Manage like Jerry
Dallas Cowboys team up with local university for new sports management MBA program
The University of North Texas and the Dallas Cowboys have teamed up to launch an online MBA program in sports entertainment management.
The 36-credit-hour program, set to start in the upcoming fall semester, is divided into six subjects geared toward sports entertainment management:
- Sports in the global marketplace
- Corporate partnerships
- Analytics
- Event operations
- Talent management
- Consulting
In addition, the MBA program will offer traditional courses in subjects like finance, accounting, marketing, and strategic management. The program also will include three on-site bootcamps at the Cowboys’ headquarters at The Star in Frisco.
“We’ve been fortunate to be involved in a number of different businesses, both directly and indirectly involved in the sport entertainment industry. Through key partnerships, such as our relationship with the University of North Texas, we have found ways to grow the reach of the Dallas Cowboys across a variety of these industries,” Jerry Jones Jr., chief sales and marketing officer for the Cowboys, says in a February 6 release.
The Denton university already offers an MBA in sport, entertainment, and event management, and a bachelor’s degree program in sport management. The new offering “is built specifically for professionals looking to take their next step and move up the ladder in their respective industries,” the university says.
Professionals with at least three years of work experience as industry executives, coaches, or pro athletes can enter the program without taking the GMAT.
“The Dallas Cowboys are standing at the top of the sports business world,” Bob Heere, UNT director of sports management, says in the release. “It’s one thing for business students, especially those interested in sports and entertainment, to have access to a professional team, but our students are learning best practices from the individuals responsible for moving the needle forward in the Cowboys organization.”
“There’s a reason they are the most valuable franchise in the world,” Heere adds. “Their people are driving brand growth year over year, and now they will be helping teach our students how to do the same.”
At least 10 full-time employees of the Cowboys are UNT alumni, and several team staffers are guest speakers or adjunct faculty members at the university.
The new MBA program starts in August 2020. The deadline to apply for admission is June 30, 2020.
