CURRICULUM

The Sports Management MBA integrates a flipped-classroom approach with intensive on-campus sessions. You prepare independently and use classroom time to deepen your knowledge through discussions, group work, and case studies. This structure allows you to balance your studies with your professional commitments – completing the program part-time in just four semesters.

  • Semesters 1-3: Classes on Friday afternoons (13:00-20:00) and Saturdays (9:00-17:00) on 8-9 weekends, including module exams
  • Semester 4: Final capstone session and master thesis. For writing the master thesis, no regular presence on campus is required.

Learn more about our faculty and the experts behind the program.

The purpose of this example is to provide an initial overview for prospective students. The dates may vary by semester.

SEMESTER DATES
Orientation Day April 8
Lectures April 9 - 10
Lectures April 23 - 24
Lectures May 7 - 8
Lectures May 21 - 22
Lectures June 4 - 5
Lectures June 18 - 19
Lectures July 2 - 3
Capstone C1 July 16 - 17
Lectures July 30 - 31
Exams August 7

The lecture-free period begins after completing the exams and ends with the start of the new semester (April/October). 

 

MODULAR CURRICULUM

The foundation modules provide the essential basis of the Sports Management MBA. They equip you with the business, economic, technological, and organizational knowledge required to succeed in today’s professional sports industry. You will learn how sports markets operate, how digital technologies and data transform business models, how media and rights shape the value of sports – and how to manage organizations at the intersection of performance, public attention, and innovation. All courses are practice-oriented, industry-relevant, and designed to address tomorrow's challenges.

In the concentration phase of the program, you can tailor your studies according to your individual interests and career goals. Whether it’s sponsorship, law, sustainability, digital innovation, or international sports management – you will deepen your expertise in key areas at the intersection of sports, technology, media, and society. From nine practice-oriented modules, you select six to build your personal competence profile – focused, future-oriented, and globally relevant.

The Capstone Project and the Master Thesis together form the culmination of the Sports Management MBA. 

Over four semesters, you will design and implement a practice-oriented project at the intersection of innovation, strategy, and execution in the sports industry – from initial idea to real-world application. Whether it is a business plan, a consulting project, or an impact initiative, you will work on a challenge with direct relevance to your professional future.

The subsequent Master Thesis deepens your insights on a scientific level, connecting theory with practice – combining academic excellence with immediate industry relevance.

  • Exploration / Topic Scouting
  • Concept & Proposal Design
  • Execution & Field Testing
  • Synthesis & Presentation
  • Master Thesis
INTERNATIONAL STUDY TRIP

As part of the module Global Sports Markets & Governance, a study tour takes you to Lausanne and the surrounding region - the heart of international professional sports. Organizations such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) are based here and shape the rules and structures of global sport. On site, you will gain exclusive insights into governance, decision-making processes, and economic dynamics, and engage in discussions with representatives of key institutions. The study tour provides direct access to the actors and mechanisms that define the global sports system.

NETWORKING & WORKSHOPS

INDUSTRY EXPERTS

In addition to our Friday Talks speakers, we collaborate closely with experts from our partner organizations. These professionals bring valuable industry perspectives and are expected to contribute to the program through future workshops, guest lectures, and collaborative formats. Their involvement further strengthens the practical relevance of the MBA experience and connects our students with leading voices from the field.

Philipp Heßberger

Director & Authorized Officer
Eintracht Frankfurt
Sports Management MBA

Christine Thoma

Director People & Corporate Culture
Eintracht Frankfurt

Arnfried Lemmle

Director Marketing & Partnerships & Authorized Officer
Eintracht Frankfurt

Timm Jäger

Chairman Digital Advisory Board
Eintracht Frankfurt

Özkan Bal

Director of Legal
Eintracht Frankfurt

Magdalena Moyat

Head of ESG
Eintracht Frankfurt

FRIDAY TALKS

Networking is an integral part of the MBA experience at Goethe Business School. We regularly invite prominent guest speakers from various backgrounds to talk about current topics. While chatting with the experts in an intimate setting, students and alumni gain unique insights into how these experts are dealing with current challenges and are making change happen. Students can usually look forward to two events per semester, which take place on Friday evenings after regular lectures and are followed by an opportunity to network with other participants.

Samanta Boero

Lufthansa Group Digital Hangar
Lost in (Digital) Translation: From Startup Slang to Enterprise English

Julian Brinckmann

Olympus
Building AI-Powered Ecosystems: Lessons from Transforming a 100-Year-Old Japanese MedTech Giant

Dr. Frauke Fischer

agentur auf!
Big Business – Big Data – Big Animals

Florian Deter

Microsoft
Artificial Intelligence – What Is Hype and What Is Already Real?

Peter Goldschmidt

STADA
Attitude Drives Performance

Jan-Wilm Buschkamp

Mainova
Re-think Stability – Why Digital Transformation is Crucial for the Energy Industry

Thomas Heißmeyer

engAIge
Embedded Insurance – 5 Trillion Dollar Business Model or BS Bingo?

Dr. Tobias Hirsch

Bain & Company
Digital Transformation in Financial Services – The Next Wave of Technology Trends and Emerging Technologies

Victoria Williams

GlaxoSmithKline
Do We Still Need to Fight for Gender Equality in Business in 2022?

Julia Koch

Finanz Informatik
Transforming the Sparkassen Banking Experience: Leadership Skills for the Age of Digital Customer Centricity

Kai Müller

Experience One
How Generation Customer Experience is Transforming the Automotive World

Sven Schuwirth

AUDI
Digital Business Strategy at AUDI AG

Generalleutnant Michael Vetter

Federal Ministry of Defence
Digitisation in the Bundeswehr a Prerequisite for the Armed Forces in the 21st Century

Markus Berger-de León

McKinsey
Transforming Incumbents into Serial Business Builders

Chris Boos

arago
An Appeal for Future Optimists - Why You Bear a Great Responsibility with the Digital Transformation

Frank Bach

Headspace
The Headspace Way – How to Create a Joyful Product Experience

Karl Heinz Krug

Capgemini
Public Sector Going Digital – A View on E-Government in Germany

Dr. Thomas Mannmeusel

Webasto
Digital Transformation Should Be Done like Guerilla Gardening!

Dominique Willième

ARTE
Good Old TV vs. New Media: ARTE’s Take on Digital Transformation

Thomas Wittmann

Lufthansa
Digitalization at Lufthansa

Marco Di Filippo

Whitelist Hackers
Live Hacking: Max Schmitt as a Stepstone to Advanced Persistent Threat

Dr. Manfred Knof

Allianz
Digitalization at Allianz

Dr. Bernd Heinrichs

Bosch
Mobility Goes Data

Christoph Bornschein

TLGG
Why Germany is Lagging behind in Digitization?

Christian Baudis

My Digital
How Robotics & Self-driving Cars, Big Data & AI, Sensor Technologies and eHealth Will Reshape Industries

Thomas Lindner

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The Transformation of F.A.Z. - A Premium Publisher's Voyage from Paper to Digital Innovation

Rolf Schumann

SAP
A Definition of Digitalization and the Model of Analog/Digital Me

Personal Development & Skills Workshops

By participating in a series of workshops integrated throughout the curriculum, you have the opportunity to maximize your personal potential, develop leadership skills, and explore practical applications of the newest technologies and trends through hands-on sessions with industry experts. Theses workshops are designed to develop the skills you need to make an impact on your career.

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The professional sports ecosystem is a fast-growing field on a steep path toward further professionalization. The newly designed Sports Management MBA addresses the specific needs of professionals across the modern sports value chain. By combining academic rigor with industry expertise, the program provides state-of-the-art insights into today’s professional sports management landscape and supports participants in advancing their careers. Particular emphasis is placed on current and future developments, especially the growing importance of data, technology, and the evolving role of media.

Prof. Dr. Uwe WalzAcademic Program Director Sports Management MBA