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2025 Best Sports Studies Schools in the Plains States Region

9 Colleges in the Plains States Region
70 Sports Studies Degrees Awarded
If you plan on majoring in sports studies, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #557 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 9 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Sports Studies Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 70 degrees in sports studies annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Sports Studies School

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

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Sports Studies Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Sports Studies
Master's Degrees in Sports Studies

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Sports Studies Schools in the Plains States Region 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 Studies in the Plains States Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the sports studies degree levels they offer.

Top Plains States Region Schools in Sports Studies

1
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IA

University of Iowa is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in sports studies. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were about 7 sports studies students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sports studies from University of Iowa

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MN
31.3% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in sports studies has to check out Minnesota State University - Mankato. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public university located in the city of Mankato. A Best Colleges rank of #412 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Minnesota State Mankato is a great university overall.

There were roughly 16 sports studies students who graduated with this degree at Minnesota State Mankato in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sports studies from Minnesota State University - Mankato

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
UMary crest
University of Mary
Bismarck, ND
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In ND

University of Mary is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in sports studies. UMary is a small private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Bismarck. A Best Colleges rank of #650 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UMary is a great university overall.

There were roughly 2 sports studies students who graduated with this degree at UMary in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sports studies from University of Mary

4

University of Dubuque is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in sports studies. UD is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Dubuque. This university ranks 31st out of 37 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.More information about a degree in sports studies from University of Dubuque

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MN

Located in the city of Saint Paul, Concordia University, Saint Paul is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #1109 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Concordia University, Saint Paul is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1 sports studies students who graduated with this degree at Concordia University, Saint Paul in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sports studies from Concordia University, Saint Paul

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IA
36.8% Growth in Graduates

UIU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the remote area of Fayette. This university ranks 28th out of 37 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were about 19 sports studies students who graduated with this degree at UIU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sports studies from Upper Iowa University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In KS
62.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the distant town of Ottawa, Ottawa is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 31st out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were about 16 sports studies students who graduated with this degree at Ottawa in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sports studies from Ottawa University - Ottawa

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
University of St. Mary crest
University of Saint Mary
Leavenworth, KS
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In KS

Located in the fringe town of Leavenworth, University of St. Mary is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 22nd out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were approximately 1 sports studies students who graduated with this degree at University of St. Mary in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in sports studies from University of Saint Mary

9
SC crest
Southwestern College
Winfield, KS
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In KS

Located in the distant town of Winfield, SC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 25th out of 44 schools for overall quality in the state of Kansas.

There were roughly 7 sports studies students who graduated with this degree at SC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in sports studies from Southwestern College

Best Sports Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best sports studies colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 742 13
Missouri 693 0
Iowa 648 30
Kansas 599 18
North Dakota 416 4

View All Rankings >

One of 5 majors within the Health & Physical Education area of study, Sports Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Exercise Science and Kinesiology 2,761
Sports Management 1,461
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness General 485
Outdoor Health & Physical Education/Fitness 149
Physical Fitness Technician 64

View All Sports Studies Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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