For professionals hoping to build a career in sports and entertainment, location matters. So do connections.

Beginning in spring 2027, University of South Carolina students will be able to find both in the heart of one of the nation’s fastest-growing sport business markets through the new Master of Sport and Entertainment Management – Charlotte program.

Offered by the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management’s David and Nicole Tepper Department of Sport and Entertainment Management in collaboration with the College of Information and Communications, the program brings USC’s internationally recognized MSEM degree to Uptown Charlotte. The department’s graduate program has ranked among the world’s top 10 in SportBusiness’ postgraduate rankings since 2022.

The new program is about more than putting an established degree in a new location. It is designed to give working professionals, aspiring industry leaders and career changers a way to earn a graduate degree while building relationships in a city filled with sport, entertainment and media organizations.

“That’s kind of our target market,” David and Nicole Tepper Department of Sport and Entertainment Management Chair Stephen Shapiro says. “People that are working in the industry, and they’re looking to advance their careers in sport and entertainment, along with professionals in related industries and those who want to change careers.”

For those students, going back to school does not have to mean putting their careers on hold.

The Charlotte MSEM program uses eight-week courses and a hybrid format, combining one in-person class meeting each week with online coursework. Most students will be able to complete the degree in approximately two years, though options to accelerate that timeline may become available.

The format was intentionally built around the schedules of working professionals. A typical student could take one course during the first eight weeks of a semester and another during the second eight weeks, steadily progressing toward a degree while continuing to work.

Classes will be held at USC’s Charlotte location at 200 South College Street, putting students in the center of Uptown’s business and entertainment district.

That location is central to what distinguishes the program from USC’s existing online MSEM option. While online study remains a strong choice for students who need maximum geographic flexibility, Shapiro sees an added benefit for students already living and working in the Charlotte region: the ability to turn face-to-face classes into face-to-face industry connections.

“We felt that there would be an interest in having boots on the ground, with opportunities to connect and network with professional sports organizations, media entities and agencies in Charlotte,” Shapiro says.

Those opportunities extend beyond the classroom. Students will have access to industry leaders through executive panels, networking events, site visits and experiential learning, as well as USC’s alumni and industry network.

Few cities offer a better setting for that approach. Charlotte is home to the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets and Charlotte FC, along with NASCAR, PGA Tour events, entertainment venues and a growing sport media sector.

USC already has relationships throughout that ecosystem. Shapiro points to connections with Tepper Sports & Entertainment, NASCAR, ESPN and the SEC Network, the Charlotte Sports Foundation and others as connections the Charlotte program can leverage to provide opportunities for students.

Students will also learn from faculty with extensive industry experience. The program's faculty includes former Carolina Panthers president and Charlotte Sports Foundation executive director Danny Morrison, former Tepper Sports & Entertainment Chief Communications Officer Tamera Green, former Wells Fargo Championship director Gary Sobba and former Richard Petty Motorsports executive Mike Hargrave.

For students, that means lessons in subjects such as marketing and sponsorship, finance and revenue generation, event operations, analytics, entrepreneurship, sport law and venue management can be connected to the people and organizations putting those concepts into practice every day.

The Charlotte program will also offer something distinctive: an expanded focus on sport media through the partnership with USC’s College of Information and Communications.

Students interested in the rapidly changing business of sports content and communication will be able to complement their sport management coursework with electives taught by CIC faculty. Shapiro says the collaboration gives students interested in sport media an opportunity to combine the MSEM’s business foundation with specialized media study.

Featured courses include Digital Storytelling in Sports Media, Athlete Driven Media, Sports Media Entrepreneurship, Contemporary Issues in Sports Media and Communication, and Reputation and Communications Management.

The result is a degree built for a sport and entertainment industry in which the lines among business, entertainment, media and communications continue to intersect.

Applicants do not need an undergraduate degree in sport management, or even a career already established in sports. A bachelor’s degree is required, and students without sport industry experience may need to complete a prerequisite course. The program is intended for early-career professionals, people seeking leadership opportunities and those hoping to transition into sport, entertainment or media careers.

For Shapiro, Charlotte represents a chance to pair the strength of USC’s existing program with the opportunities of a booming sports market.

“There really isn’t a grad program like ours in the Charlotte area,” he says. “Between what we’re doing in Columbia and the partnerships we have in Charlotte, we can provide a great opportunity for individuals to leverage our network to prepare them for a career in sport and entertainment.”

Applications for the inaugural cohort are open now.

MSEM Interest Form