Sports management courses focus on business management, accounting, finance and marketing, as well as physical fitness and sports administration. Both online and campus degrees at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels are available. Sports management majors generally qualify for jobs in team management, sports marketing, sports financial management and player agents.
In order to function at their best, athletes must be properly nourished. A sports nutritionist has studied anatomy, physiology, advanced nutrition and related biochemistry courses, and helps the athlete achieve optimum nutrition. Some schools, such as Mansfield University (mansfield.edu) in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, offer a nutrition degree with a concentration in sports nutrition. Job opportunities are available with university and professional sports teams, fitness centers, wellness centers and corporations.
Sports medicine is the study and treatment of exercise and sports-related injuries. Graduates of sports medicine programs qualify for jobs as athletic trainers, sports team trainers, physical therapists or fitness instructors or professors of sports medicine. Degrees are available at the associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels. Coursework focuses on nutrition, exercise leadership, kinesiology and sports law.
Sports psychology is a branch of the science of psychology that deals with why athletes behave as they do. A sports psychologist assists athletes with focus, relaxation and goal setting. Since sports psychology is a unique career field, a bachelor's degree in psychology, along with an internship with a team or an advanced degree, are strongly recommended. Some sports psychology programs, such as the one at Miami University (muohio.edu) in Oxford, Ohio, combine sports psychology with courses in athletic training and coaching.