Quick Highlights
You don’t always need a master’s to become an athletic director, but it often helps. For deans, registrars and other postsecondary education administrators, a master’s is typical. A hiring committee can see the degree on paper, which can help a candidate compete. Arkansas State University’s online M.S. in Sport Administration can be finished in as few as 12 months and adds a graduate credential to sports administration resumes. Courses in Sport Law, Sport Finance and Budgeting and Sport Governance and Operations build the budget, legal and governance skills a coaching or operations role may not require.
Athletic administrators manage budgets, hiring, risk management and eligibility rules, and the right credentials can help a candidate compete for the role. So when might a master’s help most and where does the Arkansas State University (A-State) online Master of Science (M.S.) in Sport Administration program fit in?
Graduate degrees are the norm in many college administration roles. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says deans, registrars and other postsecondary education administrators typically need one. School-level paths differ. The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) lists a bachelor’s degree as the basic requirement for its certifications. NIAAA’s role description calls for sport law knowledge, leadership skills and effective communication. A-State’s Sport Law, Sport Leadership and Sport Communications courses cover that mix.
When a Master’s Helps Most
A master’s can be most valuable when an employer asks you to manage activities a coaching or operations role typically does not. It helps if any of these fit your scenario:
- The posting you want lists a master’s as required or preferred.
- You have run events but have not owned a budget, a contract review or a governance decision.
- You are moving from coaching or teaching into administration and need a credential that shows the change.
- You work in a market where several finalists have the same experience as you.
If two or more of these sound familiar, graduate study can give you structured practice in each area. A-State’s Sport Finance and Budgeting course covers fiscal control and facility financing, the budget ownership the second bullet describes. Preparation matters beyond the degree, too: the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) added year-round programming to its Mentoring Institute for senior administrators in 2024.
Real-World Examples of the Athletic Director Career Journey
Melanie Hosty, who graduated from the M.S. in Sport Administration program in May 2020 while working as co-assistant athletic director, teacher, softball and track coach at Cor Jesu Academy in St. Louis, said in her A-State profile: “My main goal when I was graduating was to become an athletic director. You also don’t need a master’s degree for that, but it helps.”
As noted, the master’s can provide skills for your next role, even if that posting does not require one. It can also be the line on your file that earns the interview. Andrew Sachs, head basketball coach at Chesapeake College in Maryland, described the same calculation in his profile. By his own account, he had done game management, raised money, managed budgets and hired coaches. He added: “With a quality degree, I would hope that doors will open for me to become an athletic director.”
For sports administration professionals like Andrew, a master’s added a formal credential on top of the responsibilities he already held. Sachs also said finishing during the season would be hard with all the travel, so plan coursework around your schedule.
What the A-State M.S. in Sport Administration Covers
The curriculum reads like an athletic director’s job description. Three courses in A-State’s program in particular speak directly to a prospective search committee:
- Sport Law
- Sport Finance and Budgeting
- Sport Governance and Operations
Sport Law covers tort, negligence, contract and antitrust law, and Hosty and Sachs both named it a favorite course. Sport Governance and Operations covers governance policies in professional and collegiate sports plus facility and game operations, and Hosty named it a favorite too.
The M.S. in Sport Administration is accredited by the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA). The program costs $12,600 with all fees included (36 credits at $350 per credit), the same for all U.S. residents. Students can finish in as few as 12 months, with 7-week courses in fall and spring and 5-week courses in summer; the internship or thesis route is covered in the summer over two seven-week terms. Hosty said she could skip a night of coursework when she had a game or track meet.
Admission requires a bachelor’s degree with a 2.75 GPA (or 3.0 over your last 60 hours), a current resume, one professional reference and a $30 application fee. No GMAT or GRE is required.
Key Stat
The Arkansas State University online M.S. in Sport Administration is ranked #2 in Intelligent.com’s Best 45 Accredited Online Master’s in Sports Management Programs, 2025. Intelligent.com weighs accreditation status, tuition costs and graduation rates, among other factors.
Weigh the Master’s Against Your Next Posting
Compare the postings you want with the scenarios above. A master’s addresses a real gap when a posting lists one, when you have not yet owned a budget or governance decision, or when finalists share your experience.
The degree prepares you for settings that include collegiate athletic departments, professional sports organizations, stadiums and arenas, community sport organizations, health/fitness clubs and country clubs. If one of those settings is your next move, the program covers law, finance and governance and can be completed in as few as 12 months.
Aiming to advance your athletic director career prospects? Explore Arkansas State University’s online M.S. in Sport Administration program.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m a head coach with no administration experience. Where do I start?
Start by asking your athletic director to give you one budget or one event to own. A master’s adds the vocabulary, but a documented project shows a committee what you can run.
I’m an assistant athletic director (AD) at a small college. Will the degree get me the AD job?
No degree promises a job. It removes one reason a committee might pass on your file; experience, references and fit still decide. The M.S. in Sport Administration adds coursework in law, finance and governance to that file.
Do I need a bachelor’s in sport management first?
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution is required. Alum Melanie Hosty, for example, entered the program with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology.
Does COSMA accreditation matter to athletic directors?
It can. COSMA, the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation, says its accreditation process gives programs, students and employers an outside check on quality, and A-State’s M.S. holds that accreditation. Employers set their own preferences, so compare your target postings with the law, finance and governance coursework.