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2025 Best Sports Management Schools in Illinois

13 Colleges in Illinois
442 Sports Management Degrees Awarded
If you pursue a degree in sports management, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #48 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 13 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Sports Management Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 442 degrees in sports management to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Sports Management School

Best Sports Management Schools in Illinois The sports management program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Sports Management rankings. We derive our Best Overall Sports Management School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Sports Management Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Sports Management
Master's Degrees in Sports Management
Doctor's Degrees in Sports Management

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Sports Management Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Sports Management in Illinois

The schools below may not offer all types of sports management degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Sports Management

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
67 Sports Management Degrees Awarded

Any student who is interested in sports management needs to look into Concordia University, Chicago. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of River Forest. A Best Colleges rank of #125 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Concordia University, Chicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 67 sports management students who graduated with this degree at Concordia University, Chicago in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sports management from Concordia University, Chicago

2
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In IL
16.7% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat North Central College if you wish to pursue a degree in sports management. Located in the midsize city of Naperville, North Central is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #760 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means North Central is a great college overall.

There were approximately 30 sports management students who graduated with this degree at North Central in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sports management from North Central College

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BS in Sport Management Program Name

Turn your passion for sports into a career and a path to high-level roles in the industry with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BS in Sport Management from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Aurora crest
Aurora University
Aurora, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IL

Aurora University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in sports management. Located in the suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #348 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Aurora is a great university overall.

There were approximately 22 sports management students who graduated with this degree at Aurora in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sports management from Aurora University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL
64 Sports Management Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in sports management needs to take a look at Northern Illinois University. NIU is a large public university located in the small suburb of Dekalb. A Best Colleges rank of #529 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NIU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 64 sports management students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sports management from Northern Illinois University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In IL

WIU is a medium-sized public university located in the remote town of Macomb. This university ranks 37th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 17 sports management students who graduated with this degree at WIU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sports management from Western Illinois University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IL
32 Sports Management Degrees Awarded

EIU is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Charleston. This university ranks 52nd out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 32 sports management students who graduated with this degree at EIU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sports management from Eastern Illinois University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IL

SIUC is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Carbondale. This university ranks 36th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 21 sports management students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sports management from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Sponsored
Masters Degree Type
MBA in Sport Management Program Name

Fit 2 of your passions – business and sports – into 1 degree when you earn your sport management MBA at Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in MBA in Sport Management from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
19th Most Popular In IL
71.4% Growth in Graduates

Elmhurst is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Elmhurst. A Best Colleges rank of #730 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Elmhurst is a great university overall.

There were roughly 21 sports management students who graduated with this degree at Elmhurst in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sports management from Elmhurst University

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
15th Most Popular In IL
38.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small suburb of Bourbonnais, Olivet Nazarene is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #853 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Olivet Nazarene is a great university overall.

There were roughly 13 sports management students who graduated with this degree at Olivet Nazarene in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sports management from Olivet Nazarene University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In IL
25.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Lebanon, McKendree is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 64th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 12 sports management students who graduated with this degree at McKendree in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sports management from McKendree University

Best Sports Management Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Sports Management Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Ohio 939 1,311
Michigan 915 653
Indiana 737 271
Wisconsin 672 128

View All Rankings >

Sports Management is one of 5 different types of Health & Physical Education programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Exercise Science and Kinesiology 1,184
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness General 298
Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness 66
Sports Studies 14

View All Sports Management Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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