Recreation and Sports Management

Take your love of sports to the next level!

Whether you dream of coaching, working in the front office for a professional team, or managing a recreation facility, our exciting program teaches you the skills and experience you’ll need to succeed! You’ll be able to tailor your studies to suit your career goals in the areas of sports, recreation, and physical education outside of teaching.

Do you love sports and have an interest in managing behind-the-scenes operations to make sure things run smoothly? This is the program for you! You’ll take courses in sports management operations, sports marketing, program planning, sports officiating, team sports, accounting, and more with plenty of hands-on learning for a well-rounded education. You’ll also have the opportunity to earn certifications.

The Delhi Difference

• Learn from enthusiastic, talented faculty with extensive experience in outdoor recreation, sports programming, aquatics, and more.
• Our small class sizes allow you to develop strong relationships with your peers and professors.
• Enjoy hands-on learning experiences in our athletic and recreation facilities which include our field house, fitness center, dome, sports fields, swimming pool, and 18-hole golf course, as well as off-campus sites.
• SUNY Delhi’s NCAA Division III athletic department and intramural program offers a high-level, real-world setting to learn about game day management, field preparation, officiating rules, and athletic regulations. 
• Enjoy easy access to our 50-acre Outdoor Education Center with groomed trails and a stream.
• Take field trips to Catskill and Adirondack Parks and the Clark Sport Center in Cooperstown, NY.
• Earn your New York State Coaching Certificate along with your degree. You will also complete the requirements to become certified as a Recreational Associate with the National Recreation and Park Association. 
• Transfer seamlessly into our bachelor’s program in Recreation and Sports Facility Management (BBA) to deepen your knowledge and skills and position yourself for higher-level jobs in the industry.
• According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for the recreation industry is faster than average through 2029. 

Read About our Adaptive Sports Program

The program teaches you the ins and outs of sports management. There’s so much within sports I never knew about. You learn about coaching, facilities management, event management, game-day operations, crowd control, sports agencies, contracts and other legal matters – it’s a really wide skill set.

Katelyn Lewis ’20

What Can You Do With This Degree?

• Athletic coach 
• Recreation manager
• Park and nature center manager
• Outdoor educator
• Outfitter/guide
• Park ranger
• Recreation/athletic program coordinator 

Alumni Highlights

• Ronald Alston '07, Athletic Supervisor, Gloucester County, VA Parks & Recreation 
• Molly Greene '20, Event Coordinator, USA Softball
• Howard Cole, Jr. '13, Account Executive, New York Mets Baseball