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Sports announcer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a sports announcer. Sports announcers usually study communication, journalism, or business. 74% of sports announcers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 271 real sports announcer resumes to see exactly what sports announcer education sections show.

The most common colleges for sports announcers are the Temple University and the Temple University.

There are also many online sports announcer courses to help get the education required to be a sports announcer.

What education do you need to become a sports announcer?

What degree do you need to be a sports announcer?

The most common degree for sports announcers is bachelor's degree, with 74% of sports announcers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 14% and associate degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 74%
  • Associate, 14%
  • High School Diploma, 6%
  • Master's, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a sports announcer?

You should major in communication to become a sports announcer. 30% of sports announcers major in communication. Other common majors for a sports announcer include journalism and business.

Most common colleges for sports announcers

Sports announcers often get their degrees at Temple University, Indiana State University, and University of Northern Colorado. Here are the most common colleges for sports announcers in the US based on their resumes.
Sports announcer common collegePercentages
Temple University7.32%
Indiana State University7.32%
University of Northern Colorado4.88%
Illinois State University4.88%
University of Pittsburgh4.88%

Best majors for sports announcers

Best colleges for sports announcers

The best colleges for sports announcers are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and Boston University.

A sports announcer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for sports announcers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become sports announcers.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

6. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

9. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

10. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Enrollment

58,392

20 best online courses for sports announcers

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1. Sports Performance Analytics

coursera

Sports analytics has emerged as a field of research with increasing popularity propelled, in part, by the real-world success illustrated by the best-selling book and motion picture, Moneyball. Analysis of team and player performance data has continued to revolutionize the sports industry on the field, court, and ice as well as in living rooms among fantasy sports players and online sports gambling.\n\nDrawing from real data sets in Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball...

2. Sports Marketing

coursera

Today, there is demand for people skilled in Sports Marketing. Organizations want your expertise to strength and grow customer bases and teams want to enlarge their fan base, attract new sponsors to their sport, build strong programs with existing sponsors, and run their fan conventions and other events. In addition, a wide range of companies recognize the value sports relationships have in positioning and building their brands. In this Sports Marketing MOOC, you will learn: — Ticket pricing...

3. Introductory Sport Psychology

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4.5
(325)

Developing sport psychology skills that you can use when you train, compete or coach...

4. Sport Psychology for Athletes

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4.7
(297)

Master the fundamentals of sport psychology to improve performance and gain a mental edge...

5. Sports Turf Management: Best Practices

coursera

The Sports Turf Management: Best Practices course will cover the construction, management, and challenges in maintaining athletic fields intended for football, soccer, and baseball. You will learn the fundamental management practices for maintaining athletic fields, such as fertilization, irrigation, mowing, and pest control. An overview of athletic field construction, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of native soil versus modified soil fields, will be provided. Lastly, you will...

6. Prediction Models with Sports Data

coursera

In this course the learner will be shown how to generate forecasts of game results in professional sports using Python. The main emphasis of the course is on teaching the method of logistic regression as a way of modeling game results, using data on team expenditures. The learner is taken through the process of modeling past results, and then using the model to forecast the outcome games not yet played. The course will show the learner how to evaluate the reliability of a model using data on...

7. Applied Sport Psychology and Leadership in Sport Certificate

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4.4
(304)

Enhance your knowledge of sport psychology from an athlete or coach perspective with this comprehensive applied course...

8. Sports Management: The Essentials Course

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4.5
(447)

A Comprehensive Overview at How the Sports Industry Operates and the Challenges Facing the Modern Sports Industry Today...

9. Data Analytics in Sports Law and Management

coursera

Athletes, lawyers and team executive experts provide insight in how law and regulations intersect with data analytics and sports management techniques for best practices in the sports industry. Several courses provide the basis for how data analytics function within player evaluation, team performance, and roster management. The specialization introduces various regulatory, managerial and legal frameworks that includes athlete representation, facilities, and event management and conclude with...

10. Activism in Sports and Culture

coursera

Sports have become an ever-present reflection of American culture, and an important symbol of the divisions and alliances in our society. Sports and political change walk hand in hand in America. The way that athletes and institutions deal with questions of race, economic hardship, nationalism, and political ties have become central to the way that we understand ourselves and our society. And yet, there are those who would prefer their sports free of controversy and opinion. Dedicated athletes,...

11. Internationally Accredited Diploma in Sports Nutrition

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4.5
(2,250)

Learn About The Fundamentals Of Sport Nutrition Science And How To Fuel Your Athlete Client...

12. Sports Nutrition for Athletes and Fitness Enthusiasts

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4.5
(353)

Learn all about sports nutrition with 7 hours of online video content and start training SMARTER instead of HARDER...

13. Introduction to Machine Learning in Sports Analytics

coursera

In this course students will explore supervised machine learning techniques using the python scikit learn (sklearn) toolkit and real-world athletic data to understand both machine learning algorithms and how to predict athletic outcomes. Building on the previous courses in the specialization, students will apply methods such as support vector machines (SVM), decision trees, random forest, linear and logistic regression, and ensembles of learners to examine data from professional sports leagues...

14. Exploring NCAA Data with BigQuery

coursera

This is a self-paced lab that takes place in the Google Cloud console. Use BigQuery to explore the NCAA dataset of basketball games, teams, and players. The data covers plays from 2009 and scores from 1996. Watch <A HREF="https://youtu.be/xDZjcfMm-t8">How the NCAA is using Google Cloud to tap into decades of sports data</A>...

15. Sports Massage: The Technique Masterclass

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4.8
(605)

Learn the most effective sports massage techniques for the entire body (2 CEUs)...

16. Ashiatsu or Shiatsu Barefoot Sports Massage Therapy

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4.5
(252)

Let your feet do the work for you!...

17. Become a Professional Football (Soccer) Coach

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4.7
(350)

The Complete Guide on how to become a Professional Football (Soccer) Coach...

18. Sports Massage: Muscle Energy Technique Certificate Course

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4.7
(436)

Grow your practice by learning sports massage the power of muscle energy techniques (2 CEUs)...

19. Sports Massage: Positional Release Certificate Course

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4.6
(355)

Learn Sports Massage Positional Release Techniques to produce profound pain relief and improve bodily function (2 CEUs)...

20. The Ultimate Soccer Guide Play Like A Pro Soccer Player

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4.5
(370)

Learn how to drastically improve your soccer skills, fitness, confidence, and game intelligence FASTER than ever before...

Top 10 most affordable universities for sports announcers

The most affordable schools for sports announcers are University of Florida, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for sports announcers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for sports announcers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

9. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

10. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for sports announcers

The hardest universities for sports announcers to get into are Northwestern University, Northeastern University, and Boston University.

Some great schools for sports announcers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for sports announcers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

7%

SAT average

1,545

6. University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL • Private

Admissions rate

32%

SAT average

1,365

7. Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA • Private

Admissions rate

36%

SAT average

1,330

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

9. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,449

10. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

Admissions rate

39%

SAT average

1,367

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for sports announcers

The easiest schools for sports announcers to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and university of the incarnate word.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a sports announcer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for sports announcers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

4. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

5. Rochester University

Rochester Hills, MI • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,002

6. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

7. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

8. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

9. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

10. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

Average sports announcer salary by education level

Sports announcers with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $37,339 annually. With a Associate degree, sports announcers earn a median annual income of $31,847 compared to $29,786 for sports announcers with an High School Diploma degree.
Sports announcer education levelSports announcer salary
High School Diploma or Less$29,786
Bachelor's Degree$37,339
Some College/ Associate Degree$31,847

Sports announcer education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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