple of sports management programs on offer for students to pursue, both on the undergraduate and graduate level:
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Bachelor of Science in Sport Management: This major requires students to minor that best fits with their academic and career goals.
According to NCES data, the primary sports management degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 50 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
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Master’s degrees: 17 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
Northwood University
Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit
Graduation rate: 62%
Tuition and required fees: $31,600
Northwood University is located in Midland, Michigan, and has an undergraduate population of over 2,100 students. With Northwood University awarding a notable 22 bachelor’s degrees in sports management in one academic year, the proportion of sports management degrees to undergraduates is higher than most colleges in Michigan, at 1.04%. This was a substantial reason why Northwood University ranked highly among the best sports management colleges in Michigan. What also helped is that Northwood University has a graduation rate of 62%, which is better than the study’s overall average of 45%. Northwood University has two main academic programs in the field of sports management:
According to NCES data, the sports management degrees awarded by Northwood University in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 22 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
Olivet College
Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit
Graduation rate: 44%
Tuition and required fees: $32,006
A little over 30 miles southwest of Lansing, Michigan, Olivet College is a private Christian liberal arts college, originally founded in 1844 by missionaries from Oberlin College. Not coincidentally, it followed Oberlin College in becoming the second coed college US. Olivet College is small, even by private college standards. It has an undergraduate population of just over 850 students and a total student population of only around 885.
Yet, despite its small size, Olivet College has turned out a markedly high proportion of degrees in sports management. Compared to its approximately 851 undergraduates, 9 bachelor’s degrees were awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management in one academic year, which equates to a ratio of 1.06% of sports management degrees to students, one of the highest rates in the study. The principal bachelor’s programs in sports management offered by Olivet College include:
Both programs can set you up for a career in sports management. The Sports Psychology program prepares students who seek careers in coaching, wellness management, sport management, life skills programming and physical rehabilitation. The Sports/Recreation Management program prepares students for a career as an athletic team manager, college athletic administrator, sports agent, sports event coordinator, and much more. According to NCES data, the main sports management degrees awarded by Olivet college in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 9 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Type: 4-year, public institution
Graduation rate: 94%
Tuition and required fees: $16,736 for in-state | $55,334 for out-of-state
Although it’s a public college, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor is easily the hardest college to get into in Michigan, with an undergraduate admission rate of only 20%. Along with this highly selective acceptance rate, UMich has a graduation rate of 94%, easily among the highest graduation rates out of all 89 Michigan schools in the study. And, of course, the University of Michigan also ranks as one of the best sports management colleges in Michigan. UMich has vast resources at its disposal, enabling it to build out numerous sophisticated academic programs. The University of Michigan offers degrees in sports management on the bachelor’s level, master’s level, and doctoral level. Through its School of Kinesiology, the University of Michigan offers the following programs in sports management:
According to NCES data, the main sports management degrees awarded by UMich in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 133 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
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Master’s degrees: 35 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
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Doctoral degrees: 3 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
Wayne State University
Type: 4-year, public institution
Graduation rate: 56%
Tuition and required fees: $14,464 for in-state | $30,914 for out-of-state
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit. It is one of the largest schools in the state, with more than 16,800 undergraduate students and almost 25,000 students in total. Even though it’s a large state school, Wayne State University is much more competitive with its admissions compared to other public Michigan colleges. Wayne State’s undergraduate acceptance rate is 63%, which is much more selective than similarly sized schools like Eastern Michigan University (acceptance rate of 85%) or Grand Valley State University (acceptance rate 92%).
Wayne State University is also one of the best sports management colleges in Michigan. Wayne State confers degrees in sports management on the bachelor’s and master’s levels. Some of the primary sports management degrees offered include:
According to NCES data, the main sports management degrees awarded by Wayne State University in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 17 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
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Master’s degrees: 42 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
Western Michigan University
Type: 4-year, public institution
Graduation rate: 56%
Tuition and required fees: $15,196 for in-state | $18,995 for out-of-state
Calling the city of Kalamazoo its home, Western Michigan University rounds out our top-10 list of the best sports management colleges in Michigan. Western Michigan University has more than 14,500 undergraduate students and over 18,200 students in total. With a combined 71 sports management degrees awarded across multiple levels, and a total student population of over 18,000, the proportion of sports management degrees awarded per academic year is higher-than-average, in spite of how big Western Michigan is.
Through the Department of Human Performance and Health Education (HPHE), the sports management programs you can pursue at Western Michigan University include:
According to NCES data, the principal sports management degrees awarded by Western Michigan University in the last academic year include:
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Bachelor’s degrees: 51 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
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Master’s degrees: 20 awarded in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
The Bottom Line on the Best Sports Management Colleges in Michigan
If you’re looking to attend a college in Michigan and have your eyes set on studying sports management, this state offers a ton of solid options. The best colleges for sports management in Michigan include both large, public colleges as well as smaller private, not-for-profit schools. The colleges that ranked the best combined high numbers of degrees in sports management with high proportions of degrees in sports management compared to their student populations. The college that awarded the most bachelor’s degrees in sports management was the University of Michigan, with 133 conferred in the last academic year alone. The college with the highest proportion of degrees in sports management compared to its total student population, however, was Adrian College, at 1.92%.
Most of these Michigan colleges are affordable, although some non-Michigan residents will have to pay out-of-state tuition, which can get expensive. Fortunately, for prospective and current students, BrokeScholar has a vast library of college scholarships, including ones which can be put towards sports management majors. Winning one of these scholarships can be a big boost to your wallet by reducing the cost of attending college, whether it’s on the undergraduate or graduate level.
Methodology
In order to identify the best sports management colleges in Michigan, we analyzed 89 colleges and universities that fit the following criteria:
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Are private, not-for-profit institutions or public institutions
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Offer a degree in Sport and Fitness Administration/Management, on any degree level ranging from undergraduate certificates to doctoral degrees
These 89 colleges and universities were sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), as was data on their respective undergraduate populations; undergraduate graduation rates; approximate costs of tuition and required fees; the type and number of degrees awarded per academic year in sports management; and the proportion of these degrees to the undergraduate population.
