Schools.com Ranks Sport Management Program Nationally in Top 10

Selection Complements Best Small Colleges Number One Ranking in its Sport Management Degree Guide Wilmington College’s sport management program is enjoying a banner year. Students worked at the Super Bowl and NCAA D-1 football championship, and attended the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Also, sport management majors are getting choice internships with professional franchises and May graduates are starting careers with teams like the Atlanta Hawks. The newest feather in the program’s cap came this month when the sport management program garnered a top-10 ranking nationally among the 2018-19 Best Colleges for Sports Management Degree Programs by the organization, schools.com. WC earned the ninth spot in a top 10 that found California University of Pennsylvania at number one and also included State University of New York at Cortland. This ranking complements WC’s number one national ranking by Best Small Colleges in its 2015 Sport Management Degree Guide. Sport management is a quickly growing academic program nationwide for students interested in careers in the business side of the massive athletics and sports industry, schools.com said in presenting its top 10 selections. The organization cited Wilmington College and other institutions’ sport management programs as providing students with an educational foundation in sport administration, business, economics and finance “needed for potential employment in a variety of sports careers.” It was specifically impressed with WC’s “strong graduation and admission rates.” WC is known for its opportunities for hands-on learning and, while working the Super Bowl and NCAA Championship games are highlights that provide impressive bullet points on a resume, students have numerous other opportunities to learn the inner-workings of major sports organizations and facilities. Dr. Alan Ledford, sport management program director and assistant professor of sport management, said the top 10 ranking reflects the reality of a high-quality program with a national reputation. “With our location being in close proximity to Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus, we have multiple opportunities to provide our students with significant, hands-on learning experiences in the sport management field,” he said. “Along with working mega-events each year like the Super Bowl and college football playoffs, each class is responsible for a major project and volunteering for such events as Cincinnati Reds games, the NCAA Women's Final Four, Recreation Unlimited and Cincinnati’s Flying Pig Marathon. Students also participate in industry-wide informational interviews.”