Within the wide world of sports, there is so much more than the athletes themselves which make it one of the world’s greatest past-times. From coaching and management to physical health and administration, earning your sports degree abroad is the opportunity to get your foot in behind the scenes within a diversity of professional roles; what niche will you strive to make a home in?
Why Earn Your Degree Abroad
Whether your aspirations lay at the professional or amateur level, obtaining a sports degree within your area of interest is becoming increasingly valuable to finding long term success in the field. Earning your sports degree abroad further presents the opportunity to travel anywhere in the world and gain a perspective-broadening education within the subject matter. Running a great sports organization largely stems from effective communication across all verticals, and crossing cultures to earn your degree abroad will enhance this skillset tenfold.
Locations
What sport are you most interested in launching a career within? While the decision does not have to be exclusive at this point (sports degrees are generally very versatile), this is certainly a good question to begin by asking yourself. Earning your sports degree abroad in a country that embraces your favorite sport is a good way to begin applying your studies to relevant subject matter; it’s also a great opportunity to start making connections on and off the field.
For example, travelling to Europe to earn your sports degree abroad within countries such as England, France, or Spain can be a great option if you want to apply your studies to football (soccer), the world’s most popular sport. Alternatively, studying abroad in the United States can be a great way to gain experience within Ameri-centric sports such as baseball or American football.
Other sports such as basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, and aquatics are popular all over the globe. For a much different experience, why not even earn your sports degree abroad in a country such as India, where cricket and badminton reign supreme? Leaving cultural familiarity behind can be an incredible experience, and give you a much deeper insight into true international context of sport.
Academics & Degrees
There are many different degrees abroad that you can earn within the world of sports that can be used to move on to a successful career in the industry. The most popular among these at the undergraduate level is typically sports management, which will train you within many different aspects of business and administration side of the sporting world. Sports science, which focuses more on the physiological and statistical elements of sports, is another popular degree track.
Both of these sports degrees abroad can be pursued further at the graduate level, which can greatly increase your depth of knowledge in the subject matter and also better prepare you for the job market after graduation. It is also common at the graduate level to choose a sports-oriented focus within other related disciplines, such as pursuing an advanced degree in sports journalism, sports psychology, sports law, sports marketing, or sports medicine.
Most sports degrees abroad will be interdisciplinary in nature, taking a broad approach that includes elements of injury-prevention, coaching, and effective administration. Different countries vary in the details of higher education, though generally you can expect a bachelor’s degree in sports to require three or four years of study, and a Master’s degree to require one or two years on top of this.
Benefits & Challenges
Transferability. Earning your sports degree abroad you will discover that, while different sports vary in popularity across the world, the mechanisms that drive a successful organization are largely the same.
Exposure. It’s never too late to start following a new sport. Another great thing about earning your sports degree abroad is the great diversity of sport and competition across the world, something that can be very valuable to gain exposure to as a future sports professional.
Adaptation. No one said it would be easy; earning a full degree abroad requires a great deal of patience, flexibility, and effort to immerse in a new culture. The personal growth you will experience (and the fun you will have) as a result is well worth the adventure.
