Master of Arts in Sport Management
Ljubljana, Slovenia
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
30 Jun 2025
EARLIEST START DATE
01 Oct 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 3,800 / per year
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Introduction
The interdisciplinary master's program in sports management will help you get proper answers to questions such as: which direction is the development of Slovenian sports going, how are Slovenian sports and sports organizations organized, what are the biggest problems of management in sports organizations, and how to deal with them, how to market sports products and services, what are the characteristics of voluntary work in sport, how to provide sources of financing for sports organizations, etc.
You will acquire basic knowledge and skills to successfully coordinate the work of colleagues and develop into a successful and socially responsible leader. You will gain the ability to diagnose problems and make decisions using advanced managerial approaches. You will gain competence for effective decision-making with an emphasis on mastering contemporary economic, social, environmental, and ethical challenges. Through innovative forms of work, you will develop a knowledge base for a comprehensive understanding of demanding managerial problems in practice. You will be able to strategically think and solve complex issues both within the sports organization and in its environment.
Sport is more than just a game—it can also be a way of life, and often a big business. In the Sport Management master's program at the School of Business and Economics and the Faculty of Sport, you will build key competencies in the areas of managing sports organizations, developing strategies in sports organizations, managing sports facilities and sports events, dealing with people in sports organizations, financing sports organizations, marketing in sports, etc. which will help you solve the most complex managerial challenges in business practice.
We make sure that you:
- Acquire Up-To-Date Knowledge in A Carefully Designed Program Structure
- Gain Valuable Practical Experience and Skills
- Build a Valuable Professional Network
- Create a Good Basis for Employment
Program structure
The unique value of the program lies in its carefully designed structure to balance in-class knowledge about the relevant concepts on the one hand and practical experience on the other hand. Students acquire up-to-date knowledge during three sets of courses where each set is delivered in approximately one semester:
- The first set enables students to understand general managerial, organizational, legal, sociological, and psychological issues of sport.
- The second set comprises one methodological course (on qualitative and quantitative research methods) plus a set of courses on three key business functions that are important in every sports organization: HRM, marketing, and finance.
- The third set is about more specific topics on strategy development in sports organizations as well as managing sports infrastructure and events.
Possibilities for Master's studies
16 April at 1pm
Admissions
Curriculum
1st year
- Management in Sport
- Ethical and Social Issues in Sport
- Organizational and Legal Issues in Sport
- Research Methodology
- Human Resource Management in Sport
- Marketing in Sport
- Finance and Accounting in Sport
- *Agency, Networks, and Support Systems in Sport
- *Sport and Media
2nd year
- Strategic Management in Sport
- Management of Sport Facilities
- Management of Sport Events
- Research-Consulting Project in an SSports Organization
- **Elective Course
- Master's Thesis
The student selects one of the two offered courses. There is the possibility of circular implementation every two years.
** Students may choose any elective course within the SEB LU or any other higher education institution that is properly accredited has at least 6 ECTS and is a course within the second cycle program. The list of possible electives will be
published at the beginning of the academic year.
Program Outcome
Practical experience and skills
The practical experience of students is partly achieved by including experienced guest lecturers from different sports organisations (e.g. the National Olympic Committee, the Sports Directorate of the Republic of Slovenia, and even UEFA) in the programme.
Most of the practical experience, however, is gained with students participating in the course called Research-Consulting Project in a Sport Organisation. Every year, a different project topic is defined by a selected sport organisation (the client) and the programme director. The client usually defines the initial practical problem based on which the structure of the project is agreed upon, paying attention to both practical applicability as well as research soundness and rigour. The project team is coordinated by at least one academic mentor whose role is to structure and steer the work of students. By working in teams and dealing with specific research questions, students develop analytical skills, acquaint themselves with research and consulting work, and gain valuable practical experience. The presentation of the project to the client’s top management significantly increases students’ motivation and positively influences the development of their written and oral presentation skills.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Professional network
Studying with a small group of students not only enables a more personalized approach by professors but also creates strong friendships for life. On the other hand, study activities take place on the same premises and the same campus as all other SEB LU master's programs, which enables the students of this program to be surrounded by hundreds of other SEB LU postgraduate students. These are not only Slovenian students but also incoming students from over 70 different countries and over 200 partner institutions from all over the globe. Therefore, the SEB LU offers plenty of opportunities for building a valuable international professional network.
Employment
Graduates of the Sport Management master's program are employed in various leading positions in for-profit and not-for-profit sports and other organizations in Slovenia and abroad. They work as sports directors, strategic analysts, and planners, sports event managers, sports facility managers, managers/agents of athletes, business consultants, marketing experts, human resources experts, technology and product developers in sports and other organizations, etc. They also establish and run their own companies that offer sports products and services or are related to sports in some other way.