This specialization with specialization courses that are offered only online provides technical and leadership training required for key positions in sports team management and analytics. It provides an understanding of how to work in sports management roles in today’s data-intensive and data-driven world. Building upon Northwestern University's graduate program in predictive analytics and data science, it reviews key technologies in analytics and modeling, probability theory, applied mathematics, statistics, and programming. It shows how analytic techniques may be utilized in evaluating player and team performance and in sports team administration. Students pursuing the Sports Analytics specialization are required to take the four-course online data science sequence to fulfill both core and elective requirements. MSA electives do not qualify for this specialization.

Curriculum

Core Courses (7 units)

Specialization Courses (4 units)

About Final Project

The capstone project course is the culmination of the MSA program and demonstrates a student's mastery of the curriculum and a firm understanding of the fundamental principles that guide the diverse field of sports administration. Students may choose this course to fulfill their capstone requirement. Students may also choose to complete a thesis. The final thesis project should be viewed as an opportunity to engage in a sustained independent study on a sports administration topic that draws on and integrates a number of different perspectives that students have been introduced to in various MSA courses. The project must consist of original intellectual analysis (but need not consist of primary research from the student) that addresses a contemporary sports administration problem defined and developed in concert with an extensive literature search. The thesis project can begin from a question arising in a student’s work setting that could be appropriately addressed by material learned in the program.

Pre-requisite: Students may take one other course simultaneously with MSA 498-DL Capstone . All other course requirements must have been completed before the commencement of this course.