MBA In Sport Entertainment Management 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 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).

Educate

Core business content, grounded in business theory, reflected in business practice, deployed by business faculty and sport entertainment executives.

Prepare

Applied, competency (skill-based) training through project and case learning, immersive experiences, and experiential activities.

Inspire

Captivating insights from top executives and business faculty help advance thought leadership and unlock creative potential.

Connect

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.

UNT Frisco

Classes are offered at UNT Frisco -- located in the epicenter of one of the most exciting sport and entertainment markets in the world. Many of our students have been able to take on part-time or full-time positions while they were still enrolled in coursework, due to this close proximity.

Unparalleled relationships

Unparalleled relationships with leading sport and entertainment organizations in Dallas/Fort Worth, resulting in guest speaking appearances, class projects, student projects, case studies, volunteering, interning and job opportunities.

Centrally located

Centrally located in one of the fastest growing metropolitan area’s in the United States, home to the headquarters of 23 Fortune 500 Companies.

Faculty and Leadership

Bob Heere

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.

bob.heere@unt.edu

Matt Walker

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.

matthew.walker@unt.edu

Jeff MacCharles

Jeff MacCharles is an Assistant Professor in Management at the University of North Texas. He obtained his PhD in Management (Sport Management Concentration) from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he focused on studying Organizational Behavior and Human Resources concepts in the sport workplace. Specifically, his research interests lie in understanding how sport organizations can improve their workforce diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and how they can develop more equitable hiring processes and practices that will attract and retain top talent that is more representative of the communities in which they operate. His work has been published in the Journal of Sport Management, Sport Management Review, Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal and the Sport Management Education Journal, and he has presented his research as the North American Society for Sport Management and Academy of Management conferences. He and his co-authors were awarded the Best Paper Award for 2021 in the Sport Management Education Journal for their manuscript, "Getting a job in the sport industry: The institutionalization of privilege through hegemony."

Misun Won

Misun Won is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Management and a Director of Sport Entertainment Management BBA Program at the University of North Texas. Dr. Won joined UNT in 2021 from the University of South Carolina.

Won started college at Konkuk University in Seoul, South Korea majoring in Physical Education. During her sophomore year, Won found her academic interests in Sport Management. Then, she transferred and received her B.S. in Sport Administration at Lewis-Clark State College. With her passion for sport, Won continued her study as a graduate student. Won received her M.P.S. in Sport Industry Management at Georgetown University and her Ph.D. in Sport and Entertainment Management from University of South Carolina. While at University of South Carolina, Won taught Sport Marketing and Sport Sales at the undergraduate level for two years. Her primary areas of research interests include ticket pricing, consumer behavior, and sport marketing.

Won currently serves as a marketing consultant for the Won's White Tiger Taekwondo since 2021. In her spare time, Won enjoys playing volleyball and driving down to Austin to visit her adorable niece.