Menu
Eine Frau steht mit dem Rücken zu einer grauen Wand und blickt lächelnd in die Kamera. | © FH Kufstein Tirol
© FH Kufstein Tirol

Sports, Culture & Event Management

Master's degree program

Are you considering a career in international sport, culture and event management? Our full-time, English-language Master's program offers you the perfect combination of theory and practice, enabling you to think and act analytically, innovatively and creatively. Take the next step!

Overview

  • Qualification Level:

    Stufe 2, Master
  • Price:

    Euro 363,36* (excl. Student Union-fees) each semester
  • Academic Degree:

    Master of Arts in Business (MA)
  • Academic Program:

    Full-time
  • Language:

    100% English
  • Remote Options:

    E-Learning min. 15 % online
  • Exchange Semester:

    Integrated study trip in the 2nd semester**
  • Admission Requirements:

    General admission requirements

Note:

* More information for students from third countries can be found in the Links & Downloads section.
** Students are responsible for their own travel expenses or are supported by a scholarship.

Program Description

Eingang der FH Kufstein Tirol vom Gebäude B, mit dem Namen der Fachhochschule als Schriftzug darüber stehend. | © FH Kufstein Tirol
© FH Kufstein Tirol
Drei Personen sitzen an einem Tisch, und ein Mann dieser Gruppe zeigt mit seinem Stift in die Richtung der Kamera, wo sich ein Whiteboard befindet. | © FH Kufstein Tirol
© FH Kufstein Tirol
Ein Bücherregal, auf dem drei Reihen von Büchern sind. | © FH Kufstein Tirol
© FH Kufstein Tirol

Immerse yourself in our Master's degree program in Sports, Culture & Event Management, which offers excellent career prospects. This strategic management training is tailored to these exciting fields and equips you with essential leadership skills. Courses are taught entirely in English to optimally prepare you for international challenges.

The Master's in Sports, Culture & Event Management is designed for creative and dedicated individuals who want to enter the dynamic world of sport, culture or events. Students will receive a solid theoretical and practical education, as well as strategic management skills. The curriculum incorporates new developments such as digitalization, sustainability and AI, and provides a comprehensive education in leadership and social skills. The program is taught entirely in English and is tailored for international students.

Study Focus

  • 13 %

    Basics Sports, Culture & Event Management

  • 20 %

    Specific expertise in sports, culture & event management

  • 17 %

    In-depth electives & scope for specialization

  • 14 %

    Leadership & Social Skills (incl. study trip)

  • 36 %

    Practical knowledge transfer & Master's thesis

What You Will Learn

  • Sports management and sports science

  • Cultural management and cultural studies

  • Event management and event sciences

  • Strategic management

  • economic and socio-political contexts of the industries

  • Social and leadership skills

  • Practical experience

  • Scientific methods

Popular Occupational Fields

  • Sports management: sports marketing & sports communication agencies, sports federations, organizing committees of major sports events, sporting goods industry & trade
  • Cultural management: cultural institutions such as museums, opera houses, theatres, concert halls; festivals, film & music industry and companies in the creative industries
  • Event management: event agencies, conference & congress centres, trade fair & congress agencies, corporate marketing departments

Career Opportunities

  • Over 2 million employees

    in the event industry in Austria and Germany

  • Over EUR 4bn market volume

    for sports and music events in Austria and Germany

  • + 11.1% growth rate

    of events worldwide

  • EUR 45,000 average salary

    for employees in sports, culture and event management in Austria and Germany

The path to the Master's degree

Ein Weg durch den Park, welcher zur FH Kufstein Tirol führt. | © FH Kufstein Tirol
© FH Kufstein Tirol

In the first semesters, students gain a basic understanding of business and sport, culture and event management. Subsequent courses explore integrative and advanced aspects of these fields. The program also emphasizes leadership and communication skills, including knowledge of social media and AI. Students work with external clients to complete sport, culture and event projects, applying their knowledge in real-world scenarios.

Special features:
  • Company and industry networking

  • Practical lessons

  • International Week

  • International students

Recognition of Prior Learning

Students have the option to receive credit for skills and competencies they have already acquired before the start of each semester.

To apply for credit, they must submit a request directly to the Director of Studies.

Director of Studies

© FH Kufstein Tirol
© FH Kufstein Tirol

Asc. Prof. (FH) Mag. Monika Kohlhofer

Director of Studies Sports, Culture & Event Management

Curriculum

Basics Sports, Culture & Event Management

International Sports Management
  • Semester 1
  • 4 ECTS

- Specific characteristics of the international sports market - Fundamental concepts and theories of international sports and sports management - Structure of the sports system in international and comparative perspective - Globalization and global governance in sport

Details
International Cultural Management
  • Semester 1
  • 4 ECTS

- Art as a model for management in general - Freedom of art and the diversity of democratic discourse - Public, non-profit and for-profit cultural organizations - Creativity and innovation in the creative industries - Public-private partnerships in cultural management - Potentials and problems of world heritage sites - Audience research and audience development

Details
International Event Management
  • Semester 1
  • 4 ECTS

- Event typologies and classifications - Event planning models and planning stages - Event life cycle - Stakeholder analysis - Event idea generation - Event logistics and operations - Event evaluation

Details
International Financial Management
  • Semester 1
  • 4 ECTS

The course will build on the approaches to value-based controlling, utilizing: - Zero based budgeting - Performance measurement - Contribution margin calculation Concepts examined will include: - Basic budget planning - Classification in the planning process - Assessment of organization and project success - Actual vs. target comparisons - Key performance indicators

Details

Management & Social Skills Sports, Culture & Event Management

Team Building
  • Semester 1
  • 3 ECTS

The course combines learning through outdoor and indoor components with keynote speeches and reflection: - The development of teams in their compositions - Target perspectives and risks - Leadership in a team - Organization of cooperation - Social coherence - The assessment of roles - Potential for conflict including causes and solutions

Details
Study Trip
  • Semester 2
  • 3 ECTS

- Planning, organization, and implementation of the program - Meetings and discussions with experts from sports, culture, and event management - Visits to foreign trade centers, embassies, and international institutions (e.g. Goethe Institute) - Participation in courses at partner universities developing teams in their compositions

Details
Strategic & Innovation Management
  • Semester 2
  • 3 ECTS

- Fundamental concepts of strategy and strategic innovation (general strategy) - Key concepts of strategic positioning and general competitive strategy frameworks for industry analysis. (Michael Porter) - Innovation strategy for creating unique products, services, and market positions (Blue Ocean Strategy) - Tools for translating strategic vision into organizational action (The Balanced Scorecard, and others)

Details
Digital Marketing
  • Semester 2
  • 3 ECTS

The course presents: - An overview of the digital marketing tools currently in use - The framework conditions when using digital marketing - The special challenges regarding interaction and fast pace in digital marketing Based on case studies, current best practice digital marketing campaigns are discussed and own marketing concepts are designed.

Details
Leadership Skills
  • Semester 3
  • 3 ECTS

- Essential concepts and elements of leadership in a modern business setting - Fundamental approaches to leadership (trait, skill, behavioral, and situational leadership) - Emerging approaches to leadership (Authentic Leadership, Servant Leadership) - Understanding and labeling one’s own views and outlooks on leadership - Developing and applying leadership skills - Most important characteristics and features of leadership in sports, cultural and event organizations - Different approaches and understandings of leadership

Details
Strategic Human Resource Management
  • Semester 3
  • 2 ECTS

The course covers various topics relevant to strategic HRM, for example such as ‚hard‘ and ‚soft‘ models of HRM, modern organizational structures and notion of culture, external influences on SHRM, flexible working, reward management, talent Management and/or equality and diversity in the workplace.

Details

Optional Modules Sports, Culture & Event Management

Contemporary Issues in Global Sports (WP)
  • Semester 2
  • 5 ECTS

- Essential concepts and elements of “glocal” sports: Global economics of sport, commercialization and strategic management - Major theories and different structures of governance in sports, integrity and corruption and their managerial implications

Details
Festival Management (WP)
  • Semester 2
  • 5 ECTS

- Definition and development of festivals - Tasks & potentials of art festivals - Global networks and international exchange - Festival tourism and sustainability - Festival management - Current issues

Details
Venue Management (WP)
  • Semester 2
  • 5 ECTS

- Introduction to event venue management - Overview of clusters of event venues - Features of selected clusters of event venues - The significance of architecture and the concept of space - Stakeholders of event venues - The question of construction costs - Interaction between construction and business - The lifecycle of event venues - Planning, financing and construction of event venues - Market and demand analysis as a basis - Site factors and site selection - Development of financial concepts, business plans - Strategic and operational management of event venues - Application of strategic management methods to event venues - Successful strategic positioning of event venues in the marketplace - Interaction of strategic management and operational management of event venues - Challenges in the operational management of event venues (including facility management) - Special features of conference and congress infrastructure - Special features of infrastructure in the leisure industry (e.g. garden shows, waterfront development)

Details
Project Management (WP)
  • Semester 2
  • 5 ECTS

- Understanding projects and structured project management - Project lifecycle (selection, initiation, planning, execution, monitoring & controlling, closing) - Project scheduling (scheduling software, manual scheduling techniques) - Project management methodologies

Details
Contemporary Issues in Sports Communication (WP)
  • Semester 3
  • 5 ECTS

- Major communication theories and conceptual aspects in sports management studies - Sport as a communication system and sports media organizations - Athlete – media communication, sport fandom and fan culture in the digital world - Major challenges in sports communication, future media formats and trends

Details
Technologies of Visitor Experience (WP)
  • Semester 3
  • 5 ECTS

- Typology of computer-mediated visitor experiences in real environments (audio guide, multimedia guide, augmented reality, mixed reality) - Basics of multisensory perception and multimedia comprehension - Visitor routes and spatial experience - Atmosphere and immersion - Enhanced storytelling and learning - Digital engagement through web 2.0 - Specifics of user experience of cultural visitor apps

Details
Managing the Event Workforce (WP)
  • Semester 3
  • 5 ECTS

- Introduction to human resource management in an event setting, e.g. the ‘pulsating organization’ - Recruitment, selection, training and development of the event workforce - Motivation and retention of the event volunteers - Aesthetic and emotional labor in the event industry - Moral, ethical and legal aspects of human resource management in an event setting incl. e.g. working conditions of the event workforce

Details
Cross-Cultural Management (WP)
  • Semester 3
  • 5 ECTS

- Concept and application of culture in business - Determinants and dimensions of culture - Global business cultures - Culture and leadership - Corporate culture

Details

Practical Transfer Sports, Culture & Event Management

Business Project I
  • Semester 2
  • 4 ECTS

- Joint kick-off to the course - Project client briefing - Project development and control - Intermediate presentations and final presentations - Coaching - Execution or completion - Support during the implementation - Post reporting and documentation - Project presentation

Details
Research Methods & Evidence-based Management
  • Semester 2
  • 4 ECTS

- Differences and interfaces between qualitative and quantitative social research - Research design and planning - Sampling in qualitative and quantitative research - Instruments for qualitative and quantitative data collection - Methods for data analysis: qualitative content analysis, factor analysis, regression analysis - Examples of empirical studies from sports, culture and event management

Details
Business Project II
  • Semester 3
  • 4 ECTS

- Joint kick-off to the course - Project client briefing - Project development and control - Intermediate presentations and final presentations - Coaching - Execution or completion - Support during the implementation - Post reporting and documentation - Project presentation

Details
Elective
  • Semester 3
  • 3 ECTS

The course will focus on the following points: - Future of sport, culture and events in terms of importance - The use of marketing tools in projects - Scientific analysis of marketing campaigns in practice - Current trends in international business in both theory and practice - Economic, political and social impacts - Industry and R&D activities - Digital developments - Creation and evaluation of trends, fashions, booms

Details
Thesis Preparation Seminar
  • Semester 3
  • 4 ECTS

- Structure, content and function of research proposals - Phrasing and contextualizing research questions - Interdisciplinarity as opportunity and challenge - Establishing the current state of knowledge and systematically evaluating the literature - Closing and contextualizing the research gap - Managing information and knowledge - Choosing and justifying appropriate research methods - Quality criteria of empirical research in social sciences - Research ethics and data protection - Academic writing

Details
Colloquium on Master Thesis
  • Semester 4
  • 2 ECTS

- Discussion of problems and their possible methodological solutions to support the development of the Master Thesis topics. - Discussion of literature and processes of writing as a form of research and knowledge acquisition.

Details
Master Thesis
  • Semester 4
  • 22 ECTS

The Master Thesis is a scientific, written piece of work which focuses on application in the real world and on problem solving. It has clear reference to the thematic areas and specializations of the course (sport, culture and events management, urban studies, destination management, venue management, leadership management). The subject of focus will be prepared on the basis of a scientific piece of work - this is done independently and without external help (with specified sources and tools). Through these methods it will be ensured that students will be capable of selecting a subject which is both scientific and application-oriented. During the Master Thesis Seminar the students will be supported and supervised in the preparation of their Master Thesis. The selection of a topic, organization and time management should be independently carried out by the student - this is done mainly through the critical examination of possible research questions and hypotheses. The advisor will guide the students in scientific methods and during the individual coaching time formal composition will be discussed along with the question of time management.

Details

Specialization Sports, Culture & Event Management

Sustainability
  • Semester 1
  • 4 ECTS

- Concepts of sustainability from the perspectives of different stakeholders in context of sport- and cultural events (nations, communities, authorities, federations, environment, population, employer and employee, etc.) - Impacts of events on participants, regions, politics, etc. - Current political debates in relation to global warming - Tool used in Total quality management, process- and project management to support sustainability efforts

Details
SCEM in the Urban Context
  • Semester 1
  • 3 ECTS

- The impact of urban events on city image - The concept of eventification and eventilization and their effect on urban spaces and urban development - The role of urban events, culture and sport for city marketing, urban branding and place identity - The influence of sport on the transformation of urban spaces and community revitalization - Cultural policy programs (e.g. European Capital of Culture) and associated challenges and opportunities - Bidding, selection and evaluation process of cultural policy programs

Details
Risk Management
  • Semester 1
  • 4 ECTS

- Risk management terminology - Categories of risks associated with events - Risk assessment process incl. risk identification techniques Risk-prevention measures and crisis management solutions - Insurances policies and legal perspectives - Different types of crowds and crowd management approaches

Details
Event Design & Experience
  • Semester 2
  • 3 ECTS

- What is dramaturgy? (the internal constructive format – with a focus on storytelling; storytelling from the perspective of neuroscience; the external constructive format; dramatic constructive format with a focus on the dramatic arc) - Staging (transmedia storytelling; creative techniques for staging events; practical development of staging based on group exercises; staging options available for event managers) - Scripting - New forms of event staging – Events 2.0 (the emergence of new event forms; social media marketing as an event tool) - More interactive Event 2.0 tools

Details
Public Relations in SCEM
  • Semester 3
  • 4 ECTS

- Presentation of basic texts on dealing with media - Iconography and oral traditions - Historical understanding of writing - Writing of press releases, announcement texts (flyers, posters, brochures etc.) - Free speaking (radio, television, company videos etc.), lecture speaking, welcome speech, presentation - Innovative distribution of ideas as acquisition of competence in scientific education

Details
Critical Thinking in SCEM
  • Semester 4
  • 3 ECTS

- Human rights as managerial matrix (e.g. accessibility, participation and equality of all nations) - Dimensions of diversity (incl. gender), representation and audience development in management strategies - Changes in communication and information technology, world of work and markets as well as in power relations between key stakeholders, and their impact on sport, culture and events

Details
International Sports & Cultural Politics
  • Semester 4
  • 3 ECTS

- Legal and institutional framework of sports and cultural policy and politics in comparative and international perspective, taking examples from the European Union, the USA and aspects of multilateral international policies - Examples from African and Asian sports and cultural policy to provide a comparative perspective on the field - Key players and decision-making strategies - New tendencies and critical discourse

Details
Study regulations to download

Frequently Asked Questions

What nationalities are my fellow students?

The program is attended by students from the EU as well as from overseas and from Asia and Africa.

Do I need a visa?

Depending on your country of origin, a visa may be required. Please allow sufficient time for this in advance.

How are electives allocated?

You choose 2 of the 4 specialization subjects offered for 2 semesters. These courses take place together with the full-time masters.

What is the International Week?

The International Week is a 5-day trip of the degree program to a destination of your choice. Students plan and organize the program themselves.

Can I work while studying?

Classroom teaching usually occurs from Monday to Friday, occasionally on Saturdays in blocked units. With a significant amount of self-study, students can manage their schedules independently and have the flexibility to work part-time in the industry.

I'm glad that I had the courage back then to take a completely new direction in my career.
© FH Kufstein Tirol
© FH Kufstein Tirol

Laura-Isabell Hüttmann

Graduate

I found the combination of the areas of sports, culture, events and management particularly exciting. It not only gave me a wide range of professional insights, but also showed me how diverse and dynamic the industries are.
© Xenia Rempel
© Xenia Rempel

Xenia Rempel

The international background of the students and professors offers the opportunity for global networking and forms an additional basis for future international career development.
© FH Kufstein Tirol
© FH Kufstein Tirol

Monika Kohlhofer

Director of Studies