James McClendon, Asst. News Editor

Beginning in the fall semester of 2016 Utica College will be offering a sports management major.

The sports management major will give students another avenue to pursue a career in sports other than the already offered sports communications and sports journalism majors.

Students who choose this route will be those who would like to be involved in the business end of sports. Possible job titles include but are not limited to professional sports team executives, athlete representative and sport company executives, such as Nike.

The sports management major will be broken into three areas of concentration: general management, public relations and sports management. Students will take approximately 10 classes in each of these areas.

The management side will give students a strong base that will make graduates appealing to companies even if the student decided to move away from the sports side of the business and toward a traditional business management position.

This is one of the key elements that will set UC’s sports management program ahead of many other programs from other colleges and universities.

Associate Professor of Economics Richard Fenner talked about why this new program is vital to the development of UC and its students.

“We want to make sure that students have the skills necessary to compete for those jobs in sports management, but also that they are more broadly educated and that their horizons are not just limited to those in the sports world,” Fenner said.

Students will also learn public relations principles and practices, strategic planning, writing and media techniques.

Some of the courses included are: sports and the media, sports information and public relations, sports marketing, athlete management and a sports internship.

Associate Professor of Public Relations and journalism, Paul MacArthur, talked about why the sports management major was added to the already extensive list of majors offered at Utica College.

“We thought there was a demand for it,” MacArthur said. “There have been a lot of students, when we’re doing recruiting, ask if we have sports management.”

He also added that while major marketing for the major to prospective students will be rolled out in September, students will be able to register for classes in the major right away.

“It’s a great opportunity,” MacArthur said. “If you are a student who really wants to pursue sports management and really wants to be involved in the management or the executive end of the sports business, I think it’s an excellent place to go.”

Sports management will also be the first Bachelors of Business Administration degree offered at Utica College.

“What differentiates this from the other degrees is the number of liberal arts credits,” Fenner said. “Since we fell slightly short of the 60 liberal arts credits required for a Bachelors of Science degree, students will receive a BBA, which is used around the country.”

Students interested in enrolling or transferring to the sports management program should meet with their current advisor as well as MacArthur or Fenner to discuss the transition process.