UCLA Sports Business Program

Love sports and think you might want to explore a career in the business side of the field? Summer Discovery at UCLA offers two-, three- and five-week programs that will give you exposure to and insight into the sport business, including finance, marketing and communications.

“The sports industry is undergoing constant change, creating unique challenges and opportunities for people working in the business. The Summer Discovery for High School Students: Sports Business Program will address key shifts in the industry and identify ways for students to innovate and lead in a number of job functions.

With options of two week, three week or five-week sessions, students will:

• Learn business frameworks, including finance, marketing, strategy and economics.

• Review case studies.

• Meet with industry professionals.

• Learn about concepts, analyses and principles that drive the sports industry.

• Discover the mechanics of sports management and business.

• Explore behind-the-scenes of L.A.’s most famous arenas and stadiums.

Class meets weekdays in the morning and afternoon.”

How do I get started? Click here.

How do I expand this narrative arc? If your narrative arc includes sports, and you want to show that you’re more than just a great athlete or super fan, think about expanding and deepening both with one of these opportunities:

• Spend part of your summer attending the Wharton School’s Sports Management program

• Georgetown University also runs a great summer Sports Management Academy.

• Start a fundraiser for a sports team in a nearby low income community with Support Youth Sports

• Create public art on a local basketball court with Project Backboard

• Help your school establish a better concussion protocol with Heads Up

• If you’re great at math and love sports, consider attending Wharton’s Moneyball Summer Academy

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SUMMER PROGRAMS: College admissions officers are very adept at identifying “resume padders”: expensive, one-off programs paid for by your parents which do not mesh with your narrative arc. Therefore, make sure any summer program or course you consider falls into one (or more) of these four buckets: 

• Highly selective/competitive

• Totally unique + linked to your narrative arc

• Evidence of adulthood (long hours, multi-year commitment or simply hard work)

• A jumping off point or expansion for an authentic narrative arc. 

If none of the above apply, a program could still have value to you if it allows you to test a potential interest. However, if it does not end up being a jumping off point for further interests, then you may not want to mention it in your high school resume