Launched almost 30 years ago, Audencia’s MS Management Responsible for Sports Organizations has established itself over time as one of the benchmark courses in the training of sports managers. Several leaders and senior officials of prestigious sports institutions now come from the ranks of the MS MOS. During an interview with Ecofoot.fr, Etienne Cassagne, Academic Director, presents the specificities of the MS MOS as well as the changes made to the program in recent years.
Who is the specialized master for? Responsible Management of Sports Organizations proposed by Audencia? What subjects are taught? What professions does this training prepare for?
The MS Management Responsible for Audencia Sports Organizations is provided on the school’s Paris campus, near Montparnasse station. It is a 16-month program comprising just over 6 months of courses and projects, as well as an internship period. It is aimed at anyone holding a Master 2 (or an M1 for a small number of students), having already professional experience or not, passionate, informed and curious about the world of Sport, whether associative, business, federal and eager to join this sector.
The MS MOS program is quite extensive since it allows students to tackle all topics related to sport. First, the Fundamentals of Management give students the basics to have or to consolidate. Then, the courses related to Sport start from the most generalist (Sport Economics, Sociology of Sport, Ethics and Sport, Geopolitics of Sport, Organization of Sport in France …) to more specific trades (CSR, Communication, Events, Marketing, Commercial, Management, Law…). In addition, project management is a common thread throughout the program to allow students to learn from contacts with professionals in the sector.
The MS MOS prepares students for the Sports Management professions. The destination of MS MOS students largely depends on their initial training (Management, Marketing, Law, Events, Engineer). The main jobs occupied by graduates are: Event Project Manager, Product Manager for an equipment, Key account for a distributor, Project manager in a Federation, Partnership manager in a club or an advertiser, etc.
What is the typical course of a student integrating this course? Does he have to complete a compulsory internship in a sports organization? Does this course include a stay abroad?
There is no typical course to integrate the MS MOS. Candidates with an M2 (or an M1 under quota) with a great appetite and a great curiosity for Sport in all its dimensions will have good assets to put forward. Every year, students from law, engineering schools, Sciences Po, school or faculty of Management and Management as well as professionals wishing to reorient their career in sport join the program.
“75% to 80% of graduates work in sport one year after completing their studies”
Etienne Cassagne – Academic Director – MS MOS Audencia
During this course, an internship of 4 to 6 months is to be carried out, in fact, in a sports organization, which can be located in France or abroad. However, there are no plans for a stay abroad specific to the program.
What is the employability rate of students following this course? Can you give us some examples of former students now occupying important positions in sports organizations? How do you promote relationships / interactions between your former students?
On the previous promotions, we had carried out a survey which showed us that approximately 75% -80% of the graduates worked in the sport one year after the end of their studies.
The program is now 29 years old, so there are many graduates with varied backgrounds. Some are in management positions: the General Management of the EPCR for example or the Communication Department of Racing 92 or the Marketing Department of Mizuno France. The most recent will occupy positions as CSR Project Manager for France 2023 or Manager of the Olympic Torch Relay in Paris 2024, or even Sport Consultant at PwC.
“The courses relating to ethics in sport, the ecological impact of sport and the role of sport as a tool for social inclusion and regional development have seen their importance increase in the program”
Etienne Cassagne – Academic Director – MS MOS Audencia
Many interactions take place between students and graduates. Already on the first day of the school year, the outgoing promotion meets the incoming promotion. Then there is a lot of feedback from graduates, visits organized by graduates. They are also invited to all the highlights on the Paris campus, in particular the conferences that the MS MOS organizes.
Sport is a constantly changing sector. How do you adapt your programs according to the transformations of the sector? Which subjects have gained in importance in recent years? Have you adapted your programs due to the pandemic severely affecting the sports industry?
We systematically remain attentive to new issues and new trends in the sports sector. A program, from one year to the next, changes by at least 20 to 30%. We continue to meet potential stakeholders or agents of change in the world of sport, which pushes us to constantly adapt the content offered to students. In recent years, obviously, the courses relating to ethics in sport, the ecological impact of sport and the role of sport as a tool for social inclusion and regional development have seen their importance in the program grow. It is in this sense that from next year, the MS will assume its “responsible” position even more by integrating it into its name and therefore fully into its educational approach.
The pandemic has clearly affected the sports industry and therefore MS MOS as well. We reacted quickly enough to offer the same content, but mostly from a distance. We have also stepped up our support for students by creating more modules dedicated to self-knowledge, personal development and preparation for their entry into the job market.
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