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Sports writer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a sports writer. Sports writers usually study journalism, communication, or english. 83% of sports writers hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 3,664 real sports writer resumes to see exactly what sports writer education sections show.
The most common colleges for sports writers are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.
There are also many online sports writer courses to help get the education required to be a sports writer.
What education do you need to become a sports writer?
What degree do you need to be a sports writer?
- Bachelor's, 83%
- Associate, 8%
- Master's, 4%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a sports writer?
- Journalism, 30%
- Communication, 25%
- English, 7%
- Kinesiology, 5%
- Other Majors, 33%
Most common colleges for sports writers
| Sports writer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania State University | 8.46% |
| The University of Alabama | 7.35% |
| West Virginia University | 6.25% |
| Ohio State University | 5.88% |
| Temple University | 5.51% |
Best majors for sports writers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Journalism | 30.1% |
| 2 | Communication | 25.4% |
| 3 | English | 7.3% |
| 4 | Kinesiology | 5.3% |
| 5 | Business | 4.3% |
Best colleges for sports writers
The best colleges for sports writers are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Northeastern University.
A sports writer 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 writers. 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 writers.
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
5. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
7. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$9,816
Enrollment
21,047
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
9. Emory University
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,306
Enrollment
6,975
10. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
20 best online courses for sports writers
Advertising disclosure
1. Sports Performance Analytics
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
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. Sport Psychology for Athletes
Master the fundamentals of sport psychology to improve performance and gain a mental edge...
4. Introductory Sport Psychology
Developing sport psychology skills that you can use when you train, compete or coach...
5. Activism in Sports and Culture
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,...
6. Teaching Reluctant Writers
All educators will encounter students who struggle with writing. This course first focuses on the reasons student writers may be reluctant and then provides learners with a variety of strategies and practices to help reluctant writers develop a greater comfort and confidence with writing. Learners will examine classroom relationships, mentoring, scaffolding, conferencing, low-risk writing and mini-lessons, all tools and techniques that can be brought right into the classroom to help struggling...
7. Sports Nutrition for Athletes and Fitness Enthusiasts
Learn all about sports nutrition with 7 hours of online video content and start training SMARTER instead of HARDER...
8. Applied Sport Psychology and Leadership in Sport Certificate
Enhance your knowledge of sport psychology from an athlete or coach perspective with this comprehensive applied course...
9. Sports Turf Management: Best Practices
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...
10. Introduction to Machine Learning in Sports Analytics
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...
11. Sports Massage: The Technique Masterclass
Learn the most effective sports massage techniques for the entire body (2 CEUs)...
12. Sports Management: The Essentials Course
A Comprehensive Overview at How the Sports Industry Operates and the Challenges Facing the Modern Sports Industry Today...
13. Data Analytics in Sports Law and Management
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...
14. Prediction Models with Sports Data
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...
15. Sports Massage: Positional Release Certificate Course
Learn Sports Massage Positional Release Techniques to produce profound pain relief and improve bodily function (2 CEUs)...
16. Internationally Accredited Diploma in Sports Nutrition
Learn About The Fundamentals Of Sport Nutrition Science And How To Fuel Your Athlete Client...
17. Ashiatsu or Shiatsu Barefoot Sports Massage Therapy
Let your feet do the work for you!...
18. Introduction to Game Localization
Become a translator, tester or project manager specialized in gamelocalization and get paid for your gaming passion...
19. Fiction for Young Writers (Writing Mastery)
A fun, interactive workshop to help young writers unlock their creativity, improve their craft, and write better stories...
20. Conquering Writer's Block (Writing Mastery)
Proven strategies and tools to overcome writer's block, renew your motivation, and write novels with confidence...
Top 10 most affordable universities for sports writers
The most affordable schools for sports writers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for sports writers 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 writers.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
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. USF St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,821
Cost of attendance
19,849
8. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
9. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
10. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for sports writers
The hardest universities for sports writers to get into are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Northeastern University.
Some great schools for sports writers 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 writers 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. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
3. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,545
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. Emory University
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,449
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
10. Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
51%
SAT average
1,395
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for sports writers
The easiest schools for sports writers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, university of the incarnate word, and rochester university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a sports writer 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 writers.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
3. Rochester University
Rochester Hills, MI • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,002
4. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
5. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
6. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
7. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
8. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
9. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
10. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
Average sports writer salary by education level
| Sports writer education level | Sports writer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $38,287 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $36,972 |
Sports writer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025