The masters in sports management hopes to increase SMU’s brand name. (Courtesy of chron.com)

SMU’s Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Cox School of Business have teamed up to create North Texas’ first interdisciplinary graduate sport management program.

Building on top of the existing sport management program that offers both a major and a minor, classes for the full-time 12-month Master’s of Science in Sport Management (MSSM) are due to kick off in August of 2013. Students enrolled in the program will gain skills in areas such as finance, management, sports marketing and sports law among others, and will be able to advance their careers and find new opportunities in the sport industry.

“The program provides students with industry-specific academic training for successful mid- and upper-level management careers within the sport industry upon graduation,” Michael Lysko, director of the sport management program at the Simmons School, said.

Set in Dallas, SMU’s MSSM program will offer students access to some of the best sport management opportunities in the nation. According to a survey conducted by the SportsBusiness Journal in 2009, the most important elements of a sports business education program are internship opportunities at 34.5 percent, and alumni connections at 15.10 percent. With 12 professional sports teams and four NCAA Division I universities in Texas, students enrolled in the new program will have access to both competitive internships and SMU’s renowned alumni connections in the sport management field.

Current sport management major Dakota Warde-Levie has already experienced what the existing undergraduate program has to offer.

“The program actually gets you involved into the world of sports,” Warde-Levie said. “They really do a good job bringing Dallas sports teams to the classroom, whether it’s through interviews, through the internships or just through public speaking,” she said.

The undergraduate sports management program was one of the main reasons Warde-Levie chose to come to SMU, and she has high hopes for the impact that the new MSSA will have on the university.

“We’ll be highly respected for our program even though it’s young. It shows we’re still constantly trying to develop it to be the top in the country,” Warde-Levie said.

Lysko hopes that by attracting experienced faculty, the new program will also attract gifted students and current sport management professionals seeking to advance their careers.

“It is anticipated that the proposed masters in sport management will draw more students to SMU with an interest in sport from all over the world,” Lysko said about his hopes for the MSSM, Junior sport management minor Liz Glander agrees.

“I think that it can only add to SMU’s numerous strengths as a top competitor in the extensive Dallas sports market as well as give students more opportunity for exploration and specialization within the field,” Glander said.

In addition to the strong Dallas sport industry, Lysko anticipates that the prominent national reputation that the Cox School of Business has will draw applicants to the program from other states, and will likewise encourage current students in the field to continue their studies at SMU.

“Admission to the program is highly selective and follows the standards of the Cox School of Business MBA admissions,” Lysko said. “Preferred applicants will typically have full-time work experience, a strong undergraduate record, and competitive scores on the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT).”

Not only will the MSSM generate more interest in the university itself, but Lysko also expects that the intercollegiate sport programs at SMU will gain from the proposed master’s degree’s anticipated national reputation for excellence.

SMU will begin taking applications for the new program in December.