Master in Sports Business and Marketing Blended Barcelona

Introduction

The sports industry already accounts for 1% of the world’s GDP and is one of the professional sectors with the highest economic growth. This fact has favored the creation of new professions and jobs, as well as a greater specialization in the management of companies. However, in an increasingly competitive and constantly changing market, it is necessary to have better prepared professionals. The professionalization of sport requires, therefore, a constant updating of knowledge as well as management specialists who are familiar not only with the most current tools for correct decision making, but also with the specifics of the sports sector.

The Master in Sports Business and Marketing is a 10-month program that delves into the most important aspects of management applied to the sport business.

Classes with expert faculty closely linked to sport, are combined with master classes with exclusive guest lecturers from the world of sport management, outdoor visits (field trips) and a study trip that will enrich the experience you’ll have in Barcelona with your classmates, broadening your network of contacts in the sporting world. In addition, each module of the Master will include some hours online.

Objectives

We have designed a master’s degree close to business reality, which offers you the vision to recognize business opportunities and anticipate changes. Prepare yourself to make the most of the resources of any company or sports organization.

These are the main objectives of the Master in Sports Business and Marketing:

1. To obtain a strategic vision of the sports industry from a business perspective.
2. Create new market opportunities through entrepreneurship and innovation.
3. Use the most innovative practices in sports marketing and develop effective branding and sponsorship strategies.
4. Lead professional teams and obtain the best results from them.
5. Interpret the financial statements of a sports organization and create financing strategies for new projects and ventures.
6. Optimize the management of sports facilities and events.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Understand and apply strategic, global, and objective vision to the sports industry from a business perspective.
• Create new market opportunities by applying an entrepreneurial spirit and a culture inclined towards innovation in sport organizations.
• Use the most innovative practices in sport marketing and be more effective in brand strategy and sponsorship execution.
• Detect the key factors to lead professional teams and obtain the best results.
• Interpret the financial statements of a sports organization and create financial strategies for new products and businesses.
• Optimize the management of a sports facility and sports event.

Aimed at

The Master in Sports Business and Marketing is right for you, if:

• You’re an (ex) athlete looking for education and a degree in sport management to give your professional career a boost.
• You’re working in a business environment and want to specialize in the sports industry.
• You wish to complete your education with a Master specializing in the administration and management of sports.

People who have completed this Master are currently working in the areas of:

• Sports Competition (professional sports teams and event organizers).
• Governance (sports federations and associations).
• Sports Facilities and Events (championship organizers, sports clubs).
• Community Sports (foundations, government, municipalities).
• Sports Consulting (private business initiatives).
• Sports Journalism (private and public companies).
• Marketing and Sponsorship (private and public companies).

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible for admission, you must meet one of the following requirements:

• Have a Bachelor’s degree, undergraduate diploma or the equivalent.
• Have at least 3 years experience in the area of sport management.
• Have developed a career as a professional athlete.

ADMISSION PROCEDURE

Please complete the pre-enrollment form if you are interested in studying this program. Your form will be submitted to the Admissions Committee, which will evaluate if your achievements as well as your aspirations and motivations in pursuing this Master, are in line with the objectives of the program. The admission procedure includes a personal interview with the Academic Manager. One of our academic consultants will contact you within 72 hours.

Program

This master’s degree in Sports Business and Marketing consists of 12 modules, distributed over two semesters, and a final project (MFP) that is carried out throughout the course. The entire structure of the program has been designed to meet the needs of today’s sports industry.

Both the approach and the level of demand, ensure that you will have the right knowledge and skills to guide your professional career in sport management.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIESThe program includes visits to sport facilities and entities that provide an on-the-ground and first-hand understanding of what management challenges are faced on a day-to-day basis, in the hands of active professionals.

DEGREEMaster in Sports Business and Marketing from Johan Cruyff Institute and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

The price of the program does not include the administrative fee for the issuance of the Master’s diploma (€211.47 in 2025).

*Here you can read about the differences between Specific Master’s Degrees and University Master’s Degrees.

Learning model

BENEFITS

Immerse yourself in an ecosystem designed to improve your performance: progress alongside professionals from the sports industry, with the constant assistance of a program manager, teachers who accompany and guide you, and a teaching team that has taken care of every detail of the master’s program.

Learning by doing

Learn theoretical concepts and quickly put them into practice while using the most innovative tools in sport management. By using Johan Cruyff Institute’s pedagogical model, you train “technique” and “tactics” through ‘learning by doing’, where the lived experience is the main source of knowledge.

Teamwork

Work on projects with people of different nationalities and professional backgrounds who share the same team spirit and passion for sport. Have fun, learn from your colleagues, share your points of view with them and participate together in debates that are as diverse as they are enriching.

Challenging business cases

Face real business challenges, tackling the challenges that companies in the sports sector face on a daily basis. Personally present your solutions to Johan Cruyff Institute and its partner companies, who challenge you with specific strategic problems.

Different learning environments

Imagine a master’s program that goes beyond the boundaries of the classroom. Thanks to technology, you will have access to the virtual campus, the e-learning platform that supports your academic progress and facilitates collaborative teamwork. Thanks to field trips and the international study trip, you will get to know different companies and sports organizations first-hand.

Blended learning

Make your studies compatible with your work and personal life: enjoy all the advantages and flexibility of online education without giving up the immersive and rewarding experience of face-to-face sessions.

Maximum adaptability

Face-to-face and online classes are coordinated and run simultaneously throughout the course to achieve common objectives. The face-to-face classes are the backbone of the master’s degree and are held on Thursdays and Fridays afternoons. Based on this central axis, you will usually be asked to work on a series of contents and activities before and after each of these sessions. During the course, the teacher will set the work guidelines, the “training rhythm”, but you will manage your own time and dedication.

You never walk alone

During the classes, the teachers continuously monitor your progress and help you improve your performance. In face-to-face classes, you put theory into practice, but you also have access to theoretical webinars to reinforce your knowledge. When you use the resources of the digital platform, you are in contact with a teacher who can answer your questions at any time.

You are at the center

We accompany you, but we are demanding. We guide you, but you are responsible for your learning process. We prepare you, but in this race, you are the one who competes.

Faculty

The Johan Cruyff Institute faculty is made up of professionals from the sports industry who know how to connect what they teach in the classroom with their experience in their day-to-day business. They do it through case-based teaching, simulations, workshops, forming interdisciplinary work teams and bringing the experience and practical reality of their work closer to you.

Student services

Johan Cruyff Institute offers different services to enhance your employability, complete your education and improve your experience before, during and after your studies.

EMPLOYABILITYEvery week we send you a newsletter with job offers from football clubs, companies and sports entities so that you can follow in detail how the job market is evolving in the sports industry and be the first to know about available job opportunities.

In addition, we have built a wide network of professional partners who are looking for talent and turn to us to fill their vacancies. Johan Cruyff Institute selects the best qualified profiles among its network of students according to their suitability.

PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIPS
Our students are well-trained candidates, able to bring a lot of value to companies and, therefore, perfect for integrating into their teams through the formula of professional internships. These internships are, in turn, an enriching learning experience, and through them you have the opportunity to live the reality of a sports organization and put into practice the knowledge you have acquired.

ALUMNI CRUYFF INSTITUTE
The Alumni Cruyff Institute digital platform allows the more than 10,000 students who have studied with us to maintain the links created during their studies, as well as to participate in webinars and training sessions, among other resources.

Connect to this network and get in touch with peers who share your interests and with former students working in companies and institutions around the world, while keeping the spirit of Johan Cruyff Institute alive.

HOSPITALITY
If you are coming to study from outside Spain, we are here to help you. We will help you with the paperwork and provide you with information about accommodation, health insurance, currency and all the details you need to know to make your experience in Barcelona perfect.

UAB STUDENTAll students of the Master in Sports Business and Marketing can benefit from the services offered by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona at the Bellaterra Campus, including among many others:

• Employment opportunities and advisory service: Treball Campus
• Impulse program for entrepreneurs: UAB Emprèn
• Language services and teaching: Servei de Llengües, UAB Idiomes
• High-level sports facilities
• Library network
• Service to the disability program
• Publishing services
• On campus accommodation

Venue

Classes are delivered at Johan Cruyff Institute Barcelona campus: Av. del Tibidabo, 15, 08022, Barcelona, Spain.

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