Fitness, Recreation & Sports Management Degree

Are you passionate about exercise and creating healthy habits? Do you want to share that passion with others and promote wellness in your community? Earning a fitness, recreation, and sports management degree from Hardin-Simmons University will prepare you for a diverse range of jobs in recreation management, fitness and sports — including personal and group fitness training, athletics administration, and parks management, to name only a few.

Our fitness majors develop a foundational knowledge in topics such as kinesiology, outdoor education activities, sports marketing, and mass communication. The skills and knowledge you accrue as you earn your fitness, recreation, and sports management degree at HSU will help you become a confident leader in the world of sports and fitness.

A Flexible Fitness, Recreation and Sports Management Degree

If you’re like most students interested in careers in fitness, you’re probably asking, “What is sports management?” At HSU, it’s whatever you make it. With 22 credit hours of electives and a minor, you can design the fitness, recreation, and sports management degree that aligns with your personal and professional goals.

Interested in owning a sports facility? Add a business minor. Want to lead a team? Explore our coaching minor. If you’re more into sports medicine, our healthcare minors can help you build a foundation in health to complement your fitness, recreation, and sports management degree.

Program Contact

Lindsay Edwards-Graduate Program Director for Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation Program

Dr. Lindsay Spindler

Professor & Chair, Dept. of Kinesiology, Health and Recreation

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Why Earn Your Fitness, Recreation, and Sports Management Degree at Hardin-Simmons?

Two trainers lift kettlebells.

Hands-On Experience

Our fitness majors graduate with a robust resume that shows off their wealth of real-world work experience. As you earn your fitness, recreation, and sports management degree at HSU, you’ll have multiple opportunities for internships in the community to gain experience and make professional connections that can help you after graduation.

A portion of the human performance lab.

Extraordinary Career Preparation

We are proud of the many accomplishments of our graduates. More than 80% of our sports management majors are either employed in jobs in recreation management and sports or are accepted into graduate sports management degree programs, and 100% exceeded the expectation of their internship agency supervisor. As a fitness major at HSU, you’ll be part of a talented and successful cohort of students.

Two women running on treadmills.

Community Connections

Our sports management majors develop lasting relationships with one another, as well as with their faculty mentors and the people they work with during their internships. These connections will be invaluable as you enter the market for jobs in recreation management, fitness and sports.

What Can You Do With a Fitness, Recreation, and Sports Management Degree?

There’s never been a better time to get into fitness, sports, and recreation. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment for fitness trainers and instructors is predicted to grow 39% over the next decade, more than four times the national average for other occupational fields. Jobs in recreation management are expected to grow 16% over the same time.

Graduates of our program go on to find jobs in recreation management, fitness, and sports in municipal agencies, private fitness facilities, and camps around the country. Some also start their own businesses specializing in sporting equipment and providing training to individuals and groups.

Thanks to the interdisciplinarity and hands-on focus of our degree, many of our fitness majors are accepted into graduate programs to study kinesiology or health.

Jobs for Fitness, Recreation, and Sports Management Degree Graduates

  • Athletic trainer
  • Director of marketing
  • Municipal recreation manager
  • Youth sports coordinator
  • Park manager
  • Coach
  • Sport agent
  • Sport marketer
  • Personal or group trainer

Program Details

Our fitness majors have the option to create a diverse plan of study. You can find a complete list of courses and course descriptions for our bachelor’s in fitness, recreation, and sports management degree program in the Hardin-Simmons University Undergraduate Catalog:

Fitness, Recreation, and Sports Management (B.S.H.S.)

We have been blessed with charitable donors and alumni who make it possible for us to offer scholarships and grants to help sports management majors pay for their degree. You may also be eligible for university-wide funding opportunities. Learn more about scholarships at Hardin-Simmons University.

If you’re considering becoming a fitness major, you may also be interested in learning more about similar bachelor’s programs at Hardin-Simmons University:

Exercise Science Degree

Management Degree

Marketing Degree