Your path to a career in sports and recreation begins at Iowa
Sports and recreation are a huge part of the U.S. economy, generating hundreds of billions of dollars each year. The number of jobs in these fields—from the front office to the broadcast booth, from stadiums and arenas to schools and parks—is projected to grow by leaps and bounds in the coming years. You can be a part of it all by learning the business side of athletics and fitness while you earn a well-rounded liberal arts education.
Explore undergraduate programs
BS in Sport and Recreation Management
Master the business side of sports and recreation at one of the nation's hottest campuses for athletics.
Minor in Sport and Recreation Management
Enhance your major and your resume with the minor in Sport and Recreation Management.
Certificate in Event Management
Having this certificate on your resume will signal to employers that you have the skills to create meaningful and effective events related to sports and recreation.
Certificate in Interscholastic Athletic/Activities Administration
Do you want to work in K-12 sports, but don't have a teaching degree? This certificate allows you to build a career in interscholastic athletics administration. An online option exists.
Coaching Authorization
Earn your license to coach in the state of Iowa, regardless of your major or profession. Choose from on-campus or online options.
Health and Human Physiology Undergraduate Programs
Prepare for your health and wellness career by earning one of these degrees on your pathway to becoming a health professional:
Undergraduate Programs
Only a Big Ten university with a world-class athletics program—located in a community obsessed with sports, fitness, and recreation—can offer you resources and opportunities like ours.
Our professors have won the World Series, directed NCAA regulatory operations, run parks and rec programs, worked as sports journalists and media professionals, officiated as umpires and referees, coached and trained athletes, planned major athletics events, and more. Our field experiences offer beyond-the-classroom opportunities with organizations ranging from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Cedar Rapids Kernels to Special Olympics of Iowa to Hawkeye Athletics.
You'll learn the fundamentals of all areas of sport and recreation, and also choose a specialty area in business, coaching, communications/marketing/journalism/public relations, entrepreneurship, event management, K-12 sports, recreation management, diversity—or something you create yourself with the help of a professor.
Our graduates work as data analysts, marketers, journalists, recreation directors, statisticians, event planners, operations and facilities managers, entrepreneurs, salespeople, recruiters, trainers, coaches, officiators, and commercial fitness employees, among other key roles. They work for professional teams, college and high school programs, media organizations, sports leagues, parks and rec departments, commercial fitness centers, marketing firms, sports facilities, and other exciting workplaces. And many go on to advance their studies in graduate programs, including here at Iowa.
We invite you to join us and launch your own rewarding career in sport and recreation management. Apply, schedule a visit, or request information today!
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Only program in Iowa at major state university
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Job or grad school placement rate