Student life in the Sports Product Management program is busy!
The terms are short and course topics are broad, so students and instructors move quickly through the material. Most coursework is done in teams, and students meet outside of class to collaborate on homework and projects. The program also offers several networking events and supplemental experiences with student clubs, industry experts, and alumni.
Graduates will tell you that time flies, but each term is challenging in its own way. Being a part of the SPM community is exhilarating, engaging, and sometimes exhausting—very much like the experience you will have in the industry after graduation.
Want to learn more about our Sports Product Management master's program and the students currently enrolled? Take a look at our Player's Roster!
Student Project Teams
A key differentiator of the Sports Product Management program is its intense focus on building skills in product creation through a multifunctional team. During Orientation, students are placed on a team of students who represent diversity in undergraduate degrees, functional interest, country-of-origin, gender, ethnicity and communication style. Students work on these teams throughout their time in the program, and develop skills in collaboration, problem-solving, innovation and iteration.
Watch the video below to meet Team Friction Skate Co,. one of our student product teams that set out to create a shoe that lasts longer than the competition and reduces its carbon footprint along the way.
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Mentors
Every student is matched with an industry leader during their first term. These leaders volunteer their time to support the students throughout their time in the program, and often, relationships are formed that follow the students into their post-graduation careers. Mentors offer perspective and make connections on behalf of their mentee.
Discover SPM Industry Connections
Teaching through the Heart and Hands
Student product creation teams practice the concepts they are learning in their academic work when they meet weekly in the world-class product creation lab. These concepts are applied, explored and developed as they collaborate to identify a consumer need, develop a product offering, create a brand, establish and execute launch strategies, and extend that offering to multiple regions.
As part of that process, students leverage the SPM Innovation Lab, a specially designed product-making space that provides direct, hands-on experience in concept ideation and execution. In the lab, students use specialized equipment to design, make, and test prototype sports and outdoor apparel, footwear, and equipment.
Global Immersion: Asia Footwear and Apparel Industry Experience
From factory floors in Vietnam to design studios and retail showrooms in Tokyo, our graduate students gain unparalleled access to the global sports and outdoor product industry during this transformative international experience.
Built into the curriculum of the Sports Product Management master's program, this 10-day global immersion bridges the gap between classroom learning and the real-world complexities of product creation. Students return with a deeper understanding of global supply chains, sustainability, consumer behavior, and cultural nuance, setting them apart in today's competitive industry. They witness the scale, complexity, and innovation of global product creation while deepening their understanding of how brands and factories adapt to sustainability, supply chain challenges, and shifting market trends.
This immersion is a defining experience that reflects our core pillars: innovation, sustainability, inclusiveness, and global business. Students call it "life-changing," returning more inspired, more informed, and better equipped to lead change. No other graduate program in sports product management offers this level of direct, on-the-ground exposure to Asia's sportswear manufacturing and retail ecosystems. It's an experience that challenges perspectives, sparks innovation, and builds future-ready leaders.
Global trip locations may vary each year to align with our evolving curriculum and the ever-changing pace of the industry.
Summer Industry Experience
During their summer term, students are encouraged to complete an industry internship or project that immerses them in a sports or outdoor product company in the United States or abroad. In 2025, 22 percent of our students interned abroad with factories in Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Ecuador.
Faculty and staff within the Sports Product Management program source internships and provide career guidance and networking opportunities to facilitate this process, working with each student according to their interests and needs. Graduates leave the program with strong skills in job search, networking and leadership, with recent data showing that more then 90 percent of Sports Product Management graduates accept roles in the sports and outdoor industry in a wide variety of functional areas.
Depending on their undergraduate education and interests, our graduates enter roles in product management, marketing, merchandising, product development, sourcing and costing, account management, operations, innovation, materials, design, and many other functional areas.
Events and Workshops
Students also optionally attend several industry engagement events hosted by the Sports Product Management program throughout the year, including networking events, panels, speaker series, and more. These events provide students with valuable industry insights and connections while they explore career options.
Still Not Convinced?
Experience a Week in the Life of a Sports Product Management Student
Join us as we follow SPM students through a week in their lives enrolled in our programs.
