By Allen Wallace, awallace@sc.edu
Posted on September 15, 2020

The rankings are in, and they bring good news for the University of South Carolina and its students. The university’s Master of Sport and Entertainment Management program ranks No. 7 in the world in the  SportBusiness 2020 Postgraduate Rankings, shooting up 14 spots from 2019.

“The success of the department is built on our commitment to students and hiring faculty who are engaged not only from a research and scholarly aspect, but also as good teachers,” says Tom Regan, interim chair of the University of South Carolina’s Department of Sport and Entertainment Management. “Mentorship makes the difference.”

The success of the department is built on our commitment to students and hiring faculty who are engaged not only from a research and scholarly aspect, but also as good teachers. Mentorship makes the difference.

— Tom Regan, interim chair, sport and entertainment management

In the ranking category of most useful / most frequently used in current career, the news is even better, with the UofSC master's degree in sport and entertainment management coming in at No. 3 in the world.

“Our program’s founder Guy Lewis always said ‘We're not just here to make them smart. We're here to get them jobs,’” says Regan. “When faculty have a good rapport with industry, which we all work hard to maintain, we can make those phone calls and assist students in getting it done.”

Industry relationships are part of the graduate degree program’s emphasis on uniting theory and practice and teaching from experience. Its faculty roster features world-renowned sport and entertainment management researchers as well as former presidents of NFL, NHL and NBA teams, and executives who have run world-class arenas and managed headliner tours.

“Adaptability and flexibility are two skills that are vital to success in this industry,” says Frances Buchanan, a 2018 MSEM alumna who now works for PGA of America. “The program takes a realistic approach to studying sport and entertainment that prepared me for both the day-to-day decision making and the fast-paced, ever changing environment that characterizes this industry. I could not be more grateful for my time spent under the incredible leadership in UofSC’s Sport and Entertainment Management Department.”

SportBusiness ranks programs based on a wide range of criteria, combining objective measurements with alumni survey results. Categories include quality of teaching, support in finding a job in the industry and opportunities to connect with an alumni network.

Mike Keller is part of that alumni network. He earned his master’s degree in sport and entertainment management from South Carolina in 2008 and has gone on to a successful career in college athletics. He currently serves as Boise State University’s associate athletic director for development.

“The MSEM program at South Carolina gave me a great foundation to start my career in college athletics,” Keller says. “Throughout my career I have relied upon the knowledge gained from my courses while at South Carolina and the great relationships that have continued to this day.”

In addition to its focus on teaching excellence and industry connections, the program is also advancing innovation through cutting-edge research and international collaboration. Most recently it established a new Center for Advancing Sport and Entertainment Management which will conduct solutions-oriented research on the latest industry trends. These initiatives will expand knowledge sharing and be integrated into curriculum to enrich student education and opportunities.

South Carolina’s Master of Science in Sport and Entertainment Management is a 36-credit hour degree program with thesis and non-thesis options. The Department of Sport and Entertainment Management also offers a Ph.D. program and an undergraduate degree with options to focus in entertainment management, sport management or venue and event management.

For more information on the programs, visit sc.edu/hrsm/spte.

For the full SportBusiness 2020 Postgraduate Rankings report click here.