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USF's Sport & Entertainment Management Program Ranked Among the Top 20 on the Planet by SportBusiness International

By Keith Morelli

TAMPA (July 24, 2017) -- The USF Sport & Entertainment Management program, in which graduates receive both a master's degree and an MBA, was ranked in the top 20 of postgraduate courses on the globe, as rated by SportBusiness International.

The results of the survey were announced earlier this month.

For its July publication, SportBusiness International analysts sifted through 1,000 survey responses from alumni and course leaders of programs around the world to rank the top 40 institutions, of which Ohio University took the top spot. Ohio University's program is among the longest running in the nation at 40 years.

The 5-year-old Muma College of Business program, which boasts a near 100 percent placement rate within three months of graduation, ranked No. 19 on the list, which included public and private universities. Just three Florida schools: USF, the University of Central Florida and Florida Atlantic University, made the list.

The rankings assessed programs based on the overall quality of the student education, taking into account the course content, the standard of teaching, the number and standing of guest speakers, the provision and quality of work placements and internships as well as alumni support.

"Being ranked 19th in the world in our first year of eligibility for the rankings is a tribute to how far we have come as a program," said Sport & Entertainment Management Director Bill Sutton. "But at the same time it shows us how far we have to go. We consider ourselves capable of being ranked much higher.  Top 20 is nice, but top 10 and eventually top 5 are where we have our sights set and in time, we will be there."

The rankings also took into account student satisfaction, number of students employed within six months of graduation, the course leader, the domestic and international student ratio, gender ratio, languages used to teach, average salary of graduates three years after graduation and work placement.

"Our goal is to eventually be ranked in the top five programs in the country and we feel we are making great strides for such a young program," said Michael Mondello, associate program director and professor. "We have outstanding industry partners, faculty and students along with great internal support from the Muma College of Business."