The University of South Carolina's Department of Sport and Entertainment Management
offers a joint degree option of its prestigious Master of Sport and Entertainment
Management — ranked No. 8 globally in the 2023 SportBusiness Postgraduate Course Rankings
— with Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) in Doha, Qatar. The international partnership
expands access to South Carolina’s world-class sport and entertainment management
degree program to students across the Middle East.
The 36-credit hour master's degree is taught over two years in English and is designed
to train students for management roles in sport, entertainment and venue industries.
Students are offered classes taught by both USC and HBKU faculty, and the coursework
includes a specialized blend of business, finance, law, marketing and entrepreneurship
courses.
Faculty from both institutions collaborate on curriculum design and course delivery
so that students at HBKU gain the same knowledge and training as students studying
at USC's Columbia campus. In addition to guiding the curriculum, South Carolina faculty
also assist in the development of internship and industry partnerships that provide
valuable career pathways for graduates.
Leaders from both universities have also expanded opportunities for international
collaboration on research, service projects, curriculum development and other international
exchanges of knowledge. The partnership has strengthened industry best practices and
economies on an international scale.
UNESCO Chair
As of March 2023, the joint MSEM is connected with the first and globally unique UNESCO Chair on Governance and Social Responsibility in Sport. Led by its founder and director and Qatar-based faculty member Dr. Christos Anagnostopoulos, the primary objective of the chair is to promote research, training, public dialogue,
and international cooperation focused on enhancing organizational sport governance
and implementing (corporate) social responsibility programs with sport as a central
component.
SACSCOC Accreditation
The University of South Carolina was most recently accredited by the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) in 2011. The University of
South Carolina community views the SACSCOC requirements and standards not as isolated
mandates from an accrediting agency, but more as best practices developed over the
years by institutional representatives from our region. Our goal is to embrace these
best practices and use them to guide our policies and plans.
Apply learned concepts and theory to demonstrate an understanding of the nature of
the sports and entertainment industries.
Understand and have an appreciation for how research is used by and is beneficial
for sports and entertainment organizations and/or academics.
Demonstrate an ability to develop and explain workable solutions to various industry
problems related to sports and entertainment.
Thesis and Non-Thesis Options
Students electing the thesis option must complete 27 credit hours of required courses,
complete at least nine credit hours of elective course work from which a maximum of
nine credit hours may be taken outside of the program.
Students electing the non-thesis option must complete 21 credit hours of required
courses, complete at least 15 credit hours of elective course work from which a maximum
of nine credit hours may be taken outside of the program, and pass a comprehensive
examination upon completion of all course work. Students selecting the non-thesis
option may (but are not required to) enroll in a field project in hospitality, retail,
or sport management for six elective credit hours.
This joint master’s is one of only a few in the region, giving students the opportunity
to achieve their full potential to be leaders of our sport and entertainment industries.
Among the advantages of our international partnership is that students studying toward
the degree at HBKU gain the very best educational experience to develop in-demand
multidisciplinary skills in addition to having an opportunity to network with peers
and industry professionals globally.
Mounir Hamdi, HBKU College of Science and Engineering Dean
International Graduate Program Director and Associate Professor Department of Sport and Entertainment Management College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management University of South Carolina
