Sport Leadership, B.A.
College of Applied Human Sciences
The online Bachelor of Arts in Sport Leadership from WVU’s College of Applied Human Sciences gives you the freedom to learn on your schedule while preparing you for a wide range of exciting opportunities across the sport industry. Whether you’re aiming to make an impact in community and recreational sport or take your place in high school, collegiate, or professional athletics, you’ll gain the skills and knowledge to lead with confidence, wherever your goals take you.
Cost:
$503 / Cost per credit hour *
Courses and Credits:
40 Courses / 120 Credit Hours
Duration:
Four years / 8-week and 16-week terms
Dates:
Next Start: January 12, 2026 Admission Terms: Fall, Spring, Summer
Learning Format:
Online Asynchronous
Program Overview
Lead with Confidence
The online B.A. in Sport Leadership program prepares you to thrive across all levels of the sport industry. With a customizable curriculum with four areas of interest and opportunities to gain real-world experience, this program equips you with the knowledge and skills to succeed.
- Expert Faculty: Taught by nationally and internationally recognized experts, the program blends cutting-edge research with real-world application to help you thrive in a competitive industry.
- Versatile Career Paths: Prepare for varied roles in community and recreational sport, as well as high school, collegiate, and professional levels.
- Broad Curriculum: Choose electives across an area of interest to focus your studies on what you really want to do, all while building a professional portfolio. These areas of interest aim to capture the many dimensions of sports and include:
- Administrative Dimensions of Sport
- Pedagogical Dimensions of Sport
- Psychological Dimensions of Sport
- Social Dimensions of Sport
- Flexible Program Structure: This online program's flexibility lets you get a quality education without putting your life on hold.
Curriculum
Classes are chosen according to your areas of interest in the administrative, psychological, social, and educational domains of sport while also gaining fundamental knowledge in leadership and management as they develop career and professional development skills. The educational experience provides the opportunity for you to tackle complex professional issues and develop a leadership philosophy, while building a foundational understanding of leadership while exploring your own leadership development.
Additionally, there is a requirement to engage in at least one 3-credit professional field experience. This internship is flexible allowing you to complete it in any term, in any facet of sport leadership, anywhere in the world. This hands-on experience sets you apart from your peers at other institutions.
Learning Outcomes
- Apply interdisciplinary knowledge, skills, and dispositions to complex professional issues in their field of study.
- Reflect on their professional readiness and think critically about the continued refinement of the interdisciplinary knowledge, skills, and dispositions learned across the curriculum.
- Model professional and ethical behaviors that are consistent with the industry standards and the related recommendations for best practice learned across the curriculum.
- University Requirements, 75 credit hours
- Sport Leadership Major Requirements, 45 credit hours
University Requirements
- General Education Foundations (GEF) (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8), 31-37 credit hours
- CAHS 191: First-Year Seminar, 2 credit hours
- General Electives, 42-36 credit hours
- CAHS 300: Career Exploration in Applied Human Sciences, 3 credit hours
- CAHS 489: Capstone Experience in AHS, 3 credit hours
- SEP 350: Leadership Theory and Application in Sport, 3 credit hours
- SEP 371: Sport in American Society, 3 credit hours
- SM 485: Management of Sport Organizations, 3 credit hours
- Administrative Dimensions of Sports
- SM 125: Sport Facility Management, 3 credit hours
- SM 137: Sport Event Management, 3 credit hours
- SM 240: Sport Governance , 3 credit hours
- SM 321: Esports Governance, 3 credit hours
- SM 322: Esports Marketing, 3 credit hours
- SM 375: Sport in the Global Market, 3 credit hours
- SM 426: Liability in Sport, 3 credit hours
- SM 486: Sport Marketing & Sales, 3 credit hours
- Pedagogical Dimensions of Sport
- PET 215: Adapted Sports and Physical Activity for All Learners, 3 credit hours
- ACR 256: Foundations of Coaching, 3 credit hours
- ACE 310: Coaching Pedagogy, 3 credit hours
- Psychological Dimensions of Sport
- SEP 272: Introduction to Sport and Performance Psychology, 3 credit hours
- SEP 283: Introduction to Exercise Psychology, 3 credit hours
- SEP 385: Performance Psychology of Teams and Groups, 3 credit hours
- SEP 420: Sport and Performance Enhancement, 3 credit hours
- SEP 425: Psychology of Injury and Rehabilitation, 3 credit hours
- CDFS 412: Development in Early and Middle Childhood, 3 credit hours
- CDFS 412: Adolescent Development, 3 credit hours
- CDFS 416: Trauma, Resiliency, and Children, 3 credit hours
- COUN 405: Career and Lifespan Development, 3 credit hours
- Social Dimensions of Sport
- ACE 265: Sport is Life, 3 credit hours
- PET 101: Games in American Culture, 3 credit hours
- SEP 373: African Americans in Sports, 3 credit hours
- SM 275: The Olympic Games, 3 credit hours
- CDFS 110: Families Across the Life Span, 3 credit hours
- CDFS 210: Introduction to Parenting, 3 credit hours
- CDFS 415: Family Interaction and Communication, 3 credit hours
- COUN 303: Introduction to Helping Professions, 3 credit hours
- COUN 400: Diversity and Human Relations, 3 credit hours
Year One, Fall Semester
- CAHS 191, 2 credit hours
- Dimension of Sport 1, 3 credit hours
- GEF 1, 3 credit hours
- GEF 2, 3 credit hours
- GEF 5, 3 credit hours
Year One, Spring Semester
- Dimension of Sport 2, 3 credit hours
- GEF 6, 3 credit hours
- GEF 7, 3 credit hours
- GEF 8, 3 credit hours
- Elective, 3 credit hours
Year Two, Fall Semester
- Dimension of Sport 3, 3 credit hours
- GEF 3, 3 credit hours
- GEF 4, 3 credit hours
- GEF 8, 3 credit hours
- GEF 8, 3 credit hours
Year Two, Spring Semester
- SEP 350, 3 credit hours
- Dimension of Sport 4, 3 credit hours
- Dimension of Sport 5, 3 credit hours
- GEF 1, 3 credit hours
- Elective, 3 credit hours
- Dimension of Sport 6, 3 credit hours
- Elective, 3 credit hours
- Elective, 3 credit hours
- Elective, 3 credit hours
- Elective, 3 credit hours
Year Three, Spring Semester
- CAHS 300, 3 credit hours
- SEP 371, 3 credit hours
- Dimension of Sport 7, 3 credit hours
- Elective, 3 credit hours
- Elective, 3 credit hours
Year Four, Fall Semester
- SM 485, 3 credit hours
- Dimension of Sport 8, 3 credit hours
- Dimension of Sport 9, 3 credit hours
- Elective, 3 credit hours
- Elective, 3 credit hours
- CAHS 489, 3 credit hours
- Dimension of Sport 10, 3 credit hours
- Elective, 3 credit hours
- Elective, 3 credit hours
- Elective, 3 credit hours
Admissions Process and How to Apply
- Pay undergraduate application fee
- Request official transcripts from all institutions attended (other than WVU), or
high school transcripts if fewer than 24 college credits be sent to:
WVU Office of Admissions
P.O. Box 6009Morgantown, WV 26506-6009
or Email: WVUadmissions@mail.wvu.edu - Minimum cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale
For additional requirements specific to first time freshman, online students, and internal/external transfer students, please connect with the admissions coach.
Tuition, Fees and Financial Aid
- File the application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the June deadline to determine eligibility for funding and scholarships.
- Inquire with your employer about potential financial support for continuing your education.
Careers and Employment
This program will give you the skills and experience needed to succeed in a breadth of careers in the sports industry. When combined with your choice of area of emphasis and electives, this program's curriculum will qualify you for a variety of potential careers.
Career Paths
- High School Athletics
- College Athletics
- Professional Level Athletics
- Youth Sports Leagues, Camps, and Tournaments
- Fitness and Recreation Facilities
- Sports Clubs
- Sports Academies