Responsible Management and Business of Sport, Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration/Master of Sport Sciences (2 yrs), autumn 2025

Scope of studies

120 ECTS credits

Career titles

sport manager

sustainability and business development manager

sustainability specialist

Tuition fee for non-EU/EEA citizens

8 000 €

Scholarship

4000 - 4000 €

Language of instruction

English

Teaching time

Day time teaching

Planned duration

2 years

Form of teaching

Contact teaching

Education description

Are you aiming for higher academic qualification for managing sport organizations in a changing society? Are you dedicated to be sensitive and able to apply principles of responsibility and ethics in decision-making and organizing in the field of sport? Are you devoted and interested in acquiring scientific and practical knowledge about how to manage sport in front of the global challenges? Traditional Sport Management is now perhaps more than ever challenged to educate people for the changed norms, values and situations in turbulent times, which creates new foundations for sport and sport organizations to act and be managed responsibly.

The international Master’s Degree Programme of Responsible Management and Business of Sport (RESPO) is a new form of collaboration between the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences and School of Business and Economics (JSBE) at Ģ��ֱ��. As a RESPO student you will be part of these two established faculties, which both have several decades’ experience of in organizing and offering international study programmes.

Sport and health sciences of JYU are among the top universities in their field. According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject in 2020 sport and health sciences ranked to position 50 out of 1 368 universities from all over the world. JSBE is AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accredited business school which is the most significant international recognition to an educational institution of economics for high-quality teaching and research. Only about five percent of all institutions in the field have received the AACSB accreditation. This new collaboration of these two fields is expected to create a high-quality study environment and student experiences.

The programme educates professionals of sport management for the needs of private, public and nonprofit sectors. Graduation from the program gives in-depth knowledge and skills to plan and execute strategic and tactical activities in managerial and expert positions related to management in today’s sport society. Employment possibilities in various sport are strong and constantly growing as sport and physical activity together with health and leisure more broadly are seen to play an increasing importance in societies.

As a RESPO graduate you will master in identifying the core areas and objectives of management and business of sport. You are able to make sense of logics of diverse sport organizations and you will have a theoretical understanding to support your thoughts. You are able to apply principles of responsible and ethical thinking in the sport context. As a graduate you are used to utilize academic knowledge and analytical tools to support your decision-making and argument your views. After completing the programme you thrive to work in multicultural, diverse and interdisciplinary teams with high respect on ethical behavior and enhancing sustainability.

The RESPO programme offers courses in three different areas:

1. objectives and operations of management and business of sport.

2. potentials and challenges of sport in the global context.

3. principles of responsible and ethical thinking of the sport organisations.

The programme incorporates an extensive research component through the Master’s thesis and related courses.

Students of our programme have varying backgrounds, interests and career aspirations. The programme and its contents aim to give deep knowledge in the field of sport management. In addition, students usually select optional studies based on their interest to make the degree individualised. The graduates from our programme are thus working in many different kinds of expert and management positions in the private/commercial; public and voluntary fields of sport, physical activity, and well-being.

Our programme is based on several years’ of close collaboration and connections within the academia, and with other stakeholders, practitioners and employers in sport organisations. We utilise experts from different sport organisations to provide a number of visiting lectures in various courses, and collaborate both in student work (e.g. group work, case studies, theses) as well as programme’s research (e.g. research projects and research visits). By integrating stakeholders‘ input into the programme we aim to improve its practical relevance and to provide students with extensive networking opportunities.

The Master’s Degree Programme in Responsible Management and Business of Sport is an MSc degree programme that builds upon the long-running and internationally recognised work of the two faculties and their disciplines that have offered courses in sport and management in English for large numbers of international students. After completing the programme you thrive to work in multicultural, diverse and interdisciplinary teams with high respect on ethical behavior and enhancing sustainability.

During the studies students write a Master's thesis. On successful completion of the Master's thesis, students will be able to:

successfully complete an individual academic research project;
define, identify and justify research problems related to the field of sport management;
form a theoretical framework for an academic study;
identify and justify the choice of the research methods of their own Master’s thesis;
analyse and evaluate research results;
make theoretical and practical conclusions based on research results;
produce an academic research report.

JYU tuition fee scholarship is targeted to students liable to pay tuition fees. Recipients of this scholarship will receive the scholarship also for their second year of studies if they complete a minimum of 55 ECTS credits of degree studies during their first academic year. Please see additional information on that and other scholarship possibilities on the JYU website.

The programme is free of charge for citizens of EU/EEA countries and Switzerland. In addition, students who are in possession of a valid residence permit in Finland of the type A, which is granted for a reason other than studying, P, P-EU, EU Blue Card, permanent right of residence of a UK citizen, or a residence card for a family member of an EU citizen or a family member of a UK citizen with a permanent right of residence, are exempted from paying tuition for the duration of the validity of the permit. Please see additional information on the JYU website.

Application options

Responsible Management and Business of Sport, Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration/Master of Sport Sciences (2 yrs)

Application starts

8.1.2025 08:00

Application ends

22.1.2025 15:00

Application procedure

Joint application

Places of study

Prior education

University Bachelor's degree

University of applied sciences Master's degree

Foreign Master's degree

Foreign Bachelor's degree

University Master's degree

University of applied sciences Bachelor's degree

Admission criteria

Eligibility criteria

These admission criteria are valid for student selections made in 2025–2028. However, the faculty reserves the right to make changes to the criteria, if necessary, between admissions rounds. The number of study seats is decided on an annual basis and will be published on Studyinfo.fi before each application round.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for the master’s degree programme, you must have a suitable higher education degree and demonstrate adequate English proficiency in one of the methods described below.

1. A higher education degree that fulfils the following requirements:

The degree must give eligibility for master’s-level degree studies in the awarding country. If your degree qualifies you for doctoral-level studies, you should primarily seek admission to a doctoral programme instead.

Suitable fields for the degree include but are not limited to:

social sciences of sport or sport management
business or economics
other sport sciences
social and administrative sciences
other related fields (e.g., communications, health sciences)

Separate higher education studies that are not part of a degree may be considered when evaluating the compatibility of your previous field/calculating your admissions score. Applicants from other fields may be accepted if their motivation is well-founded and their previous degree (or other previous studies) include minor studies in business and/or sport studies.

The higher education institution awarding the degree must be officially recognised in the national education system, i.e., listed as a degree-granting higher education institution by the country where it is located or by a relevant international organisation (such as UNESCO).

If the degree used to prove eligibility is incomplete at the time of application, you may be admitted on a conditional basis. In this case, you must graduate and submit officially certified copies of the final educational documents so that they are received by the University by the specified deadline. The deadline will be posted on the University’s website before the application period starts.

If you currently hold a right to complete a degree at the Ģ��ֱ��, you cannot be admitted to the same degree programme.

2. English proficiency demonstrated as follows:

The Centre for Multilingual Academic Communication (Movi) of the Ģ��ֱ�� will assess your language proficiency and academic readiness using the Academic Readiness Screening (ACRES). ACRES is integrated as a natural part of the admission process and consists of a written pre-task and an online interview. Your language proficiency will be assessed only if your educational background meets the eligibility criteria, and you submitted all the required application attachments in time to meet the given deadline(s).

To be considered for admission, you must achieve B2 or higher level in each of the four components: oral interaction, spoken production, academic reading, and academic writing. Please see Movi’s website for the Assessment Guidelines.

When applying for this programme, you can prove your English skills only by participating in ACRES. The University does not grant waivers for the language requirement.

Admissions procedure

Online application, required attachments, interview and ACRES

The admissions process is divided into three parts: 1) submitting the application and all required attachments, 2) submitting the written pre-task, and 3) participating in an interview (if applicable).

NB: If you use generative artificial intelligence (AI) to aid your application, you must indicate which model (e.g., ChatGPT, Bing Chat) you have used and in what way through proper citations (written assignments). However, citations are not necessary if you use AI solely for ideation, proofreading, stylisation or similar purposes.

Claiming AI-generated content as your own without acknowledging it is considered plagiarism. If we detect that a supporting document or assignment has been generated AI, either wholly or in part, without proper acknowledgement, it will be given zero points.

Phase 1: Application and required attachments

First, you must submit your application on Studyinfo.fi along with the necessary attachments by the given deadlines. Applicants whose educational background meets the given requirements and who have submitted all the required attachments are evaluated using the criteria listed below. Ineligible applications will not be processed further after they have been found not to meet the eligibility criteria/documentary requirements.

Category	Points
Educational background: Relevance to the field and scope (see Eligibility criteria)	0–5
Research methods courses	0–2
Work experience in a related field or voluntary activity in the third sector (e.g., organisational and administrative tasks in sports organisations and clubs)	0–3
Motivation letter: Reasons for applying to the programme, strengths as a prospective student, career plans, international experience	0–9
Reference letter	0–1
Total maximum points	20

Phase 2: Written pre-task

After Phase 1, the highest scoring applicants (max. 65) are invited to submit the written pre-task. The task will be carried out online in a given time frame. You are responsible for providing yourself with the space, time, and equipment to enable participation in the pre-task. More detailed instructions will be provided in the pre-task invitation.

The goal of the pre-task is to assess your reading strategies, writing strategies, critical thinking skills, and dialogic academic discussion through a written text format. The pre-task constitutes the reading and writing part of the academic readiness and language proficiency screening. Based on the pre-task, Movi will evaluate your academic skill levels for reading and writing in English. Movi raters will use tools as Turnitin-plagiarism check, AI-detection tools and AI to assist them in the assessment. If the skill levels for both reading and writing are B2 or higher according to the assessment criteria, you will be invited to an interview.If your English language proficiency in academic reading or writing is below B2, your application is considered ineligible and will not be processed further.

Phase 3: Online interview

The online interview constitutes the oral part of the academic readiness and language proficiency screening. The structured interview will be recorded, and the recordings will be used for student selection purposes only. You are responsible for providing yourself with the space, time, and equipment to enable participation in the interview. More detailed instructions will be provided in the interview invitation.

Based on the recorded interview, Movi will evaluate your oral academic skill levels for listening, speaking and interacting in English. To be considered for admission, you must achieve oral skill levels B2 or higher according to the assessment criteria. If your oral skill levels are below B2, your application is considered ineligible and will not be processed further.

The academic staff of the programme will evaluate the interview according to the following criteria.

Category	Points
Knowledge of the field of study	0–6
Research experience and knowledge of research methodology	0–6
Motivation	0–6
Self-awareness, adaptation and readiness to study	0–2
Total maximum points	20

Final selection

Your scores from Phases 1 and 3 are added together to form your final admission score. Applicants will be ranked according to their admission scores, and the highest-scoring applicants, in accordance with the number of available study seats, will be admitted. If two or more applicants are tied for the last study place, all of them will be accepted. The faculty may also, at their discretion, admit more applicants than there are study places to ensure there will be enough students to start their studies in the programme. There are no arrangements for clearing, i.e., unaccepted study seats will not be reallocated.

All applicants will be notified of the results by email by the date given on the University’s website. Unsuccessful applicants will be informed of the policy and deadline for appealing against the admission decision.

More information about the application process

For more information on the admission round and instructions for applying for JYU master’s programmes and scholarships, please see the following website: /en/study-with-us/masters-degree-programmes.

Attachments

The required application attachments are listed below. Some attachments may be optional or required only from a certain group of applicants. Any documents not listed below will not be considered in the evaluation process.

If any compulsory attachments have not been submitted according to our instructions or in time to meet the given deadline(s), your application will be deemed ineligible and not processed further. The detailed instructions for attachments will be published on the University’s website before the application period opens. The instructions may change between application rounds, and you must make sure to comply with the requirements for the correct round.

1. Copy of an official transcript of records/mark sheet of a higher education degree

A transcript of records or mark sheet is a list of courses and study attainments that a student has completed at an educational institution.

2. Official translation of the transcript into English, Finnish, or Swedish (if needed)

If the official transcript of records is issued in a language other than English, Finnish, or Swedish, an official translation into one of these languages is required in addition to the original language version.

3. Copy of a degree certificate of a higher education degree

If the degree used for proving your eligibility is unfinished at the time of application, a degree certificate is not required in the application phase.

4. Official translation of the degree certificate into English, Finnish, or Swedish (if needed)

If the degree certificate is issued in a language other than English, Finnish, or Swedish, an official translation into one of these languages is required in addition to the original language version.

5. Copy of a valid passport (if needed)

A copy of the identification pages of a valid passport with the applicant’s name, date of birth, and nationality. In case the applicant does not hold a valid passport, another official identification document (such as a personal identity card or driving license) stating the same information is accepted. A copy of a passport is not required from citizens of Finland since their nationality is verifiable from a national database.

6. Copy of a residence permit card (if applicable)

A copy of both sides of the residence permit card. The document is required only if you, the applicant, hold one of the following: a valid residence permit in Finland of type A (that is not based on studies), P, P-EU, EU Blue Card, or a certificate of the permanent right of residence of a UK citizen in Finland, or residence card for a family member of an EU or UK citizen residing in Finland.

7. Curriculum vitae (CV)

A CV is a document that provides information about your educational and work history, skills, and competencies. The document must be written in English.

8. Motivation letter

Clearly articulate your reasons for applying for this programme by answering the following questions.

Describe your previous studies, activities, international experience, and commitment in relation to the programme.
What motivates and interests you in the contents of the programme and why?
What are your future professional plans? What skills and knowledge do you expect to gain from this programme for your career after graduation?
Based on your previous degree, specify your degree preference of the programme as in the following alternatives: a) I primarily prefer degree in MSc (Economics and Business Administration), but I am also willing to receive the degree in MSc (Social Sciences of Sport); b) I primarily prefer degree in MSc (Social Sciences of Sport), but I am also willing to receive the degree in MSc (Economics and Business Administration); c) no significance of the degree.

The maximum length of the motivation letter is one page (A4 size) using Times New Roman and font size 12 pt. The motivation letter must be written in English.

9. Testimonials or work certificates (optional)

This attachment is optional but submitting it can score you additional points.

A certificate from an organisation that is relevant to the field of the programme. The document should indicate your title, duties, the name of the organisation, and the duration of the employment. The documentation must also include a signature of a member of the organisation and preferably other indicators of the organisation, e.g., an organisational stamp or letterhead. If the document is written in a language other than English, Finnish, or Swedish, an official translation to one of these languages as well as the original language version are required.

10. Letter of reference (optional)

This attachment is optional but submitting it can score you an additional point.

One reference letter from an academic teacher, supervisor, or employer, not related to you, who is familiar with your academic, professional and/or personal qualifications. The letter must include the referee’s contact information. If the document is written in a language other than English, Finnish, or Swedish, an official translation of the document to one of these languages as well as the original language version are required.

Attachment is uploaded on the application form

Must be submitted by
Jan. 29, 2025 at 03:00 PM UTC+2

Ģ��ֱ��

Responsible Management and Business of Sport, Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration/Master of Sport Sciences (2 yrs), autumn 2025

Education description

Structure of studies

Further study opportunities

Specialisations

Career opportunities

Co-operation with other parties

Internationalisation

Qualification

Research focus

Thesis

Scholarship

Tuition fees

Contact persons

Application options

Responsible Management and Business of Sport, Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration/Master of Sport Sciences (2 yrs)

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