So you want to study sports? There’s a major for that

Fans know that Auburn is an “everything school,” so if you love football, basketball or just about any other sport, you’re in the right place.  

But what if you want to build a career out of your love of athletics? Auburn’s academic programs offer more than a few paths to do that, spread across various disciplines and career fields. Here are several programs to check out. 

Major: Journalism-sports production 

For those students who love the excitement of the jumbotron at a game or the drama of a live television broadcast, the journalism-sports production (JRSP) major in the College of Liberal Arts is the way to go. 

Students take courses like Sports Video Production, Control Room Operations, Sports Storytelling and Live Sports Producing. 

The only one of its kind in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and one of just a few nationwide, this major prepares students for careers in athletic event broadcasting. Having launched in 2020, the program is already known as a pipeline for major networks like ESPN and the SEC Network and for collegiate and professional athletic teams. Graduates become producers, directors, video editors and replay machine operators in both production control rooms and on the sidelines.  

Since they’re already being prepared for professional work, many students are hired to work with Auburn Athletics’ War Eagle Productions, which produces more than 350 live events annually.  

Major: Exercise, performance and health optimization  

If television is not your scene, a degree from the School of Kinesiology’s Exercise, Performance and Health Optimization (EPHB) program will allow you to work directly with athletes on the field or in the training room. 

Students take courses like Strength and Conditioning Development, Sport Technique and Movement Analysis, and Physical Activity and Public Health. They obtain strength and conditioning specialist and corrective exercise specialist certifications and apply classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios in the Tiger Fit Lab, where they learn to conduct fitness assessments with different populations. 

Graduates work as coaches, athletic trainers, personal trainers, strength and conditioning coaches and more.  

“One of the strengths of the program is the broad range of career paths available to students after graduation,” said Brooks Mobley, assistant clinical professor and EPHB program chair. “Our alumni have gone on to work with high school, collegiate, professional and tactical athletes, attended athletic training or physical therapy school and pursued graduate studies.” 

Major: Parks and recreation management 

When you think of sports, does your mind immediately go to outdoor activities like mountain biking, rock climbing or kayaking? Or maybe the community park where you played youth soccer, baseball and basketball? 

If either of those sounds like you, then consider the parks and recreation management (PARK) major, housed in the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment. 

Students choose their own areas of interest: Fans of cycling, disc golf, white water rafting and trail sports can study outdoor recreation. Enthusiasts of more traditional sports like soccer, baseball, basketball and football can focus on community parks and recreation. 

Depending on their interests, students take courses in sports facility management, nature-based recreation and parks and recreation leadership and programming. 

Graduates have careers managing community sports facilities, planning and leading community recreation activities or working within national and state parks.  

Major: Turfgrass management 

If you’ve ever admired the perfect surface of a football field or golf course, then you’ll want to consider the College of Agriculture’s crop and soil sciences – turfgrass option (CSTU).  

Students learn about growing and maintaining turfgrass for athletic playing surfaces, along with the design, construction and management of golf courses. They participate in competitions like the Collegiate Turf Bowl and the Sports Field Managers Association’s student challenge, and some work for Auburn Athletics, gaining on-the-job training while helping maintain some of the SEC’s most pristine playing surfaces. 

“Most members of our grounds crew are Auburn turfgrass management graduates, and as products of the program, we take pride in hiring and training students,” said Eric Kleypas, director of Athletic Turf and Grounds. “We also love to see our students earn quality summer internships on professional athletic fields.” 

After completing two internships, many graduates begin careers managing golf courses and athletic fields. David Han, associate professor and Extension specialist, said they also go on to work in the agriculture industry, Extension or other fields. 

“One recent graduate went to law school, another owns a mushroom spawn farm and others work as crop advisors and consultants with agricultural firms,” he said. “There's a lot people can do with a turf degree.” 

Minors and other opportunities 

Still interested in sports but don’t want to change your major? You have options: 

• Minor in sport communication: Housed in the College of Liberal Arts, this minor requires 18 credit hours in classes that can include Rhetoric of Sports, Sports Reporting, Sports Announcing and Sports Media Relations. 

• Minor in sport coaching:  Offered by the School of Kinesiology, the sport coaching minor requires 15 credits in areas like sports officiating, sports psychology, sports supplements, sport management and coaching.  

• Extracurricular opportunity in the Sports Analytics Club: With 120 members, this active club — open to students from any major — holds monthly meetings, coding workshops and lectures with guest speakers. Many members take ERMA 4330 Introduction to Sports Analytics as an elective.  

• Graduate minor in sport management: This minor for master’s students in the Graduate School requires 15 hours of courses, including Sports Management, Sports Ethics and Sports Marketing and Public Relations. 

• Student Counseling and Psychological Services’ (SCPS) Sports psychology internship: Psychology majors can apply for the sports psychology track within SCPS’ general internship program and gain clinical experience working with Auburn Athletics’ Counseling and Sport Psychology team.