What Can A Masters in Athletic Administration Do For You?

The athletic world is continually growing and becoming more complex. Jobs in the field are vast and there is a need for educated and experienced individuals to fulfill these roles.

While a Masters degree isn't always a prerequisite for entry into the sports world, there are several careers within the business of sports where a Masters makes a difference in opening doors toward a career in athletic administration.

Here are five careers with high ceilings that a Masters in Athletic Administration can aid you in achieving.

Event Manager

An event manager's entire focus is organizing and structuring events of all sizes to be successful experience for attendees.

Events aren't predictable, changes in environment, speakers, security and other variables make the job of an Event Manager a challenge. Planning, organization and quick-thinking are the attributes of a successful event manager, no matter whether it is a 100,000 person NASCAR event, or a 300 person foundation award ceremony.

In addition to the "day of" event, event managers are challenged to find an establishment to host the event, negotiate pricing, manage staff, seating, equipment, and any other concerns. A strong business background with an emphasis on the intricacies of sports can make the difference.

Compliance Officer

An athletic compliance officer is a critical position in the sports world as it manages the intersection of recruiting and rules. It is a position available at any college or university with an athletic program as it is mandatory for them to have.

A compliance officer's job extends past the original recruiting process to keep a close monitor on academic performance to guarantee that a student still meets eligibility. They have the student-athletes best interest in mind, while ensuring the University stays within the boundaries of the rules.

Marketing Manager

For those with a drive for planning marketing strategies, then this career is the ideal choice. Marketing managers or directors are employed through advertisers or sports-related organizations, and they apply many marketing techniques when it comes to promotion.

They can promote sport teams directly and the events they are participating in, and they even promote services or other products. A marketing manager will also handle other publicity such as endorsements and sponsorships. Often, marketing managers will play in role in creating unique content for a team website or social media channels as well.

Sports Information Director

If public relations is more your fit, consider working as a sports information director.

Sports information directors take on several roles in the public eye. They can serve as the liaison to the media for an athletic department, acting as spokesperson or handling a crisis situation. The position is also used to make general news announcements, deliver statistics and information to local media, speak of any upcoming events, and manage a team or school's digital content by updating websites and social media outlets.

Athletic Director

An athletic director is an excellent choice for those wanting more variety in their options.

Although they sometimes hold both positions as being a coach as well, they more than likely oversee college coaches and staff members, as well as supervising every other aspect of an athletic program. They can be found handling scheduling, initiating fund raising events, interacting with alumni for donations, marketing the athletic program and hiring or firing employees.

Although athletic directors do not work directly with athletes, they can serve as a representative between an athlete and the faculty. The job is diverse, and the role depends greatly on the size of the program you direct. An Athletic Director at the University of Oregon is going to have different challenges and responsibilities than one at Legend High School.

For all of these roles, having an athletic administration master’s degree can increase your chances of reaching the top of your field.

The athletic world is never ending and always growing. As such, there will always be seats to fill, programs to market, schedules to program and rules to follow. Those with a Master's Degree in Athletic Administration are often at the forefront of sports business, meshing a passion for the sports world with business management acumen.

This article is a guest post from freelance writer Anita Ginsburg