Introduction to the Sports Management Program

The Sports Management major offers students from different countries the extraordinary opportunity to study sports in the birthplace of the Olympic Games. The exceptional athletic facilities of the Deree campus in Aghia Paraskevi provide an ideal environment for Sports Management studies, while the challenging academic program promotes the intellectual, personal, and professional growth of each student.

Program Details

• Method of program delivery: Face-to-face
• Location of program delivery: Aghia Paraskevi campus
• Validation: Validated by The Open University, UK
• Programme Specification: Available
• Regulations for validated awards: Available

Tuition and Fees

• Greek Students: Refer to the official website for detailed information
• European Union Students: Refer to the official website for detailed information
• North American Students: Refer to the official website for detailed information

Curriculum

The Sports Management program aims at promoting a broad, analytical, and highly integrated study of business with a specialization in the field of sports management. Sports Management specific modules are focused on:

• The provision of in-depth knowledge of the historical evolution of sport and the nature and structure of the contemporary sports industry
• The acquisition of in-depth knowledge and understanding of the economic, socio-cultural, legal, and political environments within which sports organizations operate
• The provision of specialized knowledge of key managerial functions and processes in sports organizations
• The development of students' personal competencies necessary to lead corporate initiatives, and enhancement of lifelong learning skills and personal development to contribute to society at large
• A credit-bearing internship placement in the field of sports, as a compulsory component of the program

Duration of Studies

The duration of studies is 4 academic years. The maximum period of registration for an Open University validated award is ten years.

Definition of Full-Time Study

The definition of full-time study is 60 UK credits/semester. 40 UK credits/semester or less is considered part-time.

Career Opportunities

Students holding a BSc (Hons) in Sports Management are prepared to pursue post-graduate studies in any field of business and related fields in social sciences. They are also equipped to apply the fundamental concepts of management in a variety of commercial and non-commercial organizations in both the sports and sports-related sector, like the recreation and leisure sectors. As a result, they have a wide range of career options at a local, national, and international level. Furthermore, they can choose among careers in various governing bodies within amateur, professional, and community sports, commercial and non-commercial organizations. Frequent employers may include:

• Academic institutions
• Professional sports organizations
• Community sport leagues
• National sports governing bodies
• Player management agencies
• Sport administration
• Sponsorship and marketing
• Apparel and merchandising companies
• Health and fitness centers
• Sporting events and venues
• Local government bodies

Additional Information

For more detailed information about the program, including admission requirements, course structure, and faculty, please refer to the official program documentation or contact the relevant department.

The American College of Greece (ACG) is an independent, non-profit, non-sectarian, co-educational institution founded in 1875 in Smyrna (Izmir), Asia Minor, by missionaries from Boston, Massachusetts. Following the Asia Minor Catastrophe, the college relocated to Athens in 1923 and has operated there ever since. It is the oldest and largest U.S.-accredited, comprehensive educational institution in Europe, with over 150 years of transformative education and a long-standing role in fostering intellectual and cultural ties between Greece and the United States.

ACG is chartered as a U.S. 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity by the State of Colorado, and is governed by an independent board of trustees. Its motto — Non Ministrari, Sed Ministrare ("Not to be Served, but to Serve") — reflects its foundational commitment to education in service of society.

Three divisions:

ACG operates across three distinct academic divisions, each serving a different stage of education:

• Pierce: a pre-kindergarten through secondary school offering a Gymnasium, Lyceum and an International Baccalaureate Programme, with campuses in Aghia Paraskevi and a Pierce East Campus in Spata
• Deree: the undergraduate and graduate college, with all instruction delivered entirely in English, located on the main 64-acre campus in Aghia Paraskevi.
• Alba Graduate Business School: a specialized postgraduate business school located in downtown Athens, built on ACG's long-standing legacy of academic excellence.

Accreditation

ACG was first accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) in 1981, becoming the first U.S. institution abroad to achieve this distinction. In 2023, The American University of Greece (AUG) — ACG's newly incorporated U.S. affiliate — received full institutional NECHE accreditation, which includes ACG's operations in Greece through a validating agreement. This means Deree graduates hold degrees with the same credentials as graduates of other NECHE institutions, including MIT, Harvard, Brown, Boston College and Amherst.

Deree is also validated by The Open University (UK), providing graduates with an additional internationally recognized award pathway. In 2024, AUG launched a Global Campus offering fully online degree programs rooted in ACG's academic tradition.

Campus

The main campus in Aghia Paraskevi sits on the western slopes of Mount Hymettus, about ten kilometers from central Athens, and was originally designed by the renowned Greek architect Constantine Doxiadis. Its 64 acres include smart classrooms, science and STEM laboratories, fine art studios and exhibition spaces, a Center for the Arts with multiple performance venues including the Pierce Theater, a black box theater and the Irene Bailey Theater, a library, a gym, a swimming pool, tennis courts, a soccer and track complex, a chapel, and student lounges. The campus offers panoramic views of the Athens basin.

Student life

Student life at ACG is active and diverse. Students can join academic societies, a wide range of clubs, and student organizations including the Deree Student Association, the Research Scholars Organization, and the Student Emergency Response Force. Intercollegiate and intramural sports are organized under the Deree Griffins banner. Arts programming is extensive, with music, theater, dance and visual arts performances running throughout the academic year under the Arts at Deree initiative. An International Honors Program is available for high-achieving students, including a Stanford Summer component and a dedicated merit scholarship. Service learning projects connect students to the broader Athens community.

Research and institutes

ACG's research activity spans applied academic research and public policy engagement through four dedicated centers:

• ACG Research Center (ACG-RC): supports interdisciplinary applied research, with active projects including a study on the role of the Greek-American diaspora in bilateral U.S.-Greece relations from 1974 to 2024
• Institute of Global Affairs: hosts research, public events and publications on international policy and geopolitics
• Institute of Public Health: conducts public health research and runs an annual lecture series open to the wider community
• The Demos Center: dedicated to democratic values, civic discourse and public engagement

Sustainability

Sustainability is a core institutional commitment at ACG. The college has been listed among the Princeton Review's most environmentally responsible colleges for seven consecutive years, and is one of only four European institutions to appear on the list for 2025. In 2024, ACG was recognized as a top performer in five categories of the AASHE Sustainable Campus Index — Campus Engagement, Energy, Grounds, Purchasing, and Wellbeing and Work — making it the highest-ranked STARS institution outside the United States and Canada. ACG also received the 2024 EPEAT Purchaser Award for the second consecutive year for sustainable electronics procurement, and was featured in Greece's inaugural Hellenic Impact Report for its integration of sustainability across academics, operations and partnerships. The college currently offers 149 sustainability-focused and sustainability-inclusive courses across undergraduate and graduate levels.

Student support services

• Student Academic Support Services (SASS): learning facilitation, peer tutoring and academic resources
• Career Services: career planning, internship placement, and employer connections including an annual ACG Career Days event
• Student Success Center: holistic advising and student wellbeing support
• Counseling and Health and Wellness Center: mental health services, wellness coaching and medical assistance
• Financial assistance: merit scholarships, grants, work-study, and access to U.S. Federal Loans and Veterans Aid for eligible students
• On-campus and nearby housing for undergraduate and study-abroad students

International reach

1. ACG welcomes study-abroad students from universities worldwide through semester, summer and intensive programs in Athens. Special programs include the Hellenic Studies Summer School, the Heritage Greece program, and a longstanding collaboration with Harvard University's Center for Hellenic Studies. Through its Outbound Study Abroad Programme, Deree students can study at partner institutions in cities including Stanford, New York, Boston, London, Rome, Seoul, Shanghai and Berlin. A parallel studies pathway also allows students enrolled in Greek public universities to earn a Deree degree simultaneously.