Sport Management Major - Bachelor of Sport and Recreation
Develop expertise in sport management, marketing, facilities and events management, sponsorship, sport development, high performance sport leadership, law and finance.
Management skills are needed across the sport and recreation industries. The sports field isn’t like a traditional business and neither are the management skills needed to succeed in this area. With the large number of professional athletes, sports organisations, facilities and events in New Zealand, people with specialist business and management skills are in high demand.
You learn from staff with international and national experience, and have the opportunity to work with local and national sporting bodies and events.
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This is part of the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation.
Download programme guides
Year 1
Semester 1 courses
- HEAL506 Knowledge, Enquiry and Communication
- SPOR504 Leadership in Sport and the Outdoors
- SPOR511 Skill Learning in Sport and Recreation
- SPSC501 Sport and Exercise Science Fundamentals
Semester 2 courses
- SPOR501 Sport and Recreation in Aotearoa/New Zealand
- SPOR502 Innovative Planning in Sport and Recreation
- SPOR503 Contemporary Issues in Sport and Recreation
You also need to complete one of these courses
- HEAL507 Health and Environment
- HEAL505 Human Anatomy and Physiology I
- HEAL504 Lifespan Development and Communication
Year 2
- SPOR610 Law and Ethics in Sport and Recreation
- SPOR624 Group and Individual Behaviour
- SPOR608 Evidence Based Practice
- SPOR605 Sport Management
- SPOR614 Sport Finance
- SPOR604 Sport Marketing
- SPOR607 Sport Development
Plus one optional/elective course.
This year also includes two work placements of 30-40 hours, designed to introduce you to the workplace and help you identify where you want to complete your third-year workplace experience.
Year 3
Courses you study this year
- SPOR709 Sport and Recreation Co-operative I
- SPOR710 Sport and Recreation Co-operative II
- SPOR705 Sport and Recreation Leadership Advanced
- SPOR702 Sport Events and Entrepreneurship
Plus two optional/elective courses.
Workplace experience in the Sport Management major
In your third year you complete 350 to 400 hours in an organisation, which includes working on a project related to your major through the Cooperative Education courses. This takes approximately two days per week.
Recent placements included:
- Athletics New Zealand
- Counties Manukau Sport
- Halberg Disability Sport Foundation
- Harbour Sport
- Hockey New Zealand
- New Zealand Breakers
- New Zealand Cricket
- New Zealand Rugby League
- New Zealand Rugby Union
- Nike NZ
- Northern Arena
- School sports departments
- Touch North Harbour
- Total Sport (event management)
- Triathlon New Zealand
- The GEMBA Group
Want more info about work integrated learning at AUT?
Read more about workplace experience in AUT programmes, how it works and why it’s so beneficial when you start your career.
- Community and sports events co-ordinator
- Sales and marketing executive
- School sports co-ordinator
- Sponsorship manager
- Sport and leisure facility manager or co-ordinator
- Sport development manager
Find out more about industry trends, job descriptions and what employers may be looking for.
Other majors in the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation
- Coaching
- Exercise Science and Nutrition
- Health and Physical Education
- Outdoor Education
- Sport and Exercise Science
- Standard pathway
Postgraduate study
- Sport management skills are in demand in New Zealand and overseas
- Workplace experience in major New Zealand sporting bodies
- Covers a broad range of expertise
- A team player
- Having leadership ability
- Self-motivated and focused
- Having good planning, management and organisation skills
The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.