MBA In Sport Entertainment Management In Frisco Cohort
About the Program
Are you ready to be a business leader in the sport entertainment industry? A specialized and bespoke 36 credit hours curriculum provides students a direct path to a career in professional sports entertainment. Informed in real-time by the professional sport ecosystem in Frisco, Texas, including collaborative projects with formal partners, such as the Dallas Cowboys, Stadia Ventures and the PGA of America, the Cohort MBA Sport Entertainment Management degree is grounded by a transformative and ever-evolving curriculum that develops industry thought leaders poised to create opportunity in the sport entertainment industry.
The program provides students from all backgrounds the opportunity to take the next step in their career. Guided by world class faculty and industry executives, students will be exposed in real-time to best practices, insights, and case studies, of many of the leading sport entertainment organizations in the DFW metroplex, including the Dallas Cowboys, the PGA of America, the Dallas Mavericks, FC Dallas, the Dallas Stars, Stadia Ventures, Learfield HQ, and Topgolf HQ, among others. Throughout the program, students will consult many of these organizations on their contemporary challenges and will engage in semester long industry projects that range from partnership pitch decks, social media analytics reports, employee training program proposals, to international brand strategy campaigns and event operations among others.
As all classes are grounded in the inverted classroom philosophy, lecturing by professors is kept at a minimum, allowing for many guest speaker appearances and extensive network opportunities. The capstone course in the program is a consultancy project in which students are working individually on a project with a sport entertainment industry client directly, all to prepare them for a successful career in the sport industry. For a full overview of industry partners that collaborate with the program, click link to advisory board here (insert advisory board – see attachment). Graduates of the program are currently employed by the Dallas Cowboys, the Dallas Mavericks, FC Dallas, Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, Learfield HQ, Topgolf HQ, Wasserman, Amazon, San Antonio Spurs, Austin FC, Texas Legends, and the YMCA, among many others.
The UNT MBA Sport Entertainment Management program has helped me to advance in my desired career path in the sports industry. My network has expanded tremendously since admitted in the inaugural cohort of the program and what I’ve learned to date has set me up confidently for success!
- Dexia Smith, ‘22 MBA in Sport Entertainment Management candidate, Corporate Partnerships Representative for the Dallas Cowboys
The coursework
This face to face degree program consists of 36 credit hours, and is a combination of core MBA courses and Sport Concentration courses that introduce principles of management, marketing, accountancy, finance, strategy and business decision making processes. The sport concentration courses allow students to completely immerse themselves in the sport industry working directly for sport industry clients, and 100% of our sport concentration courses are offered in partnership with an industry client.
Course Requirements
36-credit hour MBA in Sport Entertainment Management. Courses are delivered in a hybrid format, in which students receive knowledge online through various formats, and meet weekly to discuss the materials with the professor, guest speakers, and industry clients. The program consists of 12 MBA courses (6 core courses and 6 sport business concentration courses).
- MGMT 5140 Organizational Behavior and Analysis
- DSCI 5180 Intro to the Business Decision Process
- SENM 5150 Marketing Practices in the SEI
- ACCT 5130 Accounting for Management
- FINA 5170 Financial Management
- SENM 5495 Business Planning
- SENM 5262 International Brand Strategies in the Sport Entertainment Industry
- SENM 5401 Talent Management in the Sport Entertainment Industry
- ADTA 5160 Sport Entertainment Analytics
- SENM 5261 Corporate Partnerships in the Sport Entertainment Industry
- OPSM 5200 Sport Venue and Event Operations
- SENM 5490 Consulting for the Sport Entertainment Industry
- SENM 5001 Career Prep for Sport Entertainment Industry (0 credit class)
The Pillars that guide our program philosophy
Core business content, grounded in business theory, reflected in business practice, deployed by business faculty and sport entertainment executives.
Applied, competency (skill-based) training through project and case learning, immersive experiences, and experiential activities.
Captivating insights from top executives and business faculty help advance thought leadership and unlock creative potential.
Unparalleled access to sport industry executives, thought leaders, and peers to build network capacity.
The Network and Location
Formal partnerships with the Dallas Cowboys, the PGA of America, and Stadia Ventures, and very strong relationships with the Dallas Mavericks, FC Dallas, the Dallas Sports Commission, Learfield HQ, Texas Rangers, Topgolf HQ and numerous minor league franchises throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area bring this one-of-a-kind degree to life.
Faculty and Leadership
Bob Heere is the current Director of Sport Entertainment Management at the University of North Texas, and a Full Professor in the Department of Management in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business. He is a leading scholar in the field of sport management, and the former President of the North American Society for Sport Management. He has conducted research on sport management at five continents, with scholars from more than 20 different nations. His work focuses on fan communities and how people identify with their favorite sport teams, and has been published frequently in the leading sport management journals. He has worked closely with many different sport organizations around the world, including the Royal Dutch Soccer Federation, AFC Ajax Amsterdam, the Shanghai Sports Federation, Nanjing Sport Bureau, Fulham FC, the World Golf Foundation, and currently with the Dallas Cowboys and the PGA of America. He previously held academic appointments at the University of South Carolina, the University of Texas, Florida State University, the Cruyff Institute for Sport Studies and Auckland University of Technology.
Email: bob.heere@unt.edu
Dr. Matt Walker is a Professor of Management at the University of North Texas and directs curriculum development across the degree tracks. Dr. Walker’s teaches classes in business planning, talent management, and corporate partnerships. His research and consultancies focus on social program evaluations and the strategic processes underpinning organizational outreach efforts across numerous industry sectors. He has participated in more than 50 funded research projects for sport (and related) organizations domestically and around the world, including the PGA of America, National Football League, World Golf Foundation, Nike, Barclays Bank, USA Archery, Easton Sports Development Foundation, Fundación Conconcreto, Fulham Football Club Foundation, England Institute of Sport, Fight-4-Change (among others). Walker has co-authored a scholarly text book, numerous marketing book chapters and industry reports, and has written or contributed to more than 75 peer-reviewed articles in leading scientific journals. His research and consultancy work has offered marketing and management solutions to businesses, NGO’s, and government agencies helping to improve and enhance social and strategic programming efforts.
Email: matthew.walker@unt.edu
Jeff MacCharles is an Assistant Professor of Management at the University of North Texas.
Misun Won is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Management at the University of North Texas.
