Who is the study program intended for?

Professional graduate study of Sports Management is the first and only such study program in Croatia.
It is intended for the professionals who already work in sports, and want to advance their career, as well as those who want to achieve successful careers in sports and sports industry.
Nowadays, sports in the EU generates several hundred million of Euro, which is approximately 4% GDP of the European Union, and provides jobs for 15 million people, or 5.4% of workforce.
In Croatia, there are great requirements for highly educated professionals in the area of sports management due to the fact that managers in sports organizations, i.e. those who work in sports industry are usually not formally educated for managing specific business processes in the area of sports.

Without educated sports managers, sports organizations cannot be recognized in the sports market, and thus suffer enormous losses. Furthermore, non-profit sport organizations, such as sports associations, federations, local and state departments for sports, have realized that they can no longer function without modern and efficient management.

Competences acquired by the study program

After finishing professional graduate study of sports management graduates acquire competences required to manage the systems of higher level of complexity on “top management” jobs, as well as possibility to continue higher education on postgraduate studies in accordance with the Bologna Declaration.

The competences acquired by this study program, especially considering the continuity of undergraduate and graduate study of sports management can be divided into general and specific.

General competences are based on comprehensive education which includes basic theoretical, methodological, and applicative knowledge in the area of economics, management, kinesiology, law, information and communication sciences, psychology and sociology.

Specific competences are based on highly professional and expert training in the area of sports management, marketing management in sports, management of sports facilities and events, controlling and financial management in sports companies, sponsorship in sports, public relations in sports, sports law, and among other, managing human resources and socially responsible behavior in sports.

Duration of the study program

The study program lasts for two years (four semesters). After completing the study program graduates acquire, according to the provisions of the Bologna Process, 120 ECTS credits, and the professional title of (the equivalent of masters degree):
“Master of Sports Management (Msc in sports management)”

Learning outcomes

The anticipated learning outcomes gained by completing the graduate specialist study Sports Management will enable students to:

1. manage business activities and processes in sport facilities
2. Manage business activities and processes in sports facilities

3. Analyze the competitive position of the organization in a changing market environment by applying business intelligence techniques

4. Apply direct and online marketing in business

5. Use communication technologies when managing public relations

6. Apply a business goal setting system and form strategic planning that leads to goal achievement

7. Design a plan for the development of human resources in the organization in an optimal way

8. Use controlling methods in the management system of a sports organization

9. Use managerial accounting techniques in the function of making business decisions

10. Identify the fundamental strategic goals of the European Union

11. To analyze the ways in which individuals, organizations, institutions and communities can actively participate in the design and realization of projects, when creating their own project

12. Use different methodological approaches to market research in sports and connect all phases starting from the preparation of the research, the design of the measuring instrument, the implementation of the research, to the processing of the collected data with the analysis of the results and the development

13. Organize and conduct negotiations, using negotiation strategies and tactics

14. Discuss the sociological and psychological aspects of sports competitions and their social and political importance in society

15. Create a bankruptcy plan when applying bankruptcy as a crisis resolution model

16. Lead the project team when constructing a business project

17. Create a plan of marketing activities for the promotion of a sports product or sports organization

18. Valorize the potential of constant development of human traits, abilities and motor skills and their retention at the highest possible level for as long as possible

19. Create a sponsorship offer in accordance with the goals and strategy of the company

20. Apply sports law and legal sources in different systems of sports competitions

Overview of the course

During the course, students will attend the following courses (in alphabetical order):

• Business Intelligence
• Controlling in sports organizations
• Graduate thesis
• EU Market, Institutions and Projects
• Market Research in Sports Management
• Selected kinesiology topics
• Crisis Management
• Marketing Management in Sports
• Project management
• Management of sports facilities and events
• Public Relations in Sports
• Socio-psychological aspects of major sports competitions
• Sponsorship in Sports
• Sports Industry and Markets
• Sports Law
• Human Resource Management Strategy
• Strategic Management

Financial management module

Who is it intended for

Specialized Graduate study Program in Sport Management with the module Financial Management is intended for all students who want to acquire knowledge and skills in the field of finance, especially in the field of insurance business. Financial management is an important aspect of every successful venture. Maximizing profits is the ultimate goal of every business venture and the precondition for achieving this goal is financial decision making. According to the study, 62% of non-financial managers in the United States do not understand the basic financial terminology necessary for the correct communication within the organization while some studies across Europe show that in 85% of cases, highly educated people from the business world do not understand elementary economic terminology.

Competencies acquired by study and module

The competencies acquired by studying the program content of the Sport Management are based on highly professional qualifications for the field of managerial accounting, analysis of the financial reports and corporate creditworthiness, business intelligence, corporate management, marketing management, sponsorship, event management, controlling, public relationship, human resources management and socially responsible behaviour.

The competences that the student, in addition to the aforementioned, acquires with the completion of the Financial Management module are:

Courses 

Financial markets and institutions

• understanding the fundamental theoretical concepts related to the structure and mechanism of action of modern financial systems and their constituent parts
• developing an analytical and critical approach to addressing the problems of financial markets and institutions in the Republic of Croatia and the European Union
• overview of financial markets from the point of view of the service provider and their users
• competently autonomous decision-making

Insurance and reinsurance

• given that the insurance industry becomes an increasingly important part of each country economy, the students are well trained to understand the most important theoretical aspects of insurance
• critical consideration of insurance activity as a component of financial institutions
• review of reinsurance as a risk transfer through cedants and its international role in world finances
• active inclusion in specific affairs of insurance and reinsurance companies, in particular the conclusion of insurance contracts and settlement of damages

 

Risk management

• understanding all relevant aspects of risk management in financial institutions
• developing an analytical and critical approach to risk management methods in banks and insurance companies
• considering the correlation of new risks as potential harm and the choice of appropriate methods of their coverage as economic protection
• competently autonomous decision-making on all phases of risk management: identification, evaluation, prioritization and selection of management methods

Insurance rights

 

• understanding the legal regulations and normative acts governing the operations of insurance companies
• an analytical approach to the interpretation of the legal business provisions of insurance and reinsurance companies
• consideration of the Insurance Act as a basic legal regulation
• independent interpretation of acts according to which insurance is concluded: general insurance conditions, conditions for certain types of insurance, special conditions for certain types of insurance and pricelist insurance premium (premiums, tariffs)