Prospective Sport & Recreation Management students must be excited to work with people, have excellent communication skills (verbal and written) and be willing to work long hours and nights and weekends. Sport & Recreation industries require it! We work while others play!

It’s not enough to be a “sports fan,” you must also love the industry. Despite the prestige of working in the sports industry, the reality is that most people employed in sports have desks jobs. You just happen to be selling, marketing, managing budgets and people, and negotiating for a business that is sports/recreation-related.

In most of our industry segments you must be a “people person.” It is important to develop soft skills in addition to mastering course content, in order to be successful in our industry.

Students may transfer in equivalents for ECON 201, COB 241 & COB 242 (should be transferred together), and/or COB 204. However, earning an approved associate degree and having your General Education requirements waived will reduce the number of degree-required classes you will be able to take in your first semester at JMU.

• Create a schedule for all required courses, pay attention to prerequisites and when courses are offered, complete your first math and English courses in your first year
• Connect with an advisor at your community college and James Madison University within your first year via College Connect

The majors most commonly paired with Sport & Recreation are Communication Studies or one of the eight majors in the College of Business.

All SRM majors are required to complete courses in the College of Business (COB) and graduate with either a general Business or Entrepreneurship minor. Students can take additional courses to earn a second minor in Sport Communication or Coaching Education.

Experiential learning is a hallmark of the Hart School student experience. We value internship and practicum experiences, conference attendance, site visits, and volunteer experiences in the sport and recreation industries as a means to expose students to current industry trends, expand their professional network, and learn more about what they do and don’t like about their chosen field. Experimentation is essential when discovering your professional self, and that starts with learning outside the classroom.

The Hart School requires SRM students to complete both a practicum and an internship for academic credit. The purpose of these courses is to introduce Sport and Recreation Management majors to the variety and scope of employment opportunities within the field. Students should choose the site of their practicum/internship intentionally, because these experiences will often lead to developing a strong professional network and internship/full-time job offers. These experiences will also set you apart from other recent graduates seeking similar job opportunities but without the invaluable industry experience.

Students have completed internships in more than 25 states across the U.S. and in countries such as Australia, China, France, Japan, South Korea, Spain, UK, and others. One of the unique opportunities is a study abroad internship for SRM students to work with various rugby Clubs in Australia.

Our faculty and staff cultivate relationships with industry employers and work to provide industry opportunities and connections for students. Students majoring in SRM are prepared to enter the workforce in a wide range of functional areas (marketing, coaching, facilities, events, HR, finance, etc.) across a wide range of segments of the industry.

Our students find jobs in professional sport, sport agency, collegiate sport, fitness, wellness, commercial and community recreation, campus recreation, national and international governing bodies, sporting goods, and others. Similar to other top programs across the country, our alumni are instrumental in mentoring and hiring our students. High-Impact practices like study abroad opportunities (Brazil, Dominican Republic, Australia, France, Ireland), conferences like the Sport Industry Networking Conference, NIRSA, and trips to meet with executives with MLB, NHL, Philadelphia Eagles, Boston Red Sox, NCAA, ESPN, Cleveland Cavaliers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Boston College Athletics, and other organizations set the SRM program apart from schools.

Students walk away with more than just a degree, but also with real world experience. Students have opportunities to volunteer at events like the Super Bowl, NCAA basketball tournament, Richmond International Speedway, NASCAR, and others similar events. In addition, students can work with faculty on industry cutting-edge research like College Game Day, International Canoe Slalom World Championships, and others.

We offer many experiences help to ensure that when students graduate from the SRM program, they are prepared to enter the broad sport and recreation industries. 97% of Hart School 2019 graduates are employed, continuing their education, or engaged in other career related endeavors 6 months after graduating.

• Completing your Associate transfer degree post-high school satisfies all lower division general education requirements and increases the chance of completing your bachelor's degree?
• Exceeding 3 years or 90 credits at your community college means you may have exhausted your financial aid at that college and have limited your future financial aid at: James Madison University