Get to Know the KU Department of Health, Sport, & Exercise Sciences

Through our values and traditions, the past continues to shape our present—and the rich and storied athletic history of the University of Kansas provides an ongoing advantage to our online master’s in sport management* students.

Following the arrival of a relatively unknown chapel director and physical education instructor named James Naismith, KU became the home of the inventor of basketball. His arrival predates the School of Education by a staggering 12 years and led to the founding of our unparalleled Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences.

You read that right: The founder of your future department at KU is James Naismith, who invented the sport of basketball. We’re not just game-changers—we’re game-inventors.

Today, the department is located within the Robinson Center, which includes numerous recreational venues, academic classrooms and a variety of research facilities.

Get off the bench and in on the action by joining our sport management master’s program. Like Naismith who created the game out of passion rather than professional aspirations, the network of Jayhawk alumni are dedicated to outperforming our competitors while helping Jayhawks succeed across the globe.

Are you ready to get a leg up in your sport career?

^{*This program is a Master of Science in Education (M.S.E.) degree in health, sport management, and exercise science with an emphasis in sport management.}

Discover our Master's Degree

Founded in 1909, the University of Kansas School of Education has prepared future educators, coaches, administrators, instructors, directors and more for a lifetime of learning, success and transformative influence—and, in that time, we’ve made quite a name for ourselves.

Our Strong Name in Education

• Top 10 Best Education School (among public universities)¹
• Top 5 Best College for Vets²

As the only Kansas Board of Regents university to qualify for membership in the select Association of American Universities (AAU), a group of 62 public and private research universities chosen for their excellence in professional preparation, robust graduate offerings and international research achievements, the KU School of Education is committed to encouraging the highest quality of academic offerings.

Because of this noteworthy distinction and commitment, the School of Education emphasizes the following areas of educational excellence:

• Instruction
• Research
• Service
• International Dimension
• Values